Takht FS assessment report

Needs Assessment Report

“An assessment of the food security of the population of Takht, Waras District, Bamyan Province”

nd th Date of Assessment 22 -26 November 2013 Region Takht, Waras District, Bamyan Province (see map 1, page 5) Estimated population size 8217 individuals Needs Assessment team leader Arianna Zorzi Meneguzzo

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Takht FS assessment report

Table of Contents 1. Introduction and objectives ...... 3 2. Justification for the assessment ...... 3 3. Humanitarian Context ...... 4 4. Methodology ...... 6 5. Summary of findings household survey ...... 7 5.1 Food Consumption Score ...... 7 5.2 Household Dietary diversity ...... 8 5.3 Coping Strategy Index ...... 8 5.4 Longer term coping mechanisms ...... 9 5.5 Agriculture and wheat consumption ...... 10 5.6 Land ownership and land productivity ...... 10 6. Market Survey ...... 11 7. Focus Group Discussions ...... 13 7.1 FGDs with men ...... 13 7.2 FGDs with women ...... 15 8. Key Informant interviews on the local irrigation system ...... 15 9. Conclusion and recommendations ...... 16

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Takht FS assessment report

1. Introduction and objectives This assessment was conducted between the 22nd and 26th November 2013 in the Takht area, Waras District, Bamyan Province, and covered 13 CDCs1 and an estimated population of 82172 individuals. The objectives of this assessment were: 1. To collect quantitative data on food security indicators through a structured questionnaire to be conducted with the sampled households. 2. To determine the price of commodities and whether the local market is functional and capable of responding to a potential increase in wheat and staple food demand, through a semi structured questionnaire with traders. 3. To collect qualitative data on the crop performance after the harvest in Takht through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) in each CDC. 4. To identify food security related gender issues through FGDs conducted with women, to include their participation in the design of potential future projects. 5. To analyze the current crop irrigation methods in use through key informant interviews and direct observation by the assessment team.

2. Justification for the assessment On the 13th October 2013, the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) organized a workshop in which the 2011-2012 National Risk Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) results and the 2013 Seasonal Food Security and Agriculture assessment (SFSA) preliminary results were presented to partners. The NRVA results presented the food security status of the population by province, and in Bamyan Province, 40.5% of the total population was classified as food insecure, consuming less than 2100 kilo calories (kcal) per day, subdivided as follows: 10.3% classified as very severely food insecure, consuming less than 1500 kcal per day, 14.6% severely food insecure, consuming between 1500 and 1800 kcal per day, and 15.6% moderately food insecure, consuming between 1800 and 2100 kcal per day. The 2013 SFSA ranked the provinces according to their level of needs and vulnerability 1 to 5, with 1 being very low needs and vulnerability, and 5 very high. Seven indicators were combined to assign the score: Kcal intake deficiency, Food Consumption Score (FCS), Household Hunger Scale (HHS), Coping Strategy Index (CSI), exposure to natural hazards, vulnerability to natural disasters, and vulnerability to conflict. Bamyan Province ranked 4, showing a high overall level of food security needs and vulnerability.

On the 17th November 2013, FSAC organized another workshop where the Afghanistan Food Security Technical Team (AFSTT) presented the regional findings of the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC). The IPC is a set of tools and procedures to classify the severity of food insecurity which provides knowledge

1 Community Development Councils (CDCs) have been launched as part of the National Solidarity Program (NSP), which was established in mid-2003 as a government program executed by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. Through NSP, communities are mobilized and supported in the establishment of a village-level, consultative decision-making and representative local leadership. 2 Data was collected for the number of households from the CDCs’ leaders and the number multiplied by 11, the average household size for Waras, based on Medair previous assessments in the area. 3

Takht FS assessment report for decision support. It classifies areas with acute food insecurity into five phases: minimal, stressed, crisis, emergency and famine. The phases presented showed the current status of the provinces, November to December 2013, and the projected status, January to March 2014. Bamyan is classified as phase 3, crisis, for the current status, and phase 4, emergency, for the projected status. Currently no province in Afghanistan is classified phase 5, famine.

