“We risk a catastrophe if agriculture collapses in Afghanistan”

Richard Trenchard, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Representative in Afghanistan, warns that worsening drought and recent economic upheaval are having a severe impact on the country with nearly 19 million people now facing acute food insecurity. He is calling for urgent international action to prevent a catastrophe.

How serious is the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan?

As every Afghan man, woman and child knows, Afghanistan is experiencing a humanitarian crisis on an unprecedented scale, with unprecedented speed. In Afghanistan today 18.8 million people are facing acute food insecurity. That means they are experiencing hunger on a daily basis, as the projections show. This is a dramatic increase on just six months ago. 

Worryingly, we haven't seen the worst of it yet. By the end of the year, that number is expected to rise to 22.8 million people. We must always remember that behind every single number lies a person, whether it's a man, woman or a child, facing acute food insecurity, that is to say, hunger on a daily basis.