Afghanistan Times
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KABUL — In a bid to halt a growing hunger crisis, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), backed by the British government, has launched a $13 million initiative aimed at helping millions of Afghans survive and rebuild amid deepening economic collapse and climate breakdown.
The project, unveiled Monday, targets the country’s most vulnerable rural communities — including women-led households, small-scale farmers, livestock keepers, and landless laborers — who are facing mounting food insecurity and the erosion of traditional livelihoods. With more than 14 million Afghans still struggling to find their next meal, the initiative comes at a critical time.
“This project lays down important pathways to help farmers rebuild their resilience — leading to better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and ultimately, a better life,” said Richard Trenchard, the FAO’s representative in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan’s farmers are extraordinarily resilient, but repeated climate and economic shocks are eroding this strength.”
The FAO says the new initiative will deliver practical, long-term solutions across all 34 provinces. These include improving wheat and dairy production, distributing high-quality seeds, reviving irrigation infrastructure, and protecting livestock through mass vaccination campaigns and veterinary outreach. Beyond food aid, the project focuses on restoring people’s ability to grow, earn, and survive — with a special emphasis on women and widows who have been disproportionately impacted by the crisis.
What sets this initiative apart is its shift away from short-term emergency relief toward building climate-smart, self-sustaining agricultural systems. By providing drought-resilient seeds, better irrigation tools, and access to local animal health services, the FAO aims to prevent further deterioration of rural life — and offer communities a path to recovery. Britain’s financial backing also ensures continued technical oversight and accountability, despite the political complexities of operating in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban takeover in 2021, Afghanistan’s economy has collapsed, foreign reserves were frozen, and rural communities have been left without support or access to global markets. The FAO, now running its largest single-country operation in Afghanistan, has reached more than 10 million people in the past year alone with seeds, tools, training, and food production support. While there have been modest improvements in food access, the agency warns the crisis is far from over, especially in provinces hit hardest by drought and displacement.
For Western governments increasingly wary of direct engagement with the Taliban, this initiative offers a focused, non-political way to keep Afghanistan’s humanitarian collapse from becoming a broader security and migration crisis. FAO officials argue that if local food systems can’t be protected now, far worse consequences could follow — for Afghans and the wider region.
“The needs remain vast, but targeted, sustained investment in rural livelihoods is the only way forward,” Trenchard said. “This partnership is not just about helping Afghans survive — it’s about helping them recover and rebuild.”