The results of these 2013 national food security assessments organized by FSAC constitutes a framework for determining appropriate geographical targeting and responses by the humanitarian actors. Medair’s presence in the Central Highlands dates back to 2004 with WASH and Food Security projects, and Medair is well established in Waras District, Bamyan Province, where this needs assessment took place. Medair is implementing a UNICEF funded WASH project and a MCC/ CFGB3 funded Food Security project in the north part of Takht area, in the south west of Waras District. Medair field staff have been aware of the critical post- harvest situation in Takht and the consequent food gap that the Takht communities are going to face this winter and next year, especially the communities in the South of Takht, which are not covered by the current projects. This area, belongs to the south and west part of the central region of Afghanistan, which was affected by the dry spell in the summer of 2013. In November Medair responded with a needs assessment focused on the south part of Takht, covering 13 CDCs, a total of 747 households and 82174 individuals. The results revealed a poor food consumption score for the 30% of the households interviewed, a high reliance on short and long term coping strategies, and significant crop failure, in some cases up to 100% of planted crops, as explained in section 5.6, page 10 and 7.1, page 12. Data on household wheat consumption and household dietary diversity combined, suggest that the poorest section of the population, corresponding more or less to 30% of the total population, hardly reached 1500 kilo calories per person per day, the threshold that defines a household (HH) as very severely food insecure, as further explained in sections 5.2 and 5.5 (on page 8 and 10).

3. Humanitarian context Takht is situated in the south west part of Waras District, in Bamyan Province, sharing a border with Ishtarlay District of Daykundi Province to the south, directly adjacent to the areas of the Central Highlands that were affected by a dry spell during the summer of 2013. Several humanitarian actors responded to the emergency through the Emergency Response Fund (ERF), covering portions of Ghor, Daykundi and Bamyan provinces, but Takht was not covered, mainly because of lack of hard data on the food security situation of its population at that time. The area is divided into North Takht and South Takht, and it is composed of 80-90 CDCs. A Medair assessment carried out in October 2012 estimated the total size of the Takht population at 43,200 individuals of Hazara ethnicity. The area, like all of Waras District, belongs to the Afghanistan livelihood zone N.26, with livestock and agriculture serving as primary and secondary sources of food and income, and characterized by risk of food insecurity in a normal year.5 There are two health centers and one hospital that serve the area: Dahane Sabzak

3 Mennonite Central Committee/ Canadian Food Grains Bank 4 This number has been calculated based on the average household size experienced by Medair in Waras, with 7.6 members of each family and 11 members in each household. 5 Famine Early Warning Systems Network, 2011 Special Report on Livelihood Zoning, zone n. 26 refers to the high altitude mountain districts situated in the Provinces of Bamyan, Wardak, Ghazni, Parwan, Pasher and Kapisa. 4

Takht FS assessment report

Comprehensive Health Centre, Band-e-Kosa Basic Health Centre, and Waras District Hospital. There are two bazars in the area, one in Dahane Sabzak and the other one in Band-e-Kosa. Medair is already implementing a food security project in the north part of Takht, in the proximity of Dahane Sabzak, and therefore decided to carry out this assessment in the south part, in the proximity of Band-e-Kosa, where the communities are not yet covered by food security interventions.

The area surveyed is composed of 13 CDCs, with an estimated population of 8217 individuals, as presented in table 1 below:

Table 1: CDCs names and geographical location N CDC name Area GPS points of main village Latitude Longitude Elevation 1 Talkhak Qawm-e-ghaib N34.09200 E066.70471 2727m Ali 2 Ordokhak Qawm-e-ghaib N34.07698 E066.67107 2744m Ali 3 Nawrizak Qawm-e-ghaib N34.11697 E066.71946 2901m Ali 4 Chamber Chamber N34.16602 E066.71367 3012m

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Takht FS assessment report

5 Dewalak Chamber N34.14970 E066.71600 3158m 6 Khak-e-mola Chamber N34.15504 E066.67466 2873m 7 Jawqool Jawqool N34.02425 E066.70224 2804m 8 Sar-e-boom Qonaq N34.02917 E066.68398 2873m Qonaq 9 Qala Qonaq N34.02418 E066.68018 2918m 10 Posht-e- Qonaq N34.00057 E066.67567 3056m barghaso 11 Joshanak Qonaq N34.00056 E066.66572 3078m 12 Bo Sayeed Qonaq N34.0058 E066.66772 3084m 13 Safid sang Qonaq N34.04239 E066.67806 2945m

Security in Takht is good, with no known Armed Opposition Groups (AOG). Even though there have been some incidents of minor criminality, since Medair has been working in Waras, Medair has not experienced any significant security incidents that have affected its work there.

