The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said it plans to assist more than ten million people in Afghanistan by the end of this year. 

Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, told TOLOnews in a special interview that their activities focus on providing short-term emergency assistance to farmers, improving farmers' access to water, and helping farmers build livelihoods.

Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan, said: "At the moment in Afghanistan today, we have the largest programs that FAO has anywhere in the world and this is divided into two or three main areas. The first part is providing very much short term emergency assistance to farms, wheat seeds and fertilizer but also vegetable seeds, also it’s supporting livestock production, keeping animals healthy and well fed. Also the vaccinations as well.”

FAO statistics show that last year, the organization assisted over 18.6 million people in Afghanistan, with most of the assistance focused on supporting farmers. The organization, in coordination with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), constructed 600 kilometers of canals, over 700 check dams to control floods, and more than 18 million trenches for water storage.

Richard Trenchard added: “Last year FAO and WFP, United Nations Development Program and others have done lots of work as well but with almost the 600 kilometers of canal we have been able to build, more than 700 check dams stop floods to get water back into the ground. More than 18 million trenches of – water got back in the ground.”

In his remarks, the FAO Representative in Afghanistan said that recent floods and rainfall have also caused significant damage to farmers in several provinces. 

Richard Trenchard told TOLOnews: “So many farms have been hit by what we call ‘shocks’. Something this unexpected ... the floods early this year, was such a powerful example."

The FAO has been operating in Afghanistan for over 60 years, with most of its activities focused on supporting farmers and livestock owners in the country.