Food insecurity

I have some good friends from Afghanistan and feel anguished at the unending suffering faced by ordinary Afghan citizens.

The country has witnessed too much bloodshed and the worst affected have been civilians, including women, children and the elderly.

The Afghan people have been yearning for peace for years, and that’s precisely what is being denied to them.

I was also distressed to read that over the last three months (August to October 2019), around one-third of the Afghan population required urgent humanitarian action, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Alert, released on Monday, which declares that some 10.23 million people are living in a state of “severe acute food insecurity”.

The IPC, which is monitoring a number of key food security indicators in Afghanistan, estimates that the situation is likely to get worse heading into next year, with the numbers of those experiencing severe acute food insecurity set to rise to 11.29 million (with 2.7 million in an Emergency situation, and 8.6 million in a Crisis situation), between November 2019 and March 2020.

A lack of opportunity in the labour market could, says the report, impact the livelihoods of vulnerable groups; as could the uncertain political climate and security situation, with upcoming elections affecting the outlook; food prices, which could rise in the winter months; and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods.

The November Alert from the IPC includes several recommendations to alleviate the food insecurity problems faced by the population.

Providing humanitarian food assistance, in cash or kind, is one such proposal, as well as helping farmers to obtain quality seeds for the forthcoming season (most farmers do not have the capability to obtain seeds from any source).

I feel the idea makes perfect sense.

The IPC has also rightly urged partners to bear in mind the complex context of Afghanistan’s ethnic make-up, rugged terrain and unrelenting civil unrest, which should be considered when developing strategies for improving food security and livelihoods.

Hassan Khan
By email