4. Methodology This assessment started with the review of secondary data available from the 2011-2012 NRVA, the 2013 SFSA preliminary results, the 2013 IPC, and from previous Medair assessments in the area, and with the setting of assessment objectives in order to avoid duplication.

The household survey was conducted among 92 households distributed in the 13 CDCs. The sample size calculation was derived from the sampling methodology of the 2013 National Seasonal Food Security and Agriculture Survey by FSAC, as recommended by the FSAC technical team. This method takes into account the food insecurity prevalence in each province to obtain the sample size.6 The main difference between this assessment sampling methodology and the methodology of the 2013 SFSA is that in this case a one stage cluster sampling design was used (D=1, see footnote 6), while the 2013 SFSA used a three stage cluster sampling design (D=3) in which the 34 Afghan provinces were considered a stratum.

6 The formula follows: ( )( ( )) Where

Explanation N Required minimum sample size D Design Effect (assumed to be 1 for one stage cluster sampling design) z z-score corresponding to the degree of confidence. 1.96 is applied since a confidence level of 95% is expected p Estimated food insecurity prevalence in Waras District (40.3%) based on the preliminary result of the National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 2011/126 1-p Estimated food security prevalence in Waras District (60.7%) based on the preliminary result of the National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 2011/126 d Minimum desired precision or minimum tolerable error at 10%

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Takht FS assessment report

In each CDC a number of households were selected proportionally to the population size7, and the households in each CDC were selected by the UNICEF pencil spin method, in which the assessment team locate the center of the CDC using key informants and spin a pencil to determine the direction the survey team will walk to select households. The team then proceeds in the direction of the pencil spin, selecting every other household to conduct the survey. 8

The distribution of the 92 HHs interviewed proportional to the CDC sizes is as follows:

Table 3: Population distribution among each CDC Estimated N. of Distribution of Number of HHs Number CDC Name N. of HHs the population Individuals interviewed among CDC 1 Talkhak 34 374 5% 4 2 Ordokhak 90 990 12% 11 3 Nawrizak 60 660 8% 7 4 Chamber 140 1540 19% 17 5 Dewalak 105 1155 14% 13 6 Khak-e-mola 90 990 12% 11 7 Jawqool 40 440 5% 5 8 Sar-e-boom 34 374 Qonaq 5% 4 9 Qala 26 286 3% 3 10 Posht-e-barghaso 30 330 4% 4 11 Joshanak 24 264 3% 3 12 Bo Sayeed 44 484 6% 5 13 Safid sang 30 330 4% 4 Total 747 8217 100% 92

5. Summary of findings household survey The HH survey captured standardized food security indicators (listed below) to detect the level of food insecurity of the population of South Takht.

5.1 Food consumption Score (FCS): This is a composite score based on dietary diversity, frequency of consumption of each food group, and relative nutritional importance of each group. A weight, based on nutrient content, is assigned to each food group and this is multiplied by the consumption frequency. Poor food consumption (FCS= 1-28) was reported among 30% of the interviewed households, borderline food consumption (FCS=28.1-42) among 28% of the households, and acceptable food consumption (FCS>42) among 42% of the households. The 2013 SFSA preliminary results show a poor FCS for the 25.5% of the Bamyan population. A

7 In the 2013 SFSA in each selected district, communities are selected proportionally to population size. 8 UNICEF 2011, Version 2: Measuring malnutrition: population assessment, Module 7, technical note, p. 20 7

Takht FS assessment report

comparison of the 2013 data and the data collected with this assessment suggests that the geographically isolated Takht area is in a worse condition than the rest of the province, already scoring 4 (4=high overall status of needs) in the 2013 SFSA ranking. The chart below shows a comparison of Takht FCS data, Bamyan Province, and national data.9

Comparison of FCS data for Tahkt, Bamyan and National

100% 90% 42 80% 44.7 70% 71.6 60% Acceptable 50% 28 29.8 40% 30% Borderline 22 20% 30 25.5 Poor 10% 6.5 0% Tahkt Bamyan National Acceptable 42 44.7 71.6 Borderline 28 29.8 22 Poor 30 25.5 6.5

