The Afghan farmers expressed frustration over the lack of rain and irrigation for their farms, saying that the problems will cause a reduction in yield.

They called on the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock to provide them with irrigation.  

“There was no precipitation. Only some snowfall happened and it just stayed within the mountains. There was no rainfall,” said Zahoor, a farmer.   

This comes as SIGAR earlier in a report quoted FAO saying that humanitarian officials believe this to be the worst drought in a generation, with below-average precipitation expected to continue through early 2022. “Of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, 25 suffered from drought in 2021, contributing to a 20% decrease in cereal harvest from the previous year,” the report said.  

Yaqotshah, who has been farming for the past 20 years, said that farming is the only methid of income to feed his family.  

“You see that farming is very difficult now. There is not enough water,” he said.  

“The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock should help us so that we can do our farming,” said Ghulam Ghaws, a farmer.  

Based on available figures of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, more than 70 percent of Afghans rely on agriculture for their income.