UN signs two agreements to assist agricultural activities in Afghanistan

Two agreements signed today between the United Nations and Afghan Government aim to support animal husbandry activities and control locust infestations in the country.

The first of the two agreements between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry will support 5,000 Kuchi families, according to Manoel de Almeida e Silva, spokesman for the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The $398,000 project will deliver an emergency 250 kilograms of concentrated animal feed to each family to ensure the survival of their livestock during winter and early spring. In addition, veterinary prophylactics against endemic diseases and parasites will be provided. Important concentrations of Kuchi winter camps in southwest Afghanistan will be targeted during this critical period when a scarcity of feed is compounded by the heavy pregnancy in many animals.

The second agreement supports a $391,000 project that will mitigate locust damage to food crops and pastures during the forthcoming locust campaign in northern Afghanistan, Mr. de Almeida e Silva said in Kabul. The semi-arid areas in that part of the country are the traditional habitat for locusts, which often cause significant damage. The direct beneficiaries are the farmers and livestock owners of the infested areas who stand to lose their crops.

A survey and monitoring of the locust-infested areas will be carried out throughout the March to June campaign, which is expected to benefit farmers and livestock owners. The project will also re-establish the FAO system of survey and reporting, using standardized forms and building a computerized database. A medium-term plan for a sustainable locust management strategy will also be drawn up for consideration by stakeholders and training will be given to staff and farmers.

Last year FAO launched an $850,000 campaign to combat the worst locust plague to hit Afghanistan for the last 30 years, which threatened over 200,000 hectares of agricultural land and over 70 per cent of crop production in the north.