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5.2 Household Dietary Diversity (HHDD) is a proxy indicator for access to food, intake of energy and macronutrients, and intake of micronutrients. Information on HHDD was collected with a 24- hour recall period. The household survey results show that among the interviewed household’s six food groups out of 14 are presently consumed by the household members at a significant frequency: bread by 100% of the households interviewed, tea by 100%, potatoes by 80%, meat by 20%, yogurt by 40%, and oil by 90%. Vegetables and fruits, foods rich in micronutrients and vitamins, are practically absent in the diets of the households surveyed, while meat, the main source of protein, is present only in the diet of the better off. The poorest section of the population relies mainly on the consumption of bread, tea, potatoes and oil, showing a very poorly diversified diet, generally associated with poor food access. Conversely, a more diversified diet is highly correlated with such factors as caloric and protein adequacy, percentage of protein from animal sources (high quality protein), and household income.11

9 2013 SFSA Seasonal Food Security and Agriculture assessment, preliminary results presented at FSAC workshop on the 13th of October 2013. 10 The comparison between the 2013 SFSA data and the data collected with this assessment has limitations due to the difference in the methodologies of the two assessments. 11 USAID 2006, FANTA, Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) for measurement of Household Food Access: Indicator Guide 8

Takht FS assessment report

5.3 Coping strategy index (CSI) is used in food security assessments to detect the level of stress derived from a shock and gives an accurate indication of the level of food insecurity of the surveyed population12. In the structured questionnaire used to collect information, ten questions related to ten coping strategies were asked to the interviewees, and the results show that six of the coping strategies were used at a significant frequency. An interesting piece of information that had not been anticipated came out during the interviews and an additional coping strategy was added to the list, after noting its relevance for the local population. 60% of the interviewed households stated that they had cut their wheat crop earlier, when still immature, to use it as fodder for their animals, when it was clear that the wheat was not developing as needed to be used for flour. The addition to the questionnaire of an unanticipated coping strategy was possible due to the meticulous method used in the assessment that requires the assessment team to meet every day and discuss progress and agree on necessary changes to the approach, based on the daily field work. The results show that seven coping strategies were used with significant frequency by the interviewed households, as follows, ranked in order of reliance: a. Purchase food on credit (100% of the HHs) b. Rely on less preferred and less expensive food (80% of the HHs) c. Borrow food from family or neighbors (63% of the HHs) d. Harvest immature crop to use as animal fodder (60% of the HHs) e. Limit portion size at mealtimes (42% of the HHs) f. Restrict consumption by adults in order for small children to eat (28% of the HHs) g. Reduce number of meals eaten in a day (17% of the HHs)

These seven coping strategies can be grouped into three categories: change in diet; attempt to increase food supply using short-term strategies that are not sustainable in the long period (borrowing or purchasing on credit, for example); and attempt to ration the shortfall by rationing the food available to the household (cutting portion size or number of meals, and favoring certain household members over other members). Typically these types of strategies are employed by food insecure households and indicate a problem of household food insecurity.13

5.4 There are also longer -term coping mechanisms which households rely upon to face periods of stress after a shock and in order to be able to obtain food. These mechanisms can be particularly disruptive when they are irreversible, e.g. when a loan is secured with land, if the borrower is not able to pay back the loan, he loses his main source of income and livelihood. The results of the assessment show that the population of South Takht relies with significant frequency on ten long term coping mechanisms, as follows, ranked in order of reliance: a. Take out a loan (100% of the HHs) b. Wait for assistance from the Government or from NGOs (78% of the HHs)

12 CARE/WFP (2003), The Coping Strategy Index: Field methods Manual: Nairobi, CARE and WFP 13 Ibid. 9

Takht FS assessment report

c. Decrease expenditures on health and education (57% of the HHs) d. Migration to look for work (52% of the HHs) e. Sold more animals, or earlier, than usual (51% of the HHs) f. Sold female reproductive livestock (37% of the HHs) g. Increase collection and sale of natural resources (32% of the HHs) h. Take children out of school (30% of the HHs) i. Secure a loan with land (21% of the HHs) j. Send children to work outside the household (16% of the HHs)

An intervention to reduce the need of the affected population to adopt these damaging coping mechanisms is essential for contributing to the restoration of longer term food security and for preserving the productive assets of the population (e.g. livestock and land). This must be a priority for humanitarian actors from the initial stages of any intervention.

