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Foreword KEEPING pace with rapid progress the world over, Afghanistan has been taking great strides forward since the Five Year Plan began its first year in September, 1956. This Plan is neither ambitious nor modest. It was prepared simply to meet the most important requirements of the country with the minimum cost and maximum utility. The story of the implementation of the first three years of the Plan has been reported by the Afghan Information Bureau in three similar publications at the end of each year. The aim of the present publication is to describe the implementation of the Plan in its fourth year, as it has been reported by various Government and other agencies responsible for its execution. Every effort has been made to summarize the material and present the different phases of the Plan in a precise form. In a few cases, however, the report covers only the first half of the fourth year because it was felt that facts and figures should not be rushed at the expense of accuracy. The Information Bureau, Royal Afghan Embassy, 1, Kensington Church Court, London, W.8. OUTLINE OF THE FIVE-YEAR PLAN THE Ministry of Planning, established in 1957 by Act of Parliament, is directly responsible for the co-ordination of all projects carried out by the various other Ministries in connection with the Five Year Plan. The main emphasis, however, has been placed on agriculture. The Plan in this case is based on the principle that both equipment and knowledge should be made available to the farmers, so that they can increase their output per jirib (half-acre), and per individual beast. Research stations will be established to study the problems arising, and these will conduct campaigns against animal and plant pestilences and diseases. Agricultural mechanisation will also be under-taken, especially in the northern and south-western provinces. Farming schools will be set up, in addition to the present High Schools and Faculty of Agriculture, and there will be seasonal courses in the farms and villages for the further training of personnel. All this is to be carried out because Afghanistan is a predominantly agricul-tural country, the main means of live-lihood being farming and the tending of livestock. With the current conditions receiving proper attention, it is expected that farm output will not only suffice for the internal needs of the country, but that it will be possible to export more products such as cotton and wool, to the advantage of the people. New dams will be constructed on the following rivers: Kunduz in Kataghan, Kokcha in Kataghan, Sardeh in Ghazni, Paltu in Katawaz, Kharwar and Machal-ghu in Kabul Province. A new canal will carry water from the Kabul River near Jalalabad, to irrigate a vast tract of land south and east of the city. By these measures it is hoped to increase the arable land in Afghanistan by 625,000 acres. Forestry plans in various districts will ensure better climatic conditions, prevent erosion and floods, and produce more timber. 5