Agricultural livelihood support to acutely food insecure people in Afghanistan

One in three people in Afghanistan is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity due to the ongoing conflict, COVID-19 pandemic, high food prices and rampant unemployment. 

This food insecurity situation is expected to be deteriorated in the short-term. In addition to the widespread insecurity, the upcoming harvest in September is expected to be substantially below normal due to the current drought, triggered by the La Niña weather event. 

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working in Afghanistan with partners and the government to provide necessary livelihood assistance through agricultural inputs and agronomic training, as well as and life-saving cash assistance to the most vulnerable including farmers, pastoralists and families, to increase the resilience of their livelihoods and improve food and nutrition security.

One in three people in Afghanistan is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity due to the ongoing conflict, COVID-19 pandemic, high food prices and rampant unemployment. 

This food insecurity situation is expected to be deteriorated in the short-term. In addition to the widespread insecurity, the upcoming harvest in September is expected to be substantially below normal due to the current drought, triggered by the La Niña weather event. 

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is working in Afghanistan with partners and the government to provide necessary livelihood assistance through agricultural inputs and agronomic training, as well as and life-saving cash assistance to the most vulnerable including farmers, pastoralists and families, to increase the resilience of their livelihoods and improve food and nutrition s¬ecurity.

SOUNDBITE (English) Rajendra Kumar Aryal, FAO representative in Afghanistan: “We managed to support more than 150,000 families with different agricultural inputs, livestock inputs, and training and awareness raising, because we realize that you know there are other people as well as we saw that, you know, more and more people were becoming vulnerable and food insecure.”

Khialy Gul, an Afghan farmer from Nawju Village, Kuz Kunar District, Nangarhar Province, was provided by FAO with quality seeds and fertilizers coupled with specific training on wheat cultivation practices to improve productivity. 

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Khialy Gul, wheat farmer: “We received this support when we were in need. We have been supported with 50 kg of wheat, which is certified wheat seeds, 50 kg of urea and 50 kg of DAP fertilizers”.

Livestock owners and pastoralists are provided with livestock supplies, training and veterinary support to keep their animals healthy. This is to prevent people from desperately selling their animals, which are their only source of income and food. Distress sale often leads to rural migration and worsen food security.

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Malek Nemat Khan, representative of Kuchi community in Laghman: “These people have received two bags of animal feed to protect their livestock. People are very happy about this because that can feed their animals up to two or three months. Even if someone is relieved for at least three months, that is also a huge achievement.”

To minimize the impact of COVID-19 on economic activities, the various market stakeholders have been provided with awareness raising trainings including illustrated informational flyers and safety kits to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in the markets. Body temperature was measured at the entrance gates to the marketplace and hand washing facilities were made available for everyone.

The measures have been implemented to ensure stable food supply in the markets. Farmers, livestock owners and pastoralists have an outlet to sell their products, and food systems are not disrupted.

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Mirwais Faizi, market manager: “This support helped us greatly to control the disease. Shopkeepers stayed safe and customers visited and shopped with more confidence and safely.”

To improve people’s access to food and meet their most immediate basic needs, FAO has scaled up its programme to provide unconditional cash transfers to vulnerable landless labourers and marginal farming households in the most food-insecure provinces of Afghanistan. Families headed by women and disabled people are prioritized. In 2020, they accounted for 38 percent of the beneficiary households.

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Nastaran, beneficiary: “We are six people in the family, but only one of my grandchildren is working in Iran. Our problem is that we can’t afford food and other essential goods.”

Nastaran’s family has been provided with an unconditional cash transfer of AFN 3,850 ( USD 50), an equivalent to 55 percent of the cost of the monthly food basket for a family of seven in the country.

SOUNDBITE (Dari) Nastaran, beneficiary: “The cash given by FAO will be spent to purchase a sack of rice and bottle of oil or school stationery for my grandchildren.”

Despite the ongoing conflict, FAO is committed to continue delivering livelihood and cash assistance to those people most in need and to avoid a worsening of the food security situation. 

SOUNDBITE (English) Rajendra Kumar Aryal, FAO representative in Afghanistan: “The main focus for FAO for 2021, we will continue our work, we continue with our commitment of staying and delivering. We are planning to target, almost 500,000 households in 2021 specially focusing on provinces with IPC Phase 3 and Phase 4 with agricultural inputs livestock inputs, training and so on”.

The IPC Acute Food Insecurity (IPC AFI) classification measures the levels of food insecurity that threaten peoples or livelihoods of people. In particular, the IPC classification distinguishes five phases of acute food insecurity: (1) Minimal/None, (2) Stressed, (3) Crisis, (4) Emergency, (5) Catastrophe/Famine. 

