150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 Appeal E-mail:
[email protected] Coordinating Office Afghanistan Drought & Food Insecurity - ASAF81 Appeal Target: 1,265,778 USD Balance Requested 1,265,778 USD Geneva, 4 December 2008 Dear Colleagues, This rugged, landlocked country remains one of the poorest in the world, with more than half the population, estimated at over 25 million, living below the poverty line. Life expectancy stands at 44.5 for both men and women. The literacy rate is one of the lowest among developing countries with only one in three Afghans, over 15 yrs of age, able to read and write. Afghanistan is undergoing a period of recovery after twenty three years of continuous war and instability. In addition, uncontrolled grazing, pastureland encroachment and illegal logging have contributed to land degradation and a reduction in agricultural productivity. Since 1999 Afghanistan has suffered from recurring drought but, during the last three years, the situation has been the most severe causing a grave food crisis threatening millions of people with starvation. According to Abdur Rashid, head of FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture the situation is catastrophic. In terms of numbers there are 7.5 million extremely vulnerable people, 1.5 million of whom are new refugees. However, virtually the entire population of over 23 million is hungry. It is estimated that some 2.2 million tons of cereals need to be imported into the country this year just to meet basic needs.