Faizullah feeding his livestock, Almar district, Faryab province. @FAO/NAC

Almost all Afghan farmers are independent smallholders. Besides a few jerib of land (5 jerib = 1ha or 2.5 acres) they typically own a few animals. Besides Afghanistan’s 1.5 million Kuchi nomads, who live exclusively from their livestock and have larger herds, most Afghan farmers have 1 or 2 cows and an average of 7-8 sheep or goats.

Given Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain, those animals can graze on slopes which are too steep for farming or distant pastures, and drink from mountain streams or wells. Having a few cows, sheep or goats – more rarely donkeys, horses or camels - besides farmland spreads the risks Afghan farmers face while diversifying their families’ sources of nutrition and income. Livestock is thus an essential ingredient of food security in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is home to many breeds of livestock, corresponding to its diverse agro-ecological zones. Indigenous breeds have adapted to local conditions over generations. Karakul sheep, for example, are famous for their luxurious and highly valued pelts. Indigenous goat breeds including Nari, Marri and Ghazni breeds are adapted to the arid and mountainous regions and are used for meat, milk and leather. There is a growing demand for animal products, thanks to the permanently increasing Afghan population and urbanization. Livestock thus boosts rural livelihoods and the economy.

For these two reasons, livestock was the second largest programme of FAO Afghanistan in 2023, in terms of people reached. FAO provides concentrated animal feed, seeds for fodder crops, deworming medicine, vaccination against prevalent diseases and technical training. This results in less mortality, higher milk yields, more meat, and healthier animals. This in turn improves household nutrition by allowing a higher protein intake, while increasing the revenue of farmers.

More than 330,000 households received a livestock package in 2023, benefiting more than 2.5 million Afghans: more than 5% of the total population of the country. Only the most vulnerable households, facing the highest levels of food insecurity, were targeted. The Government of Sweden contributed to these efforts with the “Emergency livelihood assistance to safeguard food security and local food production of the most vulnerable rural families in Afghanistan” project.

Faizullah, a 50-year-old livestock owner and father of 15 in Bukhari Qala, a small village of Almar District in Faryab province, is one of the beneficiaries of the project. During the long drought that plagued Northern Afghanistan for several years, pasture for his animals dried up, posing a grave threat to the well-being of his cattle. He had to sell one of his cows to generate some income, with which he purchased feed from the local market for his remaining livestock.

FAO, with Swedish funding and the NGO Norwegian Afghanistan Committee as implementing partner, selected Faizullah among 4,050 livestock owners in the region who were experiencing food insecurity. These livestock owners requested essential support to feed their animals, also over the long term, and keep them healthy, as climate change has made some of the traditional animal raising methods inoperative. He received a livestock protection package consisting of 200 kg of concentrated animal feed, three kg of fodder crop seeds and 0.2 liters of deworming medicine, as well as training on livestock management and how to plant and harvest the fodder crop.

An investment of USD 200 thus allowed Faizullah to continue his livestock raising for an entire year. In addition, his household received USD 96 in cash assistance (from the same Sweden-funded project) to cover some of his family’s basic needs. He can earn further income by selling milk: the use of concentrated animal feed, vaccination and training on animal husbandry allowed Faizullah to nearly double the production of milk, from 7 to 12 litres per day, adding Afghani 5250 (about USD 73) to his monthly income.

“Thanks to this assistance I don’t need to sell my remaining animals” said Faizullah. Indeed, for many farmers the possibility to maintain their fields, animals and way of life – instead of swelling the ranks of destitute economic refugees in urban areas or foreign countries – is one of the main driving forces helping them survive the turbulent times Afghanistan is going through.