High levels of acute food insecurity start from IPC Phase 3, that is the crisis level. 

FAO calls for increased efforts and investments to protect the most vulnerable people in Afghanistan.

FAO is currently providing assistance in Afghanistan thanks to the committed funding support of Denmark, the European Union humanitarian aid, Japan, Korea, United Nations humanitarian funding, Sida (Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation), and the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance. Belgium and Germany have also been providing their funding to recent projects.

LOCATIONS: Various, please check shotlist 

SHOT: Various, please check shotlist 

SOUND: Natural / Dari / English

LENGTH: 03’39”

SOURCE: FAO

ACCESS: Please give on screen credit to FAO

SHOTLIST

Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, 19 May 2021

1. Wide shot of Khialy Gul,a wheat farmer harvesting 

2. Close up on Khialy Gul, a wheat farmer harvesting

3. Medium shot of Khialy Gul, a wheat farmer harvesting

4. Close up on Khialy Gul’s hands intertwining wheat

5. Khialy Gul, a wheat farmer harvesting

Kabul, Afghanistan, 14 January 2021

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajendra Kumar Aryal, FAO representative in Afghanistan: “We managed to support more than 150,000 families with different agricultural inputs, livestock inputs, and training and awareness raising, because we realize that you know there are other people as well as we saw that, you know, more and more people were becoming vulnerable and food insecure.”

Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, 19 May 2021

7. Wide shot of Khialy Gul, a wheat farmer harvesting

8. Close up on a Khialy Gul’s hands harvesting the wheat

9. Wide shot of wheat tractor

10. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Khialy Gul, wheat farmer: “We received this support when we were in need”.

11. Khialy Gul harvesting

12. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Khialy Gul, wheat farmer: “We received this support when we were in need. We have been supported with 50 kg of wheat, which is certified wheat seeds, 50 kg of urea and 50 kg of DAP (Diammonium phosphate) fertilizers”.

13. Wide shot of wheat tractor

Laghman Province, Afghanistan, 7 January 2021

14. Kuchi nomadic herders putting a bag of animal feed on his shoulder

15. Kuchi nomadic herder leaving animal feed distribution center

16. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Malek Nemat Khan, representative of Kuchi community in Laghman: “These people have received two bags of animal feed to protect their livestock. People are very happy about this because that can feed their animals up to two or three months. Even if someone is relieved for at least three months, that is also a huge achievement.”

17. Wide shot FAO veterinary deworming sheep and goats

18. Close up of FAO veterinary deworming a cow 

Herat, Afghanistan, 10 November 2020

19. A man in protective gear is spraying disinfectants at a fruits and vegetables market as COVID-19 safety measures

20. A man being measured temperature at a fruit and vegetable market entrance

21. Temperature control at the entrance of a livestock market

22. Afghan man washing his hands at the entrance of a livestock market

23. Three-wheeler driving into a fruit and vegetable market 

24. A vendor taking vegetables out of bags 

25. Close up on a vendor holding vegetables

26. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Mirwais Faizi, market manager: “This support helped us greatly to control the disease. Shopkeepers stayed safe and customers visited and shopped with more confidence and safely.”

Injill district, Herat Province, 12 November 2020

27. A woman walking towards FAO cash transfer center

28. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Nastaran, beneficiary: “We are six people in the family, but only one of my grandchildren is working in Iran.”

29. Men waiting outside a FAO cash transfer center

30. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Nastaran, beneficiary: “Our problem is that we can’t afford food and other essential goods.”

31. Woman receiving cash transfer

32. Close-up hand counting money

33. SOUNDBITE (Dari) Nastaran, beneficiary: “The cash given by FAO will be spent to purchase a sack of rice and bottle of oil or school stationery for my grandchildren.”

Herat, Afghanistan, 10 November 2020

34. Wide of market, pan to a man holding COVID-19 informative flyers 

35. Wide shot of a livestock market

Kabul, Afghanistan, 14 January 2021

36. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajendra Kumar Aryal, FAO representative in Afghanistan: “The main focus for FAO for 2021, we will continue our work, we continue with our commitment of staying and delivering.

Laghman Province, Afghanistan, 7 January 2021

37. Kouchi herder pulling a cow with a rope

Kabul, Afghanistan, January 2021

38. SOUNDBITE (English) Rajendra Kumar Aryal, FAO representative in Afghanistan: “We are planning to target, almost 500,000 households in 2021 specially focusing on provinces with IPC Phase 3 and Phase 4 with agricultural inputs livestock inputs, training and so on”.

Injill district, Herat Province, 12 November 2020

39. Wide shot of a village in Injill district, Herat Province