At the same time the Taliban are taking control of Afghanistan, its farmers and herders, the backbone of the nation’s economy, are hit by an ever-worsening drought, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The wheat crop is 15 percent below average while livestock herders may have to sell their animals because of high feed costs.
“Farmers and livestock owners must not be forgotten in today’s humanitarian crisis,” said Qu Dongyu, FAO director-general, in a statement. The FAO appealed for at least $18 million for its drought response plan. A key part is the supply of seed to 250,000 farm families in time to plant the winter wheat crop in September and October. The traditional government distribution of seed may be affected by the change in government.
“The next winter wheat season is a tipping point. If we miss it, disaster looms,” said Richard Trenchard, the FAO representative in Afghanistan. A short wheat crop would worsen the situation of livestock herders as well as farmers.
The FAO said the drought threatened the livelihoods of more than 7 million people in the agricultural sector, nearly one in five of the country’s population.