Afghanistan: Boosting local food production, generating income and reviving rural markets

 A new $80 million grant from the United States of America is an important step-forward in the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to support farmers and agriculture in Afghanistan as they struggle to produce food, build resilience and achieve food security in the face of continuing drought and deep economic crisis.

The five-year contribution from USAID supports an ambitious and urgent set of emergency interventions that both meet farmers’ immediate needs and also help build healthier, more climate-smart and resilient livelihoods through increasing nutritious food production, fostering environmentally sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices and support the diversification of household incomes through the adoption of new agricultural practices. Together, these activities will boost local food production, generate jobs and income and help revive struggling local rural markets.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Afghanistan’s economy, people’s livelihoods, food production and food security. Almost half the total population face acute food insecurity – hunger on a daily basis – reaching over 70 percent in many rural areas. USAID’s generous support will help Afghanistan’s farmers to begin seeing beyond the current crisis and start laying foundations for future recovery” said Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan.

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