UNITED STATES: Around seven million Afghan farmers in the war-torn region are facing the threat of severe drought. Due to this, the United Nations has issued an urgent appeal on Saturday for humanitarian aid.
COVID-19 has also deeply affected the lives of the agricultural workers in the country. The situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate after the Taliban captured the US-backed government this month.
The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization said that the farmers worst affected by a drought in the country are among some 14 million people who are “acutely food insecure and need urgent humanitarian assistance”.
“Urgent agricultural support now is key to counter the impact of the drought and a worsening situation in Afghanistan’s vast rural areas in the weeks and months ahead,” FAO director Qu Dongyu said in a statement.
Afghanistan is facing its second severe drought in three years.
“If we fail to assist the people most affected by the acute drought, large numbers will be forced to abandon their farms and be displaced in certain areas,” Qu added.
“This threatens to further deepen food insecurity and poses yet another threat to the stability of Afghanistan.”
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The UN said it was facing a funding shortfall of $18 million (15 million euros) to support its drought response plan in Afghanistan. The organization is hoping to help 250,000 families, or around 1.5 million people, for the upcoming winter wheat season.
However, due to the funding shortage, only 110,000 families can be provided humanitarian aid.
Earlier this week, the UN warned that low supplies of food aid were threatening to plunge Afghanistan into a humanitarian disaster.
