Growing vegetables with limited water in Kandahar

In Maiwand district, Kandahar province, farmers are using greenhouse cultivation and drip irrigation to grow vegetables while making more efficient use of scarce water resources.

Tela Mohammad is among the farmers managing a 400-square-metre greenhouse shared with five other farmers. The greenhouse uses drip irrigation, delivering water directly to the plants and helping farmers make better use of limited water and land.

“Water is one of the main constraints for farmers in this area,” says Ashraf AlHawamdeh, Technical Advisor with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Afghanistan. “Climate-smart technologies such as greenhouse production, drip irrigation and good agricultural practices can help farmers make better use of limited resources. But the technology alone is not enough. Farmers also need the knowledge to manage their crops effectively.”

The greenhouse is part of the Afghanistan Community Resilience Project, funded by the European Union and jointly implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Under the project, FAO provided seeds, fertilizers, tools and technical training covering nursery management, irrigation, crop nutrition, trellising, pruning, and pest and disease management. FAO greenhouse engineers also provide technical guidance during production.

The first crop has given farmers practical experience in managing production and responding to local market conditions. Tela Mohammad grew cucumbers as his main crop for sale, alongside smaller quantities of tomatoes and bell peppers for household consumption.

For his next crop, he plans to adjust planting times to periods when fewer vegetables are available in local markets.

“I would like to make even better use of this greenhouse by planting crops at times when production in the market is low,” he says.

The experience demonstrates how combining appropriate technologies with practical knowledge can help farmers in water-scarce areas improve the use of available resources while strengthening agricultural livelihoods and resilience to climate-related pressures.