5.5 Agriculture and wheat consumption data was also collected with the household survey. On average a household of eleven people consumes 15 ser14 of wheat per month, meaning that a person consumes on average about 0.3 kg of wheat per day, equal to one naan bread, and to 1017 kilo calories15, less than half of the minimum calories intake requirement set by the Sphere Minimum Standard (2100 kcal/person/day). Only 6% of the households interviewed digress from this figure to a large extent, consuming on average 0.2 kg of wheat per person per day; this suggests that there are no large differences in the bread consumption between the poor and the better off. It also suggests that, a poor family, being not able to diversify its diet, will hardly reach not only the 2100 kcal target but also the 1500 kcal per person per day threshold to classify a household as very severely food insecure16(cf. section 2, on page 4). With their own wheat production the households interviewed are able to cover on average one month of wheat consumption, and will have to rely heavily on increased animal sales above normal levels, to stock wheat for the winter. This data was confirmed also by the market surveys, where traders revealed that the population was buying more wheat than usual from the local bazar, to store staple food before the winter. The findings of the market survey are discussed in more detail below in section 6.

5.6 Land ownership and land productivity: On average the households interviewed own 0.2 hectares of irrigated land and 0.4 hectares of rain fed land, but 90% of them have not planted their rain fed land for the past three years, because of “lack of water”. The productivity of the land in general is extremely low, with an average of three ser of wheat harvested for each ser planted. 7% of the interviewed households experienced a loss of 100% of the harvest, meaning that their seed input gave an output equal to zero. 60% of the households interviewed harvested crops when still immature, for use as animal fodder, as explained in section 5.3 above

14 1 ser= 7 kg 15 100 g wheat equal to 339 kcal, (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5744/2), so 300 g of wheat is equal to 1017 kcal. 16 2011-2012 NRVA, National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment 10

Takht FS assessment report

(page 9). Although this does not equal to a loss of 100% of the harvest, it is a serious loss that has dramatic consequences for the household economy.

6. Market survey A market survey was conducted using semi structured interviews with five traders of the Band-e-Kosa bazar. Since the total number of shops was known (information obtained from CDC leaders) and the shops are all arranged in the same order (one next to the other with the entrance facing the road on both sides of the road) a systematic or interval sampling methodology was used, where “Nth” sampled unit can be selected.17 10% of the shops were considered a sufficient number to obtain the desired information, given also the fact that shops close to each other selling the same type of commodities will likely have similar prices, or not above average prices, in order to compete with the other shops. So one shop every ten shops was selected, starting from the third shop of the bazar, three being the starting selected random number.

Through this survey the assessment team was able to determine the prices of commodities and whether the local market is functional and capable of responding to a potential increase in wheat and staple food demand. The traders revealed that the main commodities sold in the bazar are bought in Kabul, with the exception of potatoes, dairy products, meat and carpets. All the five traders interviewed stated that they are selling more wheat than usual, if compared to the same time last year (November), because the harvest was really poor due to the dry spell, and people were not able to stock sufficient wheat from their own production. They also stated that the price of livestock has decreased compared to the same time last year because people are forced to sell their animals for two reasons: to buy food, and because the price of fodder has increased, due to the dry spell, increasing the costs of maintaining livestock over the winter period. Moreover, because of the poor pasture conditions the animals are in poor condition and are therefore are sold at lower prices. It is common practice for all the customers to buy on credit, and the debit is paid back at a later date, sometimes after more than one year. If a customer does not pay back his debt, the traders have means of compensation, which in most cases involve the confiscation of animals or other goods, like carpets.

The most commonly bought commodity is flour, followed by oil and tea, while the least purchased commodity is sugar. The consumption of sugar is considered an indicator of socio economic change, and its inclusion in a household’s purchase reveals something about the ability of that household to access or purchase food.18 The fact that in the bazars in Takht sugar is the least purchased commodity reveals that people in Takht are facing food access constrains. The price of the main commodities sold in the Band-e-Kosa bazar is reported in table 4 below.

