Our latest studies, using innovative remote data collection, provide crucial insights to improve agriculture and cash-based programs, guiding future interventions. 

In Afghanistan, our team has been supporting clusters by providing essential information management and reporting services, focusing on mapping activities and creating natural disaster-based maps. These efforts are crucial for clusters and their members to understand environmental conditions and address information gaps through purpose-tailored studies. Alongside these activities, we are also enhancing humanitarian responses with targeted studies, collaborating with humanitarian clusters and their members.

Recently, we conducted two eye-opening studies with the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) and the Cash and Voucher Working Group (CVWG) to help our partners better shape their programs, leading to more effective and targeted humanitarian responses.

Image: In Afghanistan, the concoction of conflict, poverty, and climate crises lead approximately 14.2 million people to experience high levels of acute food insecurity. ©FAO 2023

Guiding the Design of Agricultural Training Interventions 

Afghanistan faces severe food insecurity due to decades of conflict, poverty, climate crises, and the exclusion of women from the economy. Approximately 14.21 million people experience high levels of acute food insecurity.

Our study 'Exploring Perceptions and Opportunities for Agricultural Trainings in Afghanistan' aimed to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of agricultural training initiatives. We believe that addressing these gaps and preferences is essential for enhancing agricultural productivity, supporting livelihoods, and ultimately contