US $80 million aid grant to boost Afghanistan food production, generate income: FAO

NEW YORK (Agencies): The US Agency for International Development’s new $80 million grant to Afghanistan will boost food production which will generate more income into the war-torn country and revive rural markets, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said in a statement on Thursday.

The grant comes as the country’s agricultural sector struggles to produce food, achieve food security and build resilience in the face of continuing drought and a worsening economic crisis.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Afghanistan’s economy, people’s livelihoods, food production and food security. Almost half the total population face acute food insecurity – hunger on a daily basis – reaching over 70 percent in many rural areas. USAID’s generous support will help Afghanistan’s farmers to begin seeing beyond the current crisis and start laying foundations for future recovery” the FAO’s Representative in Afghanistan Richard Trenchard said.

The five-year contribution from USAID will support the country’s urgent need for emergency intervention, to help farmers and build more climate-smart and resilient livelihoods through an increase in the production of nutritious foods and fostering an environmentally friendly practices, the FAO said in a statement.

The fresh funding from USAID will be implemented in eight provinces around the country – Nimroz, Ghor, Daykundi, Jawzjan, Badakhstan, Nuristan, Paktika and Prawan – all of which are facing acute food insecurity according to the latest IPC assessment.

The UN agency is also implementing an “unprecedented humanitarian [program] to protect rural livelihoods” of more than nine million people across 34 of Afghanistan’s provinces this year during this difficult time.

The FAO said it will create some producer groups to enhance linkages to local markets and create microfinancing opportunities which will target various products including dairy, crops, and livestock and provide people with tools such as micro solar dryers, and zero-energy cold storages, among other equipment.

The agency expects significant environmental benefits such as afforestation, climate-smart pastures, riverbank management and the reduction of soil erosion to be achieved.