Table 4: Commodities price in Band-e-Kosa bazar in November 2013

17 UNICEF 2011, Version 2: Measuring malnutrition: population assessment, Module 7, technical note, p.6 18 Swindale, A., Bilinsky, P., Household Dietary Diversity Score, FANTA USAID, 2006, p.9 11

Takht FS assessment report

Average price Average price Average price Commodity Unit in AFA AFA/kg USD19/kg Wheat flour high quality 1 bag 50 kg 1700 33 0.57 Wheat flour low quality 1 bag 50 kg 1500 31 0.53 Rice high quality 1 bag 20 kg 2000 100 1.72 Rice low quality 1 bag 25 kg 1300 52 0.90 Beans 1 ser or 7 kg 600 86 1.48 Cooking oil 16 lt can 1250 78 1.34 Potatoes 1 ser or 7 kg 150 21 0.36 Sugar 1 kg 50 50 0.86

The price of the main commodities sold was then compared to the price of the same commodities sold in Kabul city in the same reference period (November 2013)20, and the comparison shows that the main food commodities were cheaper in Kabul than in Band-e-Kosa.

Table 5: Commodities price in Kabul city in November 2013 Average price Average price Average price Commodity Unit in AFA AFA/kg USD21/kg Wheat flour high quality 1 bag 50 kg 1400 28 0.48 Wheat flour low quality 1 bag 50 kg 1250 25 0.43 Rice high quality 1 bag 20 kg 1920 96 1.66 Rice low quality 1 bag 25 kg 1225 49 0.84 Beans 1 ser or 7 kg 539 77 1.33 Cooking oil 16 lt can 1250 78 1.34 Potatoes 1 ser or 7 kg 150 21 0.36 Sugar 1 kg 50 50 0.86

The average price of livestock in Band-e-Kosa is reported in table 6 below:

Table 6: Livestock prices in Band-e-Kosa bazar Type Price in AFA Price in USD Cattle male typical 40,000 704 Sheep male typical 4,000 70.4 Goat male typical 3,000 52 Sheep female 1 year 3,000 52

The traders interviewed stated that they have already been able to respond to an increased demand in wheat this year. They also stated that once a truck loaded with six to ten tonnes of wheat flour arrives at the bazar it takes two days for all the flour to be sold. Storage does not seem to be a problem, as wheat flour is sold immediately and is then stored by the individual households in their dwellings. Usually two

19 http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/, average exchange rate Nov, 2013: 1 USD=58 AFA 20 Early Warning System Working Group by FSAC, November market price surveillance 21 http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/, average exchange rate Nov, 2013: 1 USD=58 AFA 12

Takht FS assessment report or three traders share the cost of a Kamaz track to transport their commodities from Kabul to Takht, at an average price of 50,000 AFA for a truck that can hold between ten and fourteen tonnes, depending on the type of commodity that it is transporting and by the condition of the road. The bazar is composed of 50 shops, two mechanics, one petrol station, one butcher, and one sawmill.

7. Focus Group Discussions

7.1 FGD with men: eight focus group discussions were conducted in the four most populous CDCs. The assessment team first met with the CDC leaders in each of the four CDCs and arranged for two FGDs the next day, one with men and one with women, making clear that it was important to have participants from all the wealth groups. The heterogeneous composition of the participants was verified at registration, where the participants were asked how many animals and land they owned. Landless and people with no livestock were also present. Three main wealth groups were revealed, summarized in table 6 below:

Table 6: Population wealth categories and livelihood characteristics Characteristics Poor Average Better off % of Total Population 30% 50% 20% Irrigated land owned 0-0.2 hectares 0.2- 0.4 hectares 0.4- 1.5 hectares Rain fed land owned 0-0.4 0.4-1 hectares 1-1.2 hectares Livestock 0-1 cattle 2-3 cattle 4-6 cattle <5 goats and sheep 6-12 goats and sheep 13-30 goats and sheep Main activities Agricultural labour, Sale of livestock, sale Sale of livestock, sale daily labour, of dairy products, sale of dairy products, sale collection and sale of of fodder, sale of of fodder, sale of firewood. carpets, agricultural carpets, sale of labour, daily labour, timber, sale of fruits, work outside the agricultural labour, district work outside the district, business activity like shops, trade.

