FAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations. The organization provides technical assistance and support to Afghanistan on a wide range of areas covering agriculture, livestock, water management, food systems, nutrition, environmental degradation and climate change. FAO’s goal is to achieve food security for all by revitalizing rural livelihoods.

Afghanistan has been a member of FAO since 1949. Since 2002, FAO has been operating in country to rehabilitate irrigation infrastructure, build new dairy and wheat seed industries, improve livestock health, help smallholders diversify their crops and add higher-value products, stem deforestation and help the country mitigate and adapt to climate change, among others.

FAO provides emergency assistance to the most vulnerable and food insecure people across Afghanistan, reaching to the most remote rural areas. This humanitarian assistance covers the immediate and time-critical needs to protect and restore agricultural livelihoods, for example by providing paid work on community surface water management or providing people with seeds, tools and training to cultivate their garden.

FAO invests, across all 400+ districts of Afghanistan, in building the resilience of Afghans to deal with the effects of climate change. The 75% of the Afghan population living in rural areas is increasingly afflicted by drought, heat waves, plagues, soil degradation, the melting of perennial snows and glaciers and flash floods. FAO helps crisis-affected populations build their resilience to prevent them from desperate acts such as abandoning their lands and migrating to cities and foreign countries.

In 2024, FAO will focus on the following four priority areas:

         i.            Move towards self-sufficiency in wheat through the distribution to more than 25% of Afghan farmers (cumulative since 2021) of certified seeds from local varieties, along with the necessary fertilizers to increase yields by up to 50% (better production)

       ii.            Enhance the production of a diverse array of nutritious foods and support backyard income generation opportunities for poor and vulnerable Afghans (better nutrition)

     iii.            Protect livestock against disease and provide ongoing support to the dairy sector (better life)

     iv.            Restore irrigation structures to boost agricultural productivity while providing cash incomes, without tapping into dwindling groundwater resources (better environment).

Additionally, FAO will continue its programs with the Global Environmental Fund to combat land degradation through community-based land and forest management activities.