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FAO/WFP CROP AND FOOD SUPPLY ASSESSMENT MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN - 7 August 1997

Year of publication 1997

Author Trade and Markets Division

Product type Book (stand-alone)

Series title Special Reports and Alerts

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Continuous civil strife since 1979 has seriously disrupted the Afghan economy and damaged much of the country’s infrastructure. Large numbers of population have been displaced and massive unemployment has resulted in low incomes which limit access to adequate food for many, particularly those in urban areas. Agriculture has suffered from physical damage to irrigation structures, from mines and from the disruption of normal markets and input delivery mechanisms. Insecurity and the movement of rur al populations have limited food production in some areas. The civil unrest has caused the country to move from near self-sufficiency in the mid 1970s to a dependency on imports, mostly from the former U.S.S.R. in the 1980s, and from Pakistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the 1990s. In recent years, around 30 percent of food supplies have been imported, mostly for the country’s urban population. In view of the inadequate access to food for large sections of the population and of the lim ited agricultural improvement, an FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission was fielded to Afghanistan from 8 June to 9 July 1997, to estimate the 1997 cereal harvest and cereal import requirements for the 1997/98 marketing year. The Mission was able to travel rather freely in most of the south and east of the country and it visited 14 of the 28 provinces, but was unable to travel to the north of the country for security reasons. The Mission also visited the Islamabad offices of FAO, WFP a nd UNDP with responsibilities for Afghanistan.

Language English

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    FAO/WFP CROP AND FOOD SUPPLY ASSESSMENT MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN - 7 July 1999 1999
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    Following similar Missions in 1997 and 1998, an FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission, supported by UNDP, was fielded to Afghanistan from 22 May-23 June 1999 to estimate the 1999 cereal harvest and cereal import requirement, including food aid needs, for 1999/2000. The Mission visited Kabul and Herat regions, while WFP-funded six survey teams of national agronomists covered most of the accessible regions of the country, including Faizabad, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-i- Sharif. The Mission benefited from discussions with UN agencies, multilateral and bilateral donors, Afghan authorities, ICRC and many NGOs. Available relevant reports and documents were reviewed. Area and yield estimates for various crops in different regions were based on field visits, data generated by survey teams, and discussions with farmers and UN and NGO personnel knowledgeable about particular regions and areas. Relative peace in most parts of Afghanistan, in recent years, has bolst ered agricultural activities and local trade with increased private sector participation. However, the country's cereal production suffered a setback in 1999, compared to the very strong recovery in 1998, due to shortage of irrigation water as a result of the mildest winter in 40 years with very low snowfall, late and erratic spring rains and high incidence of yellow rust and sunnpest that damaged crops in the north and west of the country. In addition, there is a trend in gradually diverting ir rigated wheat land to such cash crops as onion, potato, poppy, and tree crops, particularly almonds and apricots.
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    FAO/WFP CROP AND FOOD SUPPLY ASSESSMENT MISSION TO AFGHANISTAN - 8 June 2000 2000
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    Following a strong recovery in 1998, Afghanistan's cereal production suffered a setback in 1999 due to late and erratic spring rains, shortages of irrigation water as a result of the mildest winter in 40 years with very low snowfall, and high incidence of yellow rust and sunnpest that damaged crops in the north and west of the country. The situation took a serious adverse turn in 2000 with a countrywide severe drought as a consequence of lack of rains and very little snowfall in winter. It is ag ainst this background that an FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission, supported by UNDP, was fielded to Afghanistan from end-April to end-May to estimate the 2000 cereal harvest and cereal import requirement, including food aid needs, for the marketing year 2000/01. The Mission visited 17 provinces in different regions of the country. To support the work of the Mission, WFP fielded survey teams of national agronomists to collect detailed information on crop production and livestock situation. These teams carried out sample surveys in 28 out of 31 provinces. The Mission also benefited from discussion with UN agencies, multilateral and bilateral donors, Afghan authorities, and many NGOs. Available relevant reports and documents were reviewed. Area and yield estimates for various crops in different regions were based on field visits involving interviews with farmers and crop cutting where feasible, data generated by survey teams, and discussions with UN and NGO personnel kno wledgeable about particular regions and areas.
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