Drought deepens Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis

STORY: Persistent drought is deepening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

Abdul Hahad used to plant up to three wheat crops a year

but in the last three years he has only been able to grow one

making it difficult for him to feed a family of 15

Location: Nahr-e-Shahi district, Afghanistan

(Abdul Hahad, Farmer)

“It has been three years since the drought spell started, wells and the river have almost dried up. We don’t even have sufficient drinking water, you can see all our land has dried up due to lack of water.”

Drought is harming not only food security but also Afghanistan’s economy

a third of which is generated by agriculture

Two years after the Taliban took over in Afghanistan

water scarcity and the struggles of agriculture are one of the administration's top challenges

With a sharp reduction in humanitarian aid and no foreign countries formally recognizing the Taliban

some say the level of development assistance to help with the problem is limited

“People here are facing a lot of hardships, some people have left the village due to lack of water. We will keep planting crops even if there is a water shortage, because we don’t have any other option. This is the only profession we know.”