Why agriculture fails in an agricultural country? The case of Afghanistan

By: Sayed Mohammad Naim Khalid

Afghanistan has a long history of agricultural production, but the country's agricultural sector has been significantly impacted by ongoing armed conflict and insecurity, which has made it difficult to develop and sustain the sector. There are a number of reasons why the productivity of Afghan agriculture is low, and why young people are not interested in the sector. Some of the main factors include:

1.      Lack of access to markets: Rural communities in Afghanistan often lack access to markets and infrastructure, making it difficult for farmers to sell their products and earn a living. This can discourage farmers from investing in their farms and lead to low productivity.

2.      Insecurity and displacement: Ongoing armed conflict and insecurity have resulted in displacement of communities, disruption of livelihoods, and damage to infrastructure. This has made it difficult for farmers to access land, water, and markets, leading to a decrease in production and income.

3.      Lack of investment in agricultural infrastructure: A lack of investment in infrastructure such as irrigation systems, roads, and storage facilities has made it difficult for farmers to increase their productivity.

4.      Limited access to inputs and technology: Afghan farmers often have limited access to inputs such as seed, fertilizer, and agricultural equipment, and lack of access to modern farming techniques which can make it more difficult for them to improve their yields.

5.      Lack of education and training: Many farmers in Afghanistan lack access to education and training, which limits their ability to adopt new technologies and farming practices.

6.      Weather variability: Afghanistan is heavily dependent on rain-fed crops, this makes the agriculture sector highly dependent on the weather, droughts, floods and landslides are common issues that affect the production.

7.      Political instability and economic challenges: Afghanistan has long been in a state of political instability and economic turmoil, making it difficult to achieve a sustainable and stable agricultural sector.

Hunger in Afghanistan

By: Sayed Mohammad Naim Khalid

Hunger is a significant problem in Afghanistan, with a high proportion of the population experiencing food insecurity. This is caused by a combination of factors, including ongoing armed conflict, poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and natural disasters such as droughts and floods.

The conflict has disrupted agricultural production, making it difficult for farmers to access land, water, and markets, which has led to a decrease in production and income. Insecurity and displacement have also resulted in disruptions to livelihoods, making it difficult for many people to earn a living and access sufficient food.

Additionally, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, and a large proportion of the population lives below the poverty line. Poverty and lack of economic opportunities are major contributors to hunger and food insecurity.

Undernutrition is also a significant problem in Afghanistan, with high rates of malnutrition, especially among children. This is caused by a lack of access to nutritious food, poor dietary habits, and limited access to healthcare and education.

The government and humanitarian organizations are working to address hunger in Afghanistan, by providing food assistance, improving agricultural productivity, and providing assistance for the recovery of livelihoods. However, the ongoing conflict and insecurity have made it difficult to fully implement these efforts and to achieve sustainable food security in the country.

It's worth mentioning that Afghanistan is heavily dependent on international aid and donor funding, the disruption of aid, the lack of funding and the government's poor capacity to deliver aid often exacerbates the problem of hunger in the country. In order to achieve sustainable food security, it will be necessary to address the underlying causes of food insecurity, such as poverty, lack of economic opportunities, and ongoing armed conflict.

Food Security in Afghanistan

By: Sayed Mohammad Naim Khalid

Food security in Afghanistan is a complex issue that is affected by a number of factors, including political instability, economic challenges, and natural disasters. Afghanistan is an agricultural country, but the majority of the population lives in rural areas and lacks access to markets, services, and infrastructure which makes it difficult to access a stable food supply.

Insecurity and armed conflict have had a significant impact on food security in Afghanistan. The ongoing violence has resulted in the displacement of communities, disruption of livelihoods, and damage to infrastructure, all of which have contributed to food insecurity. The country has been in a state of war for decades, this has disrupted agricultural production, making it difficult for farmers to access land, water, and markets, which has led to a decrease in production and income.

Climate change also plays a role in food security in Afghanistan. The country is affected by severe droughts, flash floods, and landslides, which have an impact on agriculture and food production. This, combined with a lack of irrigation systems, has made agriculture dependent on rainfed crops and makes it vulnerable to weather variability.

Additionally, poverty and undernutrition are major issues in Afghanistan, with a high proportion of the population living below the poverty line. A lack of economic opportunities, poor access to education and healthcare, and low levels of government spending on social services contribute to these issues.

The government and humanitarian organizations are working to address food security in Afghanistan, by providing food assistance, improving agricultural productivity, and providing assistance for the recovery of livelihoods. However, the ongoing conflict and insecurity have made it difficult to fully implement these efforts and to achieve sustainable food security in the country.

Overall, food security in Afghanistan is a complex and challenging issue that is affected by political instability, economic challenges, and natural disasters. Addressing food security in Afghanistan will require a multifaceted approach that addresses the underlying causes of food insecurity, such as poverty and undernutrition, lack of economic opportunities, and poor access. 

