Additional Financing for Afghanistan Emergency Food Security Project

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Food insecurity remains persistently high in Afghanistan, where nearly half of the population face crisis or worse conditions (IPC/CH Phase 3 or above). The most affected are the poor and over 70 percent of the population living in rural areas who depend on crop and livestock production for their livelihoods. The percentage of food insecure people doubled from 2015 to 2020/21, and the percentage of people facing acute food insecurity has remained between 40 to 50 percent of the total population. The food security situation is further endangered by recent emerging key risks, recent earthquake in Herat Province, Moroccan locust outbreak affecting crop production, the recent outbreak of animal diseases, and the uncertain future of the Black Sea Grain Deal. In this context, it is important to continue emergency response support to secure food production in highly food insecure areas and prevent further crisis. At the same time, to address the drivers of food insecurity related to climate change and to build resilience, the uptake of climate adaptation measures, and strategies to expand sustainable rural livelihood opportunities is essential.This additional financing will provide an additional US$100 Million to the Emergency Food Security Project to support resilience of production systems by (i) enhancing the availability of improved and climate-resilient production inputs and training, (ii) promoting access to improved irrigation facilities and water management practices which will improve water security for agriculture and (iii) providing resilience building support in watersheds through promoting agroforestry, erosion control facilities, which will ensure availability of water and resilience of landscapes e.g. through reduced degradation, erosion, or improved soil health, in the context of climate change. These measures will increase and stabilize production of wheat and support the diversification to horticulture production of targeted beneficiaries, which will enhance access to nutritious food and diversification of income sources. Production systems will become robust to economic, social, and environmental shocks, including climate shocks with an increased capacity to adapt to shocks. Resilient production system will contribute to beneficiaries’ food security in the medium- to long-term, by increasing the availability of food and access to food in local markets, during crisis. Further, the additional financing contributes to food security in the short-term by providing cash-for-work opportunities and increases household’s income and thus access to food.