Drought and a Drop in dryland wheat production have compelled hundreds of Families from diverse Balkh Province districts to abandon their residences. Deprived of food and livestock fodder, they now inhabit improvised tents on Mazar-e-Sharif city’s outskirts. Some farmers assert that recurring droughts have gravely affected them, prompting consideration of leaving their homes. Estimated data reveals an 80% dryland wheat cultivation decrease in Balkh due to drought and crop failure. In Balkh province, certain Taliban officials also admit these challenges, clarifying that despite cultivating 200,000 hectares of irrigated and dryland fields with wheat, it remains unsuitable for livestock due to the drought and insufficient rainfall. Previously, relief agencies cautioned about Afghanistan’s severe famine risk, imperiling millions of lives.
Balkh province, a prominent and populous region in northern Afghanistan, houses mainly agricultural and livestock-dependent communities. Its inhabitants, especially those reliant on cultivating wheat, face the impact of recurring droughts, particularly during the dryland crop season. The current drought, more severe than in previous years, has spurred migration from villages and districts to Mazar-e-Sharif city. The Directorate of Refugee and Repatriation officials, alongside local Taliban representatives in Balkh, affirm that the drought has led hundreds of families from districts like Kushanda, Alburz, and Zari to establish tent settlements in four camps around Mazar-e-Sharif City.
Esamatullah, residing in Pol-e Barq village of Sholgara district, is actively engaged in farming and dryland wheat cultivation. Speaking with Hasht-e Subh Daily, he highlights an 80% reduction in this year’s dryland wheat yield. Despite years of relying on farming to sustain his family, he underscores the insufficiency of this year’s dryland wheat harvest to meet farmers’ needs. He further elaborates, “The dryland wheat cultivation not only failed to yield results but also caused fodder scarcity, leaving our animals hungry. We confront a fodder crisis. A bundle of straw now costs 1400 to 1500 Afghanis, with prices rising weekly.”
Another farmer impacted by the drought is Mehrabuddin, originally from the Zari district in Balkh Province. The drought has compelled him to relocate to the center of the Sholgara district. Currently, he works as a laborer in the Sholgara Market, involved in transporting properties and goods for his fellow villagers to provide for his family. In an interview with Hasht-e Subh Daily, he shared, “Last winter, we planted our dryland crops, but the rain never came. The crops failed to thrive. The fields’ lack of rainfall resulted in scarce fodder. Even if they managed to turn green, they quickly withered. I used to have a few goats and two cows, but I had to sell them at a lower price and come to Sholgara. Right now, I’m living in an old shelter and earning 100 to 200 Afghanis a day.”
Successive droughts have disrupted the rural residents’ livelihoods and deepened their future concerns. Shir Mohammad, residing in the Kushanda district of Balkh province, remarks, “This district lacks irrigated land, and people’s sole reliance rests on dryland wheat cultivation. During years of favorable dryland wheat harvests, food is ample; yet, in years devoid of such harvests, hunger prevails. Presently, only 10% of the dryland wheat crop is yielding, and the fields lack fodder or vegetation for animals. People endure a deeply saddening state.”
According to a source from the Directorate of Agriculture in Balkh Province, dryland wheat cultivation has proved unproductive in districts including Zari, Kushanda, Alburz, Charkent, and portions of Chamtal and Sholgara. The inhabitants of these regions confront significant challenges. The source adds, “This year, around 200,000 hectares of irrigated and rain-fed land in Balkh province were dedicated to wheat cultivation. However, due to the drought’s impact and insufficient rainfall, approximately 50,000 hectares of cultivated dryland wheat are now unsuitable for livestock.”
Conversely, Abdul Wakil (pseudonym), a member of the Directorate of Agriculture in Balkh province, expresses his concern for the people’s predicament. He notes that this year, the grazing lands have dried up, causing significant anxiety among the population. Abdul Wakil asserts, “At present, livestock conditions are relatively stable, as dryland wheat cultivation hasn’t borne any yields, and people are using these lands to feed their animals. Their sheep have been moved to pastures, but within the next two months, upon the sheep’s return and the depletion of cultivated fields, people will encounter severe challenges.”
The severe drought is causing another detrimental effect – a decrease in livestock prices and even livestock deaths – which is impacting farmers and rural inhabitants. Sayed Ahmad, a resident of the Sholgara district involved in the local livestock trade, conveyed in an interview with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, “Livestock prices are diminishing by the day, and the market is witnessing a growing influx of livestock every week. People are unable to sustain their livestock anymore, leading them to sell out of concern for their animals’ survival.”
Notably, on one side, the cultivation of asafoetida in irrigated lands is substituting wheat, while on the other, consecutive droughts have resulted in an unparalleled decline in wheat production in Balkh province. Experts warn that without serious international efforts to curb poverty in Afghanistan, a grave situation of hunger and challenges looms for its people. Relief organizations had previously urged the provision of nearly two million tons of wheat to mitigate poverty in Afghanistan.