Like all the areas of the Central Highlands affected by the dry spell of 2013, Takht has suffered from below normal levels of rainfall during the summer of 2013, and consequently the crops performed poorly, as the informants stressed during the discussions. Many farmers suffered from crop failure on their irrigated land, in some cases up to 100%, meaning that the wheat yield was equal to zero. On average wheat (the main crop) gave 3 ser of harvest for each ser of seed planted. Potatoes, the second crop after wheat, also performed poorly, with the same ratio of ser harvested for each ser planted (3:1). In a normal year with normal rainfall patterns, wheat productivity is on average 8 ser of wheat harvested for each ser planted. The majority of the participants stated that they have not cultivated their rain fed land for years, due to of the poor reliability of rainfall. This is consistent with the findings of the 2013 SFSA that revealed a decline

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in the percentage of households cultivating crops in the Central Highlands, 84.7 to 65.6 in Bamyan specifically. 22

Farmers source their wheat seed from their own harvest, while they rely on wheat flour from the traders. If the harvest goes well they are able to keep on average one third of the wheat output for planting the next year, but since this year the wheat crop performed poorly, many of them were not able to save seed for planting next year, disrupting their main source for seed. If there is no intervention this will dramatically increase the reliance on negative coping strategies and depletion of assets. Due to the poor harvest in 2013, the farmers will be short of wheat seed for planting wheat crops in the spring of 2014. Wheat is the highest priority crop, and the farmers will be faced with the difficult choice of either planting wheat using seed purchased with credit or using cash released via the depletion of animal reserves, or not to plant wheat at all (or reduce plantings) because of a lack of resources. Informants said that they would benefit enormously from a seed distribution, and that this would help them to restore the normal agricultural cycle.

The informants also stated that their preferred crop is wheat, but because of the dry weather, this year some of them had to plant barley instead, because this crop requires less water. Even barley is used to make bread, but it produces a lower quality and less preferred flour.

Pasture conditions also suffered in 2013 and this is reflected in the poor condition of the livestock, that according to the informants, lost weight, becoming therefore less valuable. Households have been forced to sell more animals than usual in order to buy wheat, but at a lower and less profitable price compared to a normal year. Some of the informants stated that they had to cut the wheat crop prematurely to use it as fodder, reinforcing the evidence for the information obtained during household interviews. This strategy was used to make the most of an inevitable crop failure, in a tentative attempt to fatten the livestock for a more profitable sale.

In addition, the demand of daily agricultural work on the land of the landowners decreased, affecting the livelihood of the poorest in particular, since this is one of their main sources of income. While the average and rich categories of the population seemed to cope with the situation via alternative sources of income (sale of livestock, dairy products, carpets, timber, trade, work outside the district, remittances), the poor category have become increasingly reliant on damaging coping strategies, like various forms of reduction of food consumption (see section 5.3, on page 9), compromising the minimum requirement of calories intake, and irreversible coping strategies, like selling the animal reserves or taking loans that they are not able to pay back. The focus group discussions revealed that, while all the three categories buy food on credit (also the traders buy on credit from the suppliers in Kabul), the poor are the

22 2013 SFSA, p.18 14

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target for forced confiscation of animals and goods by the traders, as a means of compensation for debt.

7.2 FGDs with women: in the same four CDCs where the focus group discussions were conducted with men, focus group discussions were conducted with women to identify food security related gender issues, to be taken into consideration in recommendations and designing of potential future interventions. Women confirmed the information given by the men, but added some interesting details. Since women are traditionally in charge of milking the animals and of the production of the dairy products, the female informants pointed out that in 2013 milk production was less than the previous year, because the cattle were suffering from the poor pasture conditions.

With regard to the reliance on food consumption coping strategies, women seem to be more affected than men, because being in charge of food preparation, during times of difficulties they are the first to reduce their intake to provide food for the rest of the family. Most of the female informants, who belong to poor households, stated that in the eventuality of food shortages they eat less to ensure greater availability of food for their children.

Some pre- determined questions guided the discussion towards vegetable consumption and kitchen gardening, to check the familiarity that women have with growing vegetables and their knowledge about the importance of the inclusion of vegetables in their diets. The female informants said that they had cultivated vegetables in the past but not for several years due to lack of water for irrigation. They associate vegetable consumption with improved taste of their meals, and even though this is not a negative factor in itself, this is not related to knowledge of the importance of having vegetables in the diet for their nutritional value and related health benefits. If given a choice of which crops to cultivate they said that they would like to cultivate vegetables because they can do this in small plots next to their houses, where they feel more comfortable.

8. Key Informant interviews on the local irrigation system Key informant interviews were conducted in each of the CDCs with the CDC leaders to obtain information on the crop irrigation methods in use. The Medair assessment team was also accompanied to the fields to directly observe the irrigation system in use. The local irrigation system is made up of irrigation channels either departing from man-made reservoirs fed by springs, or diverted from a river. The channels then fork towards different cultivated areas of the village to reach the fields. A rotation system for the use of water is in place, where each area of cultivated land receives water on average once a week. Water scarcity is a problem and many reservoirs were dry in the summer of 2013 because the springs that feed them stopped running. Moreover the efficiency of these local systems to collect water is reduced by leaks and high permeability, due to a lack of the technical skills needed to build these systems. The informants recognized the lack of efficiency of their own irrigation methods and they also stated that arable land at higher elevation could be accessed by irrigation water if they were able to

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Takht FS assessment report start the irrigation channels from higher points. The assessment team saw the possibility of implementing an improved irrigation system that takes into consideration the effects of the proposed intervention on the regional water table, and potential for conflict with other populations who might be competing for scarce water resources, as explained further in section 9.

9. Conclusion and recommendations Data collected on the wheat harvest at household level, focus group discussions and interviews with traders, show that the population of Takht in the proximity of the Band-e-Kosa bazar has faced a shock caused by the dry spell, and the consequent extremely poor crop performance. While the better off and the average households seem to cope with the difficult situation with alternative livelihoods, as outlined in section 7.1, the poor households, corresponding to 30% of the population, are alarmingly relying on reduced food consumption and irreversible coping strategies and need recovery assistance in order to not compromise their future livelihood. An analysis of household wheat consumption data and household dietary diversity combined, suggests that the 30% poorest section of the population hardly reach the threshold of 1500 kcal per person per day, which defines a household as very severely food insecure. The next harvest for the Takht population will be in September 2014; without other alternative sources of income the food security situation of the population in general, and of the poor households in particular, is likely to further deteriorate. These findings reinforce the results of the IPC, which show that Bamyan is currently in phase three, corresponding to a crisis situation, and expected to enter phase four, corresponding to an emergency status, from January 2014 onwards. Food security responses should focus on the prevention of further asset erosion and lead towards recovery and increased resilience to future hazards, preventing the population, which is currently in phase three(crisis situation), from falling into phase four (emergency status). Some recommendations are outlined below:

1. Provision of emergency assistance to the poorest (30% of the population) through cash transfers to protect this segment of population from very acute food gaps, in line with FSAC strategic objective 1, and responding to priority need 2 of the 2014 Humanitarian Needs Overview. Cash transfers are also an intervention recommended by the Sphere Minimum Standards as a measure to avoid distress sales of assets and land.23 2. To provide early recovery assistance to the population of Takht to prevent them from falling into chronic food insecurity, through the distribution of agricultural inputs and emergency livestock interventions, in line with FSAC strategic objective 2, and with the 2014 CHAP strategic priority 4. 3. To ensure quick resumption of agricultural activities through training in sustainable agriculture and Natural Resource Management (NRM), in line with FSAC strategic objective 2. 4. Cash For Work activities for the construction of NRM structures for a better storage and transmission of water. These activities will incorporate “simple environmental action plans developed with communities and local authorities” in order to “promote the rehabilitation

23 The Sphere Project, Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response, 2011 edition, Food Security Standard 1: General Food Security, p.177 16

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and protection of the environment in food security and agriculture responses in Afghanistan”24 , as recommended by FSAC strategic response plan. 5. Inclusion of women in the design of interventions aimed at improving the household dietary diversity and the FCS, and the WASH situation of the target population, mainstreaming gender in potential future actions, as recommended by FSAC strategic response plan. Kitchen gardening has proved a viable way of including women in livelihood recovery and involving women in efforts to improve the nutritional status of their households in other parallel Medair programs in the Central Highlands. 6. Irrigation activities that will improve the current crop irrigation methods making the local population more resilient to drought, also with the incorporation of DRR activities. The proposed irrigation program focuses on storing water during snowmelt and rainfall events, and releasing it during the dry months. The presence of this stored water is expected to raise the local water table but the degree of rise depends on the permeability of the underlying soil and rock for each area. Regional water tables in this type of environment are typically located within deeper bedrock and are less sensitive to seasonal changes in infiltration. As a result, the proposed irrigation programs will likely have a negligible impact on regional water tables. The potential for conflict with other communities is very low because the captured water represents a tiny fraction of the water released during the snowmelt period.

24 2014 Strategic Response Plan Afghanistan, ANNEX SRP, Cluster Strategic Response Plan, page 9 17