Part 8
Ayyub
Agriculture: From Dependence to Self-Sufficiency and Food Security
Agriculture is a foundational pillar of Afghanistan’s economy and is regarded as a major source of income and employment for a large part of the country’s population. The lives of millions of families, especially residents of rural areas, are tied to land, water and agricultural produce. For this reason, supporting farmers, raising domestic production and managing water sources well are more than economic matters; they’re directly tied to food security and the general well-being of society.
Under the previous administration, even though some agricultural programs were carried out, this sector faced many serious problems. Reliance on food imports, a lack of adequate irrigation, a shortage of improved seeds and high-quality fertilizer, weak management of water sources and repeated droughts were factors that hurt agricultural production. In many areas, farmers had no access to the necessary resources and technical advice, and part of the aid set aside for them didn’t reach them effectively because of weak management and administrative corruption. As a result, Afghanistan depended on imports to meet part of its food needs and was exposed to changes in foreign market prices.
When the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) came to power, raising domestic production and advancing self-sufficiency in food became one of the country’s major economic priorities. For this purpose, the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) has launched a series of programs to support farmers, expand wheat cultivation, distribute improved seeds and improve production methods. According to this ministry’s official report, wheat production in Afghanistan in 1404 SH reached about 4.54 million metric tons, of which more than 4.13 million tons was irrigated wheat and about 404,000 tons was rainfed wheat. This level of production was reached even though drought hurt rainfed cultivation and production dropped considerably compared with the previous year. Even so, continued irrigated wheat production has played a major role in easing pressure on the food supply.
Alongside raising production, attention to farmers’ conditions is also particularly important. Distributing improved seeds, establishing demonstration plots to introduce new farming methods, offering technical advice and supporting the expansion of fruit orchards are among the activities carried out in this area. These steps can help raise the productivity of farmland, improve the quality of crops and make better use of available resources. Support for farmers can bring lasting results when their access to improved seeds, fertilizer, farm machinery, markets for their crops and advisory services is also strengthened.
Water resource management is also one of the fundamental issues in developing Afghanistan’s agriculture, because much of the country’s farmland depends on rainwater, and drought can seriously threaten farmers’ production. In this area, efforts are underway in various provinces to build check dams and small water-storage dams, regulate surface water and strengthen groundwater reserves. The Qosh Tepa canal project is also one of the country’s major infrastructure projects, with great potential to expand agriculture in the northern provinces. Once it is completed, a large share of farmland will come under irrigation, and the groundwork will be laid for higher production, new job opportunities and improved living conditions for farmers’ families.
Despite all this, a number of opposing media outlets and groups, citing international organizations’ reports on poverty and food insecurity, try to portray the system as having failed to meet people’s food needs. But such analyses often overlook a basic fact: a considerable part of the food insecurity problem in Afghanistan isn’t the result of the system’s actions. It is the direct result of oppressive sanctions, the freezing of Afghanistan’s assets in foreign banks and a sharp fall in humanitarian aid. Wrestling with frozen assets and international economic pressure, the IEA has managed to keep domestic wheat production at a level that meets more than half the country’s needs. If these sanctions were lifted and the system could reach its financial resources without obstruction, the capacity to raise production and improve food security would be many times greater.
Overall, developing agriculture and supporting farmers are among Afghanistan’s most basic needs. Raising wheat production, distributing improved seeds, expanding orchards, building water dams and advancing the Qosh Tepa project are only a few examples of the efforts made in this area.
