A race against time to avert a catastrophe in Afghanistan - Agricultural assistance is urgently needed

Afghanistan’s food security situation is rapidly deteriorating and an estimated 22.8 million Afghans are projected to be in acute food insecurity by March 2022.  

With rural livelihood systems on the brink of collapse, the economic upheaval, the rapidly advancing winter and the continuing drought are major challenges for farmers, pastoralists and many others across Afghanistan, including displaced populations.  

Against this background, at a meeting facilitated by the Liaison Office in Brussels, the FAO Representative in Afghanistan Richard Trenchard and his team briefed European Union colleagues on the current situation in the country, on FAO’s current interventions and on the priorities for 2022. The briefing was attended by officials from the European Union Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) and the European External Action Service (EEAS). 

Protecting rural livelihoods is a core feature of FAO’s humanitarian response to Afghanistan’s crisis, in addition to life-saving assistance.  FAO, supported by a number of partners including the European Commission, is stepping up its humanitarian support in Afghanistan through unconditional cash transfers and emergency livestock protection inputs. 

In 2021, FAO has assisted 1.4 million Afghans across 30 provinces, and the ongoing winter wheat campaign is reaching a further 1.3 million people.  

You can read more about FAO’s work in Afghanistan here.