The stable, improved by Qushnak Payen Rangeland Management Association (RMA) in Malistan district of Ghazni province, accommodates 54 sheep.

In Afghanistan’s landscape, rangeland plays a central role. Almost 47 percent of the country's land area is covered by rangeland. It is a vital source of food for livestock, providing fresh forage during the spring and summer grazing season and hay in the winter. Unfortunately, rangeland has suffered from both overexploitation and climate change: drought and floods, endangering rural livelihoods.

In Ghazni province, 70 to 90 percent of the rural population depends on livestock for home consumption (dairy products and meat). Livestock also fuels domestic and international trade and is the pillar of the local economy. The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) counted around 500 000 heads of cattle including cows, goats, sheep and donkeys in Ghazni province.

But the long and cold winters of Ghazni make the survival of livestock difficult. Inadequate stables are too cold and cause diseases to spread easily, while hay supplies are threatened by the lack of proper dry storage facilities (barns).

Mohammad Zahir, a farmer in Nawur District, explained “In the past, I used to sell my animals at a very low price at the beginning of winter, because they might otherwise die because of diseases and malnutrition. This year, improvements made to my stable make me optimistic that they will survive. My family can continue benefitting from dairy products throughout the winter, and I can sell my animals in spring at a high price”.

These improvements were made possible through financial support by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), to rehabilitate depleted rangelands by adopting community-based methods for sustainable land management. This program was implemented in the Malistan and Nawur districts of Ghazni. Part of it focused on improving stable and fodder storage facilities for farmers. Besides the humanitarian impact - reducing food insecurity and malnutrition - this intervention allows the development of more stable rural livelihoods and is designed to strengthen the value chains associated with the local livestock sector.

Community involvement is key to this project’s success. They were involved in the conception phase of this project and established Rangeland Management Associations to manage the projects. Hossein Ali, member of the Qushnak Payen Rangeland Management Association (RMA), noted that “The problem of animal feed waste was effectively addressed by the construction of a feeding area, ensuring a constant supply of clean feed for the animals and preventing unnecessary waste of fodder.”

Altogether, significant improvements were made to 70 stables and barns of diverse sizes. Healthier cattle, of course, benefit the local communities and contribute to their long-term prosperity. Much remains to be done to improve the livelihoods of Ghazni’s farmers, including rangeland restoration. The RMAs established in this project can support this objective.