The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Asian Development Bank are rolling out a $100 million program to strengthen food security and restore farming livelihoods for more than one million vulnerable people across Afghanistan, FAO said in a statement. Over the next two years, the project will support more than 151,000 households—or 1,057,000 people – including returnees from Pakistan and Iran, host communities, and families hit by recent earthquakes and floods. It will help rural households restore livelihoods, protect livestock, and rebuild disrupted farming systems.
Agriculture is the backbone of Afghanistan’s rural economy, but it struggles with low productivity, limited access to inputs, and restricted market opportunities. Repeated natural disasters have destroyed crops, livestock, and irrigation infrastructure, while large-scale returns from neighboring countries have placed extra pressure on already vulnerable host communities. Emergency agricultural support and food aid delivered during the food crisis helped curb acute food insecurity. But conditions have worsened again. In 2026, 17.4 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity, including 4.7 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), marked by wide food gaps and high acute malnutrition.
With millions of Afghans at risk of slipping into deeper food insecurity and malnutrition, there’s an urgent need for sustained investment beyond emergency response to build long-term resilience. This program focuses on climate-smart and people-centered work to boost farming, improve food and nutrition security, and diversify rural livelihoods. Special attention will go to the most vulnerable communities, particularly women-headed households and areas most affected by climate and economic shocks.
The project marks another milestone in the partnership between FAO and ADB in Afghanistan. Since 2022, ADB has given roughly $265 million in grants through FAO to strengthen farming and curb acute food insecurity. Through this work, FAO has reached an estimated 5.6 million vulnerable people, supporting more than 841,000 households in restoring crop and livestock production and stabilizing food supply chains during a severe humanitarian crisis.
“Our partnership with ADB is delivering real results for farming families across Afghanistan,” said QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General. “From the start, this work has focused not only on meeting immediate food security needs but also on closing Afghanistan’s food production gap. This project deepens our commitment by expanding support beyond emergency needs toward more diversified, agriculture-based livelihoods, with a particular focus on women who play a central role across Afghanistan’s farming and livestock sectors.”
