Consecutive droughts, declining rainfall, and drying water sources in Jawzjan have changed farming methods and the lives of farmers in the province. A number of women farmers in Jawzjan say they are striving to maintain their families’ food security and income by using drip irrigation, improving water management, establishing home gardens, and diversifying their agricultural production.
Farah Province has been one of Afghanistan’s major agricultural regions for many years. But today, parts of the province are clearly showing signs of a deepening water crisis. This crisis has placed a heavy economic burden on poor farmers. Drilling a deep well costs between 300,000 and 500,000 Afghanis, an amount that many rural families cannot afford.
Consecutive years of drought in Ghor have left pastures with little fodder and forced many livestock owners to face high costs to feed their livestock. Some have also sold part of their livestock to keep the rest alive.
A warm evening wind blows across the dry plains of Ab Kamari district in Badghis. The strong summer sun shines on land that was once covered with golden wheat fields. But now, many of those green fields have turned dry and cracked. In one corner of the plain, 29-year-old Parwana, a farmer, stands wearing a black headscarf and looks at the land that has been part of her life and memories for years.
With the start of the growing season this spring, the green slopes and mountains of Panjshir, Parwan and Kapisa once again saw large numbers of local residents heading into the mountains to collect mushrooms, rhubarb and other medicinal plants. For many families, these plants not only meet some of their food and medicinal needs but also provide a source of income.
In the mountainous areas of Ghor, where climate change, increased seasonal floods, soil erosion, and declining water resources are posing serious challenges to people’s lives, residents in some parts of the province are using a simple approach to protect natural resources and reduce the damage caused by these problems. They are conserving lands (qoroq) covered with natural shrubs and preventing the destruction of vegetation to help restore nature and protect natural resources.
The recent devastating floods in Parun, the capital of Nuristan, have killed at least 25 people and injured 119 others, while damaging homes, markets, agricultural land, and irrigation infrastructure. Despite Nuristan having more than 231,000 hectares of natural forests, the disaster raises a question: To what extent can forests reduce the severity of sudden floods in mountainous areas?
As Afghanistan needs domestic energy sources more than ever to meet its energy needs, gas fields in Jawzjan produce about 650,000 cubic meters of natural gas each day. The gas helps meet part of the country’s electricity, fertilizer, and other energy needs. Officials say the gas is extracted in accordance with technical and environmental standards. However, experts warn that without close monitoring of water resources, soil, and pollutants, continued extraction could have serious environmental consequences.
Fungal diseases of wheat in the fields of Kapisa have raised concerns among farmers. A number of farmers in the province say that, in recent years, changes in rainfall patterns and increased humidity have contributed to the spread of these diseases, causing significant losses to wheat crops.
The United Nations has said that climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of people in Afghanistan by reducing crop yields and increasing the frequency of natural disasters.
In recent years, climate change and prolonged droughts have had a significant impact on the lives of people in Andkhoy district of Faryab province. Reduced rainfall and declining groundwater levels have caused many wells to dry up, while agricultural lands are no longer producing the yields they once did.
In recent years, climate change has become one of the main challenges facing the horticultural sector in Samangan. According to officials and orchard owners, unexpected cold weather, early heatwaves, irregular rainfall, and the increasing prevalence of pests and plant diseases are among the main factors contributing to lower yields and substantial losses in almond orchards.
