Afghanistan is one of the world’s most vulnerable nations to climate change, and among the least equipped to deal with it. 

As droughts and erratic weather intensify, a growing number of people are at risk of losing their livelihoods and incomes, and may end up forced to migrate. 

Afghanistan’s drought, its worst in decades, is now entering its second year, exacerbated byclimate change. The dry spell has hit 25 of the country’s 34 provinces, and this year’s wheatharvest is estimated to be down 20 percent from the year before.

In Afghanistan, often the consequences of climate change and extreme weather can be clearly seen, flashfloods for example, or fields so dry that all crops have die.

Changes are very alarming crops that don’t grow to their full size anymore; fruit that blooms but doesn’t grow, empty wells and dry cracked earth.  

About two in three children in Afghanistan – or 12 million – whose families depend on farming to survive, are struggling to get enough to eat daily due to the country’s worst drought in decades and forecasts of below-average rains this wet season.

Afghanistan’s economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, with around 61% of all households, or 25 million of the 40 million population, depending on farming for their livelihoods. 

Many families have been left destitute and on the brink of starvation after consecutive seasons of poor rainfall devastated crops, sent livestock prices tumbling and dried up water wells.  

As the negative impacts of climate change intensify and the planet continues to warm, Afghanistan will experience more extreme weather events, which will increase the risk of conflict over scarce resources, food insecurity and poverty.