Afghanistan | Agricultural Livelihoods and Food Security in the Context of COVID-19: Monitoring Report – August 2021
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AFGHANISTAN Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19 Monitoring report August 2021 AFGHANISTAN Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19 Monitoring report August 2021 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2021 REQUIRED CITATION FAO. 2021. Afghanistan | Agricultural livelihoods and food security in the context of COVID-19: Monitoring report – August 2021. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb6398en The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. 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Cover photograph: ©FAO Contents Contents .............................................................................................................................. iii Abbreviations and acronyms .............................................................................................. vii Key highlights .................................................................................................................... viii Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 1 Sample design and analysis ...........................................................................................................1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 5 COVID-19 and other risk factors in the country ................................................................... 6 Internal population displacement ................................................................................................7 Agricultural production ......................................................................................................11 Crops............................................................................................................................................ 12 Livestock ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Food supply and markets ...................................................................................................29 Livelihoods, incomes and coping strategies .......................................................................33 Food security ......................................................................................................................39 Most affected population groups and needs .....................................................................42 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................43 Recommendations...................................................................................................................... 44 References..........................................................................................................................45 Annex 1. Household respondent characteristics ................................................................47 Annex 2. Crop production data ..........................................................................................48 Annex 3. Livestock production data ...................................................................................58 Annex 4. Value chain data ..................................................................................................63 Annex 5. Income sources and shocks .................................................................................67 Annex 6. Need for assistance .............................................................................................70 iii Figures Figure 1. Percentage of agriculture and livestock inputs sold by agriculture input vendors ............... 4 Figure 2. New daily reported COVID-19 cases (March 2020–June 2021)............................................... 7 Figure 3. CHIRPS data estimates for Kandahar province (October 2020–September 2021) .............. 9 Figure 4. CHIRPS data estimates for Helmand province (October 2020–September 2021) ............... 9 Figure 5. CHIRPS data estimates for Nimroz province (October 2020–September 2021) ................ 10 Figure 6. Afghanistan seasonal crop calendar ........................................................................................... 12 Figure 7. Percentage of surveyed households conducting agricultural activities................................ 13 Figure 8. Change in area planted by surveyed households compared to the previous year ............ 13 Figure 9. Percentage of surveyed households reporting a smaller or substantially smaller area planted compared to last year, by province .............................................................................................. 14 Figure 10. Change in area cultivated for households reporting insecurity or conflict as a shock ..... 15 Figure 11. Percentage of surveyed households reporting difficulties with crop production in the three months prior to the survey, by province ......................................................................................... 16 Figure 12. Main difficulties in crop production reported by surveyed households ............................ 17 Figure 13. Seasonal rainfall accumulation: Percent of normal, by pentad precipitation ................... 18 Figure 14. Main difficulty in production, by crop type ............................................................................. 19 Figure 15. Percentage of crop-producing households reporting difficulty accessing seeds in the past three months, by province................................................................................................................... 20 Figure 16. Reasons reported by respondents for difficulty accessing seeds ........................................ 21 Figure 17. Surveyed households’ expectations of production compared to last year ....................... 22 Figure 18. Percentage of crop-producing households reporting changes in production, by crop ... 22 Figure 19. Percentage of households reporting at least 25 percent less production as well as drought and difficulty accessing seeds, by province ................................................................................ 23 Figure 20. Livestock ownership among surveyed households, by province ........................................ 24 Figure 21. Percentage of surveyed livestock producers reporting difficulty in the three months prior to the survey, by province..................................................................................................................