Although humanitarian assistance helped avert a food security catastrophe over the harsh winter in Afghanistan, hunger still persists at unprecedented levels. Record levels of hunger persist in Afghanistan as lingering drought and the deep economic crisis continue to threaten lives and livelihood. Some 19.7 million people, almost half of Afghanistan’s population, are facing acute hunger. Humanitarian assistance remains desperately important, as do the needs to rebuild shattered agricultural livelihoods and re-connect farmers and rural communities to struggling rural and urban markets across the country. Unless these happen, there will be no way out of this crisis.
More than 20,000 people in Ghor province, located in the northeast, are facing catastrophic levels of hunger resulting from a long period of harsh winter and disastrous agricultural conditions. A latest UN backed report reveals a pocket of catastrophic levels of food insecurity in the country’s northeast, affecting thousands. The report predicts there will be a slight improvement in food security in Afghanistan from June through November, with the number of people facing acute food insecurity dropping to 18.9 million.
This is partly due to the coming wheat harvest, which runs from May to August, as well as the scale-up in food assistance this year and increased support to agriculture. Food assistance and emergency livelihood support is the lifeline for the people of Afghanistan. We mounted the world’s largest humanitarian food operation in a matter of months, reaching more than 16 million people since August 2021. The report warns that any gains will be limited, as lingering drought and the economic crisis continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of millions across the country.
The report said that although the upcoming harvest will bring some relief for millions, that relief will only be short-term for many. Fallout from the war in Ukraine continues to put pressure on Afghanistan’s wheat supply, food commodities, agricultural inputs, and fuel prices. Furthermore, access to seeds, fertilizer and water for irrigation is limited, labour opportunities are scarce, and people have incurred enormous debts to buy food.
WFP has reached more than 16 million people in Afghanistan so far this year with emergency food assistance, while also supporting local markets, and working with retailers and local suppliers. The agency also continues to invest in skills training and climate adaption projects so that families can cultivate their land and grow their own food. Meanwhile, FAO continues to ramp up assistance to farmers and herders in rural areas in Afghanistan. The UN agency will assist more than nine million people this year through a range of interventions that include support for crop, livestock and vegetable production; cash transfers, and the rehabilitation of vital irrigation infrastructure and systems. This weekend the Taliban ordered that all women must cover their faces in public and should only leave their homes in cases of necessity. Any violations will result in their male relatives being punished. The latest directive by the Taliban is a further escalation of restrictions on women and girls, including impeded return to work and inability to pursue their education.
It is estimated that current restrictions on women’s employment have resulted in up to $1 billion in immediate economic losses, she said, or up to five per cent of the country’s economic output.
With more than half the population requiring humanitarian assistance, amid food insecurity and malnutrition, the latest restrictions make attempts at recovery harder, if not impossible.
