The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has said that it has launched 30 development programs in Afghanistan to bring life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities. Most of the programs will benefit the country’s agriculture and livestock sector.
Based on the USAID recent report, majority of Afghans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, and therefore the agency’s deep commitment to the people of Afghanistan continues and its efforts to improve food security begin with the men and women who dedicate their lives to serving their communities.
This comes amid of increasing poverty in the country as a number of those who work the whole day on streets to get something for their children.
“Government institutions particularly welfare organization should have a list from needy families and those who cannot afford to buy food in market for their regular assistance so that they do not go on doors for a piece of bread,” said Shahgul, a needy mother begging along with her two children on Kabul streets.
Like Shahgul, there are hundreds of men and women spending the whole day to find something for their children.
The USAID in its recent report has said that the U.S. government has pledged $2.14 billion to help urgently address the food crisis in the world this year, but it is not yet clear how much of the committed aid will be provided to Afghanistan needy families.
According to the USAID information, nearly 23 million people do not have sufficient food in Afghanistan and about 6 million will face with humanitarian emergency crisis in less than a month.
A number of Afghan economic experts believe that unfortunately the people of Afghanistan have faced with humanitarian crisis for long years.
“Previous governments and former rulers have lost most of opportunities as millions in dollars of foreign assistance have been embezzled,” said Rafiullah, an Afghan economical expert.
He added that previous government officials did nothing for the country’s agriculture sector, while a large number of the people were engaged in agriculture and raising the livestock, saying that if attention had been paid to agriculture and livestock sector in the past, a large number of people would now have good life in the country. He further said that continued drought has affected the people agricultural fields and their livestock but nobody paid any attention to address their challenges.
Rafiullah hoped that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) would be able to win the attention of aid organizations to help in the country’s agriculture sector, or the people would face with server humanitarian crisis in the country. Afghanistan ranked 109th out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index 2022, much behind other South Asia neighbors, with the child wasting rate of 38 percent, the highest in the region. With a score of 29.9, Afghanistan has a level of hunger that is serious. Afghanistan is experiencing drought, political and economic instability, extreme poverty, and the consequences of the global rise in food and fuel prices made worse by the war in Ukraine, which together may result in higher stunting rates in years to come, according to a report by two international research organizations.
The Global Hunger Index is calculated based on four key indicators to gauge and track hunger at global, regional, and national levels. These indicators are undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting and child mortality.
Shukria Kohistani
USAID launches development programs to boost Afghanistan agriculture
