The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has issued a dire warning about a worsening drought crisis in Afghanistan, highlighting the Taliban-led government’s failure to address escalating environmental and humanitarian challenges.
According to a new FAO report, severe and prolonged drought has crippled farming and livestock production in half of the country, with the situation rapidly deteriorating across the northern provinces. Field assessments and satellite imagery reveal that repeated droughts have drained soil moisture, depleted pastures, and pushed fragile rural economies to the brink.
The FAO notes that climate-induced environmental degradation is accelerating, eroding the resilience of already vulnerable communities—while the ruling authorities remain largely inactive.
The report identifies a growing outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease among livestock, and states that rain-fed agriculture has collapsed in many regions. Even irrigated farming is now under threat due to plummeting groundwater levels and widespread water shortages.
Despite the urgent need for action, the FAO says it requires $34.5 million to support over 1 million people in 16 provinces—including Bamyan, Herat, Kandahar, and Balkh—yet meaningful cooperation from the Taliban administration remains absent.
Beyond food security, the crisis threatens access to clean water, public health, and the reintegration of displaced populations—raising fears that government inaction could turn an environmental disaster into a full-blown humanitarian collapse.