Gardening as a child may lead college students to eat more veggies

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences As researchers nationwide try to get college students to eat healthier foods, they’re finding that gardening may lead to a lasting habit of eating more fruits and vegetables. That’s a recent conclusion from the “Get Fruved” project. “Get Fruved,” an acronym for “Get Your Fruits and Vegetables,” is a collaborative project among eight American universities.

Insects in food security

To become a sustainable alternative to meat, reared crickets must be fed feeds other than the chicken feed that is most commonly used today. Researchers now present a study that shows that there are weeds and agricultural by-products that actually work as single ingredients in feeds for crickets. The study was conducted in Cambodia, where many children suffer from malnutrition and where the need for cheap protein is large.

-Naim Khalid

It is not difficult to eliminate hunger

Eliminating hunger and malnutrition is technically feasible. The means are there. The challenge lies in generating the requisite political will, developing realistic policies and taking concerted actions nationally and internationally.

Food Security situation in 2013 around the world

Key Messages

• A total of 842 million people in 2011–13, or around one in eight people in the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger, regularly not getting enough food to conduct an active life. This figure is lower than the 868 million reported with reference to 2010–12. The total number of undernourished has fallen by 17 percent since 1990–92.
  
  
• Developing regions as a whole have registered significant progress towards the MDG 1 hunger target. If the average annual decline of the past 21 years continues to 2015, the prevalence of undernourishment will reach a level close to the target. Meeting it would require considerable and immediate additional efforts.
  
• Growth can raise incomes and reduce hunger, but higher economic growth may not reach everyone. It may not lead to more and better jobs for all, unless policies specifically target the poor, especially those in rural areas. In poor countries, hunger and poverty reduction will only be achieved with growth that is not only sustained, but also broadly shared.
  
• Despite overall progress, marked differences across regions persist. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment, with modest progress in recent years. Western Asia shows no progress, while Southern Asia and Northern Africa show slow progress. Significant reductions in both the estimated number and prevalence of undernourishment have occurred in most countries of Eastern and South Eastern Asia, as well as in Latin America.
  
• Food security is a complex condition. Its dimensions – availability, access, utilization and stability – are better understood when presented through a suite of indicators.
  
• Undernourishment and undernutrition can coexist. However, in some countries, undernutrition rates, as indicated by the proportion of stunted children, are considerably higher than the prevalence of undernourishment, as indicated by inadequacy of dietary energy supply. In these countries, nutrition-enhancing interventions are crucial to improve the nutritional aspects of food security. Improvements require a range of food security and nutrition-enhancing interventions in agriculture, health, hygiene, water supply and education, particularly targeting women.
  
• Policies aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and increasing food availability, especially when smallholders are targeted, can achieve hunger reduction even where poverty is widespread. When they are combined with social protection and other measures that increase the incomes of poor families to buy food, they can have an even more positive effective and spur rural development, by creating vibrant markets and employment opportunities, making possible equitable economic growth.
  
• Remittances, which have globally become three times larger than official development assistance, have had significant impacts on poverty and food security. This report suggests that remittances can help to reduce poverty, leading to reduced hunger, better diets and, given appropriate policies, increased on-farm investment.
  
  
• Long-term commitment to mainstreaming food security and nutrition in public policies and programmes is key to hunger reduction. Keeping food security and agriculture high on the development agenda, through comprehensive reforms, improvements in the investment climate, supported by sustained social protection, is crucial for achieving major reductions in poverty and undernourishment.

Source: FAO

Global food prices fall for third consecutive month, says FAO

By Nathan Gray+, 03-Jul-2014

The FAO Food Price Index was down for a third consecutive month in June, as good supply and improved global production prospects for wheat, maize and palm oil lowered prices.

More information

- Naim KHALID

World food security facts

I was searching some information on World Food Programme website and suddenly a quiz bar popped up and some questions regarding food security were asked. I answered all the questions correctly, the result is below. The information can be very useful for you. Please read all:

 

• Asia and the Pacific is first place in the world in terms of having more hungry people, it is home to 578 million of the world’s hungry, compared to 239 million in Sub-Saharan Africa and 53 million in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Hunger kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
• It takes only $0.25 for the World Food Programme to give a hungry schoolchild a cup of nutritious food. $50 will feed a child at school for an entire year.
• The number of malnourished people worldwide is just under 1 billion people – nearly a seventh of the global population.
• There is enough food today for everyone to have the nourishment needed for a healthy and productive life. The problem is access.

Good governanvce and prevention of poverty: Afghanistan's context ښه حکومت داری او د فقر مخنیوی

Good governance and prevention of poverty : Afghanistan Context from Sayed Naim Khalid