Drought in Afghanistan: Worst in recent history
War, corruption, and poverty have plagued Afghanistan for generations.
These have generally led to a myriad of exacerbating issues like a lack of healthcare infrastructure, education, and political unification.
Agriculture is Afghanistan’s economic foundation — according to the CIA World Factbook, it composes approximately 23% of the country’s GDP.
To contrast, agriculture makes up 0.9% of the United States’s GDP.
20 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces have felt the brunt of this drought, and millions of Afghan people have been devastated by its effects.
According to the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Response Mechanism, Particularly hard hit are the provinces of Ghor and Badghis, who have generated displacement of over 9,000 households into Herat City, and approx.
The vast majority of these households remain unassisted, lacking access to safe drinking water, shelter or adequate sanitation facilities and food, and as a result, sinking into increased vulnerability; sinking into increasing levels of vulnerability and employing negative coping mechanisms such as skipping meals and using money lenders to feed their families.” Some countries are pitching in to help — the U.K. recently donated $13.1 million to The World Food Programme, who aims to provide aid in the areas worst affected by the drought.
They plan to reach and contribute to 1.4 million people, not only providing them with basic supplies but enabling them to have a more successful harvest next year.
A short-term fix may be welcome, but a more effective, long-term solution includes a level of sustainment that will last longer than just a few months.
This is particularly important not only for the families themselves, but to mitigate all the issues involved in mass-migration into major population centers.