ReportingFarmers have suffered from a lack of rain since the start of the year, which drastically reduces their harvests and income.
Abdullah still remembers his childhood, when the branches of the pomegranate trees in his family’s garden bent, so many and heavy were the fruits. “Before, the leaves of these trees were all green and the pomegranates were big and juicy. But in recent years, the branches have dried up and broken easily. The leaves are yellow and fall ”, explains the 25-year-old farmer, met in his garden on the road from Kandahar to Lashkar Gah in early November. The pomegranates he collected a few days ago “Are very small and dry”, he complains. Previously, he watered his trees with water from the Arghandab River, which is now almost dry. Now he mainly uses water from his well that he drilled a few years ago. Abdullah does not even remember the last rain in the area. “Let’s say that since the beginning of this year [débutée le 20 mars], it only rained once or twice, much less than the years before ”, explains the farmer with his face marked by years of work under a harsh sun.
He only harvested 750 kg of pomegranates, compared to just over a tonne last year. “We are adapting with this drop in income, he said, he who has a family of nine. Either way, we don’t have a choice. ” In his entourage, many have already given up and left their land. Abdullah will try to stay and will drill more wells if necessary.
Not far from Abdullah’s orchard, Nakibullah, a 35-year-old farmer, keeps moving bags full of corn. Before, he also watered his land with river water. For two years, this one “Only flows a few days every three months”, he specifies. Three of its wells are already dry. “We have to pay a lot to drill deeper to get to the waterhe said. If the drought continues like this, I will give up everything and go to Kandahar to open a shop, like my former farming neighbors. “
Abandon the cultivation of wheat in favor of opium
Afghanistan is facing the worst drought in its history for 27 years, and the United Nations (UN), in a report published in early November, sounded the alarm. A disaster for agriculture and the economy of the country. About 70% of Afghans live in rural areas, and agriculture accounts for at least 25% of gross domestic product (GDP). The country’s harvests are expected to be 15 percent below average due to the drought, FAO said.
You have 28.02% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.