Agriculture in Afghanistan

Afghanistan has 3805400 Ha agriculture land .including 1.9million ha forestry, 2917800ha pastures, and 7.9 million ha available land for cultivation, with 3.3million ha irrigated land and the remaining- rain fed land. Around 80% of the Afghan people are working in agricultural and animal husbandry.

In Afghanistan the cultivation of land includes the following crops:

1-     Cereal crops like Wheat, Barley, Corn

2-     Grains crop like check pea, Beans

3-     Industrial crop like Cotton, Sugar bean and Sugarcane

4-     Oil crop like sesame

5-     Vegetables like Potato, onion, Tomato, Okra, Squash, Cucumber, Garlic, Radish.

6-     Fruits like Grapes, pomegranate, Apple, Apricots, Citrus, fig, watermelon, and melon

Temperature and rain are two important factors in agricultural production, in distribution and classification of environment .the following is classification of climate:

The above table shows just the sawlang and the highest parts of the country which have Semi- humid climates, the other parts of the country have arid and semi arid climates.

Afghanistan has seven agricultural zones: north, north-east, central, east, south-east, west, and south-west. In each zone   different crops are grown. In Afghanistan, low quality fertilizers and low quality pesticides are used. Less amount of water, low capacity of farmers, weak extension services contribute to the low production level in Afghanistan.

                                                                                                                                                            Surface and furrow traditional irrigation system in Afghanistan

To improve the farmers’ income we need to increase agriculture production. The Massoud Foundation wants to provide services in different areas of agriculture to increase agricultural production and prepare job facilities for the unemployed Afghans in the country.