Peanuts Support Reforestation in Afghanistan’s Khost Province.
Since 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has been carrying out a long-term initiative in three provinces of Afghanistan (Khost, Laghman, and Nuristan) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project’s title is self-explanatory: “Combating Land Degradation and Biodiversity Loss by Promoting Sustainable Rangeland Management and Biodiversity Conservation in Afghanistan”. 47% of Afghanistan’s land surface is considered rangeland, e.g. used as pasture for grazing sheep, goats and cattle. These areas are fragile (in high altitudes, on steep slopes, or with insufficient precipitation for agriculture) and have been heavily impacted by overexploitation and climate change.
Key to FAO’s approach is to encourage communities to take care of their forests and rangelands by forming Forest and Rangeland Management Associations. FAO then works with these associations to restore the environmental balance through re-seeding and protection of rangelands, water harvesting structures, the planting of saplings, zoning areas as off-limits, etc. Alternative livelihoods are also proposed to communities that used to live from the exploitation of these now scarce natural resources.
Khost is one of Afghanistan’s most densely populated provinces. It is also on Afghanistan’s forest belt, which runs roughly from Northeast to Southwest along the border with Pakistan. Over the past two decades the province has been intensely affected by the insurgency and counterinsurgency warfare, migration and cross-border smuggling activities – including illegal logging. Between 2001 and 2022 an estimated 630 hectares of forest were lost, representing a loss of almost 10%.
Bas Bibi, a 37-year-old woman living in Zazi Maidan district, was among those of her community who relied on forests and rangelands for their livelihoods. The depletion of these natural resources, however, threatened her economic well-being. When FAO initiated a project by the creation of the Mughal Khil Rangeland and Forest Management Association, her life took a positive turn. The association consists of male members only, given the cultural norms in the province, but according to FAO’s internal objectives, 50% of the GEF project’s beneficiaries are women.
She was selected because of her poverty and ownership of a small plot of land. She received 13 kg of groundnut (peanut) seeds and took part in the training provided by the FAO/GEF facilitators. She used half a jerib of land (1000 m2) for the groundnut cultivation, and after four months she harvested 120kg. These are worth 17,400 Afghanis (equivalent to USD 240) on the market. This may not seem like much, but in rural Afghanistan it is a significant income, allowing Bas Bibi to support her family and invest in future crops, to provide a sustainable source of income. The market for peanuts remains underdeveloped in Afghanistan, but in neighbouring Pakistan the extra produce is easily sold.
She kept 13 kg of the seeds to plant again next year – on a different piece of land, to avoid soil exhaustion – and part of the peanuts were consumed by her family. Although it is not traditionally part of their diet, Afghans are finding that groundnuts are an excellent source of plant-based protein, fibre, and many key vitamins and minerals. Among other health benefits, groundnuts support heart health and manage blood sugar levels.
She was one of 63 women selected in Khost for groundnut cultivation; altogether, in three Afghan provinces, the project has targeted 2900 individuals – mostly female-led households – with alternatives to deforestation and excessive grazing, and this number is set to increase as the project unfolds.
Standing in her field, Bas Bibi told us that she is happy to know that her activities, besides providing a source of nutrition and income for her family, also contribute to the preservation of the environment. Since the project was undertaken within the community structure provided by the Rangeland and Forest Management Association, she is aware that this has not been an individual, but a collective effort. She hopes this experience heralds a more positive future for her children. Indeed, restoring the ecological balance is crucial to maintain a healthy habitat for human living, provide economic opportunities, facilitate sustainable development, and mitigate the effects of climate change.