"It is... important to continue to focus on interventions that rebuild mechanisms for people's participation in rehabilitation and development and which provide an incentive to disengage from conflict;...for people to meet peacefully and discuss points of common interest rather than issues that divide; and to ensure that the concerns of the most disadvantaged are adequately taken care of: "v
With its infrastructure and social capital gravely diminished and its governance systems fractured, Afghanistan remains a country in crisis. The loss of jobs and export earnings, together with a lack of national economic management and revenue generation capacities, has crippled the formal national economy. Almost twenty years of war have led to the spiralling reduction in the country's social and economic status.vi In 1996, UNDP's Human Development Report placed Afghanistan 169 out of 175 countries in the Human Development Index.vii
Before the war began, Afghanistan had been classed as one of the world's least developed countries. However in 1978, it was self-sufficient in grain for the first time since the early 1900s.viii Roads, dams, and formal irrigation systems were being developed to support large-scale agriculture; and a network of government training institutions, departments, and offices supported small-holder farmers.
In 1992, the war reached a climax, leaving about one third of the population (6 million people) either internally displaced or in refugee camps outside the country. Significant reductions in agricultural production left the country in dire need of food and other assistance. Agricultural systems had been devastated; infrastructure had deteriorated, and government extension services were drastically reduced.
Over the years, however, due to the efforts of several United Nations agencies and other donors (particularly European Union) and NGO-supported activities, agricultural production has started to make a recovery. By 1995, these efforts had achieved great results. Between two and three million refugees returned to their farms, the country's food supply increased, and much of the farm land was back in production.
A formal government no longer functions in Afghanistan. In its absence, the UN provides a sense of direction in the reconstruction and development of the country. The lack of a central government has created several constraints to rehabilitating the country's capacities. However, opportunities have been grasped wherever, and whenever possible. Most notably, development organizations and others have worked directly with communities and NGOs to plan and implement activities. Still, the lack of infrastructure and extension services continues to frustrate efforts to institutionalise lessons reamed.
At least three quarters of the population live in rural areas, and about 85 per cent are estimated to depend on agriculture for their livelihood. It makes sense then, that agricultural development, including livestock development, can have a profound influence on developing peace and stability in Afghanistan. The basic ingredients for the development of livestock production are still present in the country -- land, water, adapted indigenous breeds, and hard working and enterprising women and men farmers.
It is estimated that about eight million hectares of agricultural land are cultivated each year in Afghanistan, a third of which is rainfed, the rest under irrigation. The country is characterised by 11 agro-ecological zones, with five percent covering irrigated areasix.
The potential social and economic contribution of livestock to agricultural development, household food security and income generation in Afghanistan is vast. Livestock production has always been an integral part of smallholder farming systems throughout the country, providing food, farm power, income, wool, Karakal pelts, and leather. Currently, livestock production contributes to the followingx:
· a source of regular income, however small, through sale of milk eggs, small stock and services;
· employment opportunities in areas where family labour may have little or no other opportunity;
· opportunities for on-farm "value added" processing and downstream marketing of animal products;
· a "buffer" or stabilising effect using risk aversion through combinations of different crops and animal species at the farm level;
· a viable utilisation of marginal areas that have few, if any, alternative uses;
· short-term assets that can be readily liquidated, especially smaller species such as sheep, goats and fowl, for the purchase of food, agricultural inputs, the payment of school fees, and social obligations;
· Ionger-term capital reserve;
· source of protein and important micro-nutrients;
· manure as fuel and building material;
· inputs for crop production: draught animal power, manure, working capital; and finally,
· transport services.
According to an earlier UN reportxi, life expectancy and literacy rates of Afghan women are among the lowest in the world. Years of conflict and the resulting massive displacement of the Afghan population disrupted family structures and further increased the burden of women2.
2It is estimated that there are more than a million widows in Afghanistan.
For "religious and cultural reasons", many Afghan women were historically denied access to education and employment outside the home.xii More recently, Afghan women have further been denied access to education and employment by Taliban authorities, despite the efforts of UN organisation to convince local authorities to "reverse these discriminatory policies." Afghanistan is a signatory to both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and has ratified the latter. Yet, recent political developments have further eroded the overall situation of women in Afghanistan in terms of mobility and access to services. The Secretary General of the UNxiii recently noted that in cities under Taliban control, women's situation has worsened.
The recent restrictions on women have adversely affected the ability of the UN and other donors active in rehabilitation and development efforts in Afghanistan to deliver their programmes to those in need. This rings true to the rural population and to the negative implications of these restrictions for the agricultural sector, where women are so very active.
Over the past year, Taliban decisions have made it increasingly difficult for women to work outside the home, and for others to work with women. This can have serious implications for livestock production efforts. If women are not " present", their knowledge and experience cannot contribute to solving livestock problems. It is important to remember, however, that the extent to which Taliban restrictions affect women differs from region to region and even between urban and rural areas. Also in more general terms, some observers have noted cases whereby the Taliban authorities have had to back down in the face of strong popular protest, particularly in rural areas.xiv
The restricted movement of women in Afghanistan has added constraints to UN-based (and other) planners trying to respond to development needs in areas already pressured by years of conflict. The question of how to most effectively collect and integrate socio-economic and gender-disaggregated information from village households in order to most adequately plan livestock interventions in communities and beyond has become increasingly difficult to answer. Restrictions on women's movement have made it all but impossible for Afghan women to work outside the home, other than in the human health sector. This has tested the capacities of agricultural planners, including veterinarians and livestock production specialists, to most effectively plan and implement agricultural programmes.
At the time of writing this case study, the UN Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, at the request of the Secretary General, had established an inter-agency group to assess the situation in Afghanistan. Ironically, efforts to bar women's "public" participation in Afghanistan has in some way heightened the visibility of women in the eyes of those operating within the UN/donor community, perhaps more so than in other countries.
