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Afghanistan

Most of the population of Afghanistan lives in rural areas. However, making productive use of farmland is difficult as a result of war, inadequate infrastructure and an inconsistent climate.

 

Afghanistan

Capital

Kabul

Official language

Dari, Patschu

Area

652.255 km²

Population

About 33. million

Population growth

About 2.34 %

Rural population

26.64 million (80% of the total population)

Gross domestic product

USD 19.33 billion

Per capita annual income

USD 611

Share of agriculture in GDP

22.1%

Severity of hunger according to the Global Hunger Index

Serious (Value: 34.8 / Trend: -4.4)

Share of the total population suffering from malnutrition

26.8 %

Human Development Index

Rank: 169 of 188

Share of the population living on less than USD 1.25 per day

35.8 %

Afghanistan is a country of extremes. Since the Soviet occupation of the country in 1979 and the subsequent rule of the Taliban, which triggered a civil war between 1989 and 2001, the fighting continues in the country to this day. The country has not seen peace for more than 40 years.

 

Afghanistan is situated between Central and South Asia. The north of the country runs through the Hindu Kush mountains, while in the south a subtropical climate prevails. However, most regions are characterized by a strongly continental climate that can rise above forty degrees during the day and fall to minus 20 degrees at night. Only a few countries worldwide are as rich in wildlife species, ancient crops and ecosystems as the "land of the Hindu Kush". Nevertheless, Afghanistan is one of the ten poorest countries in the world.

 

Approximately 70 percent of the population does not have access to clean drinking water, which is an enormous health risk for children in particular. One million Afghan children under the age of five are undernourished according to the United Nations. More than a third of newborns are already underweight at birth. The main reason for this is an unbalanced diet: many families cannot afford much more than bread every day.

 

Limited farmland

Although Afghanistan was able to provide for its own needs before the Soviet occupation, many irrigation systems were destroyed in the war and a great deal of farmland was mined. Since then, many fields can no longer be cultivated. Only 12 percent of the land is available for agricultural production. In addition, Afghanistan's forests are suffering from illegal deforestation. In the largest contiguous forest areas in the eastern provinces, the number of trees declined by 50 percent between 1978 and 2002. This has resulted in soil erosion, which leads to desertification.

 

Rich in nuts and fruit

In general, water resources are being overused in Afghanistan. For this reason, rain-fed agriculture is predominant where water from rainfall is used for irrigation. Wheat, barley, rice and corn are among the most important cultivated foods. Afghanistan is also known for its ancient pistachio forests. For years, these plants have fallen victim to illegal logging or have been looted and sold on the market by the Taliban before the nuts were ripe, for one-fifth of the price. In addition to pistachios, other nuts like almonds and walnuts also grow in Afghanistan.

Apples, grapes, apricots, peaches and pomegranates also grow there: they are of exceptional quality, and can even be processed into dry fruit. Due to inadequate infrastructure, fruit is only sold within Afghanistan. In Afghan cuisine, nuts and dried fruit are used in desserts, as well as in meat and rice dishes. Meat is still a luxury, but only the poorest do without it.

Cotton production plays a major role in agriculture, and has taken place in Afghanistan for about a thousand years. It is currently experiencing an upturn after a decade of decline.

 

Agricultural progress stagnant

Since mainly agricultural products are exported, exports are highly dependent on the performance of the agricultural sector. More than 55 percent of the population cultivate farmland, most of them in small farms. Mechanization is complicated by the country's inheritance laws, under which farmland can be split up into tiny plots.

 

In addition to agriculture, sheep are bred extensively in Afghanistan, wandering along with nomadic shepherds from their summer pastures in the central highlands to the mild steppes of the southwest in the winter. Cattle farming, on the other hand, plays a minor role. Chickens and goats are raised by small farmers all over the country, even in urban environments.

 

OPIUM, A POPULAR EXPORT Afghanistan is the largest supplier of raw opium worldwide. Around 80 percent of the world's opium, which is used to produce heroin, is grown in Afghanistan. Since the opium poppy requires little water, unlike wheat, barley or rice, and brings in much more profit than any other agricultural product, the introduction of alternative products is difficult.

Independence through saffron?

The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture is trying to create jobs for women in the agricultural sector.

One way of earning income is saffron cultivation. The crocus species is used as a spice, as a colorant and for medicinal purposes. It could help strengthen the role of women and further their economic independence. Saffron is already grown in the provinces of Herat, Ghazni, Farah and Helmand. The Afghan Ministry of Agriculture plans to widely expand saffron cultivation by distributing saffron bulbs to farmers in all 34 provinces. The reason: cultivation of saffron is sustainable because it requires less irrigation.

 

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