From: noorullah.kamil@gmail.com   
      
   May 27, 2018   
      
   KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan, already torn by decades of intensifying   
   violence, is grappling with a drought in two-thirds of the country that could   
   lead to severe food shortages for up to two million more people, the United   
   Nations has warned.   
      
   The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan said in a report   
   released last week that a “precipitation deficit” of 70 percent in most   
   parts of the country had affected winter harvests, and resulted in grim   
   prospects for the spring and    
   summer.   
      
   Many farmers have seen their seeds dry out or have delayed planting crops, and   
   there is little or no feed for livestock on pasturelands.   
      
   The drought has led to the displacement of thousands of people this spring,   
   adding to the nearly two million who have been forced from their homes in   
   recent years, largely because of violence.   
      
   “In the 20 provinces most affected by the drought, nearly 15 million people   
   rely on farming, livestock or labor opportunities in agriculture,” the   
   United Nations report said.   
      
   Toby Lanzer, the organization’s humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan,   
   said an urgent appeal had been made to donor countries to prevent what he said   
   would be “a situation of untenable hunger” in six months. In a country   
   that relies heavily on    
   bread, a shortage of 2.5 million tons of wheat is expected this year.   
      
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   Mr. Lanzer said the United Nations was asking for an additional $115 million,   
   on top of an appeal for humanitarian assistance of $430 million made earlier   
   in the year, to provide food, fodder for cattle and other assistance. But   
   donors face numerous    
   requests for assistance around the world, and the initial request for $430   
   million has been fulfilled by only 28 percent so far.   
      
   “Engage now, prevent a catastrophe, or pay much much more in six months,”   
   Mr. Lanzer said he had been telling potential donor countries. “The stakes   
   are very high for Afghanistan on the drought.”   
      
   The drought comes as violence has been escalating in large parts of the   
   country, with Taliban insurgents intensifying attacks. Officials often report   
   attacks or military operations in as many as 20 of the 34 provinces. The   
   Afghan government’s ability    
   to respond to this latest crisis remains in doubt, as the leadership faces   
   numerous security concerns and is plagued by political infighting.   
      
   Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Afghan government’s chief executive, said   
   the leadership was taking concerns about the drought “as seriously as the   
   security situation.” Tens of thousands of tons of wheat have been sent to   
   areas expected to be    
   most affected, he said, and money has been earmarked to provide fodder for   
   livestock.   
      
   Widespread violence has increased the drought’s impact, resulting in   
   restricted access to markets for many poor farmers, the United Nations report   
   said. In Uruzgan Province, farmers have been cut off from the market in the   
   provincial capital, Tirin Kot,   
    because of fighting. In Helmand, where insurgents control or influence most   
   of the territory, farmers need special permission to bring their goods to   
   markets in areas under government control.   
      
   Ahmad Shah Khairi, the head of the Helmand agriculture department, said the   
   province had only 12 millimeters, or less than half an inch, of rain all year.   
   “We need 280 to 300 millimeters for a fertile year,” he said.   
      
   That local farmers prioritize the growth of lucrative poppies over wheat and   
   other cereal crops made the food shortage even worse, he continued.   
      
   “We have distributed improved seeds to 2,000 families and have launched   
   general awareness and built chicken farms,” Mr. Khairi said. “But our   
   access is limited due to the constant fighting, which leaves most of the   
   population in need of urgent    
   assistance.”   
      
   In the southwestern province of Nimroz, officials expect the drought to affect   
   80 percent of the spring harvest, and the summer harvest to be totally   
   devastated.   
      
   The province has two main rivers flowing through it, noted Mohammad Akbar   
   Sharifi, the acting director of agriculture of Nimroz, but one, the Khasrod,   
   went dry. Whereas farmers cultivated 33,000 hectares, or 81,500 acres, of land   
   last spring, he said,    
   only 1,200 hectares were farmed this year.   
      
   In the northwestern province of Badghis, where the population of about 700,000   
   is dependent on agriculture, officials reported a 60 percent decrease in the   
   wheat harvest. The government plans to distribute more than 3,000 tons of   
   wheat in the coming days,   
    and to keep about 2,000 tons for emergencies.   
      
   “Hundreds of animals have died of drought in recent months,” said Abdul   
   Aziz Halimayr of the province’s agriculture department.   
      
   With pasturelands dried up in the northeast of the country, an estimated 1.5   
   million goats and sheep have been struggling to find food, the United Nations   
   report said. In Kunduz, officials said the drought had forced many farmers to   
   move their animals to    
   the neighboring province of Badakhshan.   
      
   “Some of the animals have died because of the drought,” said Mohammed   
   Munir Niazi, the head of agriculture in Kunduz, “some were weak and were   
   lost in the process of transporting them.”   
      
   Follow Mujib Mashal on Twitter: @MujMash.   
      
   Reporting was contributed by Jawad Sukhanyar and Fahim Abed from Kabul,   
   Afghanistan; Taimoor Shah from Kandahar, Afghanistan; and Najim Rahim from   
   Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.   
      
   A version of this article appears in print on May 28, 2018, on Page A4 of the   
   New York edition with the headline: Severe Drought Adds to Woes Of War-Ravaged   
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