The World Bank’s Climate Risk Profile warns that Afghanistan will face higher temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, an increased probability of drought, and expanding dry areas in the coming decades. These changes could affect ecosystems and reduce biodiversity.
A number of residents of Nangarhar Province who work in olive processing say that investment in the olive industry can create job opportunities and help generate income for others.
Panjshir, with its high mountains, deep valleys, and fast-flowing rivers, is known for its natural beauty but is also one of the most vulnerable provinces in Afghanistan to natural disasters. In recent years, some residents of the province have repeatedly complained of flash floods, rockfalls, landslides, and avalanches. In some cases, these events have seriously damaged farmland, bridges and culverts, water diversion structures, hydropower facilities, markets, and people’s homes.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has announced that it has trained 28 female service providers and built their capacity to provide treatment for women with drug use disorders in southeastern Afghanistan.
A number of farmers in Khost Province say that in recent years, they have obtained the seeds and saplings they need from other provinces. However, some of these seeds and saplings have not produced the desired results in their fields because of differences in weather and environmental conditions.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (UN_STFA), said a total of 73,238 square meters of land have been cleared of landmines in Kunduz.
For years, farmers in Kapisa, Afghanistan, have used their experience to determine when to plant: from September to December for some crops and from May to July for summer crops. They also consider rainfall, soil moisture, and hot and cold weather to determine the right time to work in the field.
Herat has lived with the 120-day winds for years. These winds are part of the natural climate of the Sistan region and western Afghanistan, blowing from late spring through summer and into early autumn. But the problem is not the wind itself. When the land dries up, groundwater levels fall and vegetation disappears, dry riverbeds, wetlands and abandoned land are exposed to the wind. The same wind that was once simply a natural climate phenomenon can then lift soil and carry dust.
The Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) covering Afghanistan has announced that it has provided a complete trauma kit to Spin Boldak District Hospital in Kandahar.
In the plains and villages of Faryab, Afghanistan, drought is no longer affecting only farmland. Pastures have decreased, fodder has become more expensive, and extreme heat has made life harder for livestock. For families whose food, income and financial security depend on cattle and sheep, the loss or weakening of livestock means more than losing an asset. It can mean less milk and meat, lost income and greater difficulty providing food for their families.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan says only 29.7 percent of the funding requested to assist people in need in the country has been received.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan says it has distributed 50,000 hot meal packages to returnees to the country.
