European Union and FAO join forces to boost climate resilience of agrifood systems in Afghanistan

From FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific

A woman entrepreneur supported by FAO sells her products at the 34th National Agricultural Products Exhibition and Farmers Festival (AgFair) in Kabul.

Kabul, Afghanistan – The European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a €5 million initiative to help Afghan farmers and agribusinesses reach markets, generate more reliable incomes and better withstand climate and economic shocks.

The project will support vulnerable households, including returnees, internally displaced people and host communities, in districts affected by food and nutrition insecurity, climate risks and limited economic opportunities, particularly women and youth.

The initiative will establish four one-stop service hubs connecting farmers and rural entrepreneurs with agricultural advice, specialized services, agribusinesses and markets. The hubs will promote improved practices and technologies while providing access to FAO’s climate analysis and early-warning information to support farmers make timely production and marketing decisions as conditions change.

It will restore 2 000 hectares of degraded forests and rangelands and support 250 women- and community-led nurseries, protecting natural resources while creating new livelihood opportunities.

FAO will also award matching grants and provide tailored technical and business advice to established agrifood and environmentally sustainable enterprises with the potential to expand and develop. Participating businesses will contribute their own resources alongside project funding, enabling them to expand processing and other services, source from more local producers and create rural jobs.