Rooted in Resilience
How Afghanistan’s farmers defy the odds
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The world is facing a global food security crisis — a crisis magnified by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing conflicts, including Putin’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. By the end of 2021, 193 million people faced hunger and food insecurity due to the combined effects of recent global shocks — an increase of more than 40 percent over two years.
Underscoring the urgency of this crisis, President Biden announced during the United Nations General Assembly over $2.9 billion in new assistance from the U.S. Government, including $2.14 billion in new commitments from USAID, to address the immediate and long-term effects of the global food security crisis.
USAID is focused on making sure people have access to food regardless of where they live. In Afghanistan, home to about 40 million people, nearly 23 million Afghans are food insecure and up to 6 million could face emergency conditions as early as November.
Here, in a country where the majority of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, USAID’s deep commitment to the people of Afghanistan continues and our efforts to improve food security begin with the men and women who dedicate their lives to serving their communities: farmers.
Afghanistan’s Farmers
Decades of conflict, severe drought, restrictive financial regulations, and limited access to markets and resources such as high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and new technologies stand in the way of Afghan farmers, posing what seem to be insurmountable challenges.
Many farmers grow low-value crops like wheat, and in some cases illegal crops like opium poppy, since higher-value crops such as apples, apricots, almonds, pomegranates, and grapes require significantly more time to grow and their quality depends on inputs that most farmers cannot afford on their own.
But Afghanistan’s farmers — rooted in resilience and dedicated to feeding their families, communities, and country — defy the odds. They are not giving up and they are not alone.
USAID’s Enduring Commitment to the People of Afghanistan
USAID is helping to improve food security and nutrition and avert a deeper humanitarian crisis by giving farmers and their families — including women-headed households, herders, and smallholder farmers — training, tools, and ultimately knowledge to withstand recurring shocks so they can provide for their families.
In Kandahar, one grape farmer is enjoying the fruits of USAID’s assistance. He converted a fallow piece of land to a lucrative grape vineyard in 2014 with USAID support. He has received uninterrupted technical assistance since then.
Many farmers grow their grapes on earthen mounds, a tradition that dates back millennia. This puts the grapes, however, in direct contact with moisture and pests and reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the fruit. With USAID assistance, farmers learn that modern trellising avoids these problems.
Trellising uses concrete posts and steel wire to raise the vines above the ground. With proper pruning and care, farmers have seen their harvests double.
When neighbors saw trellising being installed in the Kandahar grape farmer’s vineyard, they warned him that his grapes would be damaged in high winds. Instead, he saw his grapes double in output after the vines were lifted off the ground and exposed to more direct sunlight. Once a local retailer, he recently closed his shop in Kandahar City so that he could devote himself entirely to his vineyard.
Another grape farmer in Balkh is benefiting from trellising, too. “I saw the benefits of trellising at another farm and I knew this would make my vineyard more profitable,” he says.
When USAID’s Agriculture Marketing Program surveyed his farm land as part of the trellis pre-installation process, they found that it lacked sufficient irrigation. After installing a solar irrigation pump, his harvest yields have dramatically increased.
“My farm was a desert before [the program] came here,” he said. “In two years, it has become a paradise.”
With the income from this year’s harvest, he plans to refurbish nearby bridges destroyed by war and build a wall around his vineyard for protection.
Sowing Seeds of Progress
These experiences represent just two farmers who have seen their harvests and incomes grow slowly over time. Still, millions of people face an uncertain future with hunger, malnutrition, and continuing violence threatening their health and wellbeing.
USAID recognizes this immense challenge and has worked to sow seeds of progress in Afghanistan. Since August 2021, USAID has helped nearly 2,000 farmers across Afghanistan grow high-value crops, increasing their harvests and income. More still needs to be done to avert a catastrophe.
USAID remains deeply committed to the people of Afghanistan and is working to ensure that all Afghans get the food and resources they need to weather this unprecedented time.
About the Author
Nicholas Acosta serves as Senior Development Outreach and Communications Advisor with USAID/Afghanistan. His USAID communications experience includes service in Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Washington, D.C. Nick previously served as Senior Speechwriter for CDC Director Dr. Walensky. Learn more about USAID’s work in Afghanistan.
