Tahir is working on his land in Balkh province. @FAO/WHH

In Jiratan, a small village in Balkh province, 51-year-old Mr Tahir, a father of ten, had long faced challenges trying to sustain his family through farming. With high blood pressure and limited income, his eldest son works as a day laborer, often returning home without wages. Last year, due to poor yields from local wheat seeds, Tahir had to sell his saved seeds to cover medical expenses, leaving him with no crops for the next season.

Tahir, with 30 years of farming experience and 4 jeribs (0.8 hectares) of land, was struggling. But his fortune changed when he became a beneficiary of the "Support for Afghan People" project, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Welthungerhilfe (WHH). As part of the project, Tahir received 50 kg of certified wheat seeds, 50 kg of urea, and 50 kg of DAP fertilizers. He also attended technical training, where he learned best practices for land preparation, irrigation, weed control, and disease-resistant seed cultivation.

The results were transformative. With certified seeds, Tahir’s wheat crop flourished, yielding 672 kg compared to last year's 450 kg. This not only secured food for his family but also allowed his eldest son to focus on his education instead of labor. Tahir expressed his gratitude for the support and called for continued assistance to help other farmers who cannot afford certified seeds.

“Before the wheat yield from my land was not enough for my family. we were always facing a shortage of wheat and flour, so my older son had to work as laborer. But this year, the harve4st was much better. Now, my children can focus on their studies, and we no longer feel the shortage of wheat.” Says Tahir

The wheat seed distribution is part of FAO's project, implementing in 32 provinces in Afghanistan, aiming to mitigate the economic crisis and ensure sustainable development. With support from ADB, FAO was able to provide more than 278 663 households with wheat cultivation packages, with 7 000 of them are only in Balkh province in 2024.

The results are promising, with 84.4 percent of surveyed households cultivating the FAO-provided wheat seeds, and 97.7 percent planning to preserve surplus seeds for future planting.

The project not only improves food security but promotes sustainable agricultural practices across Afghanistan, offering hope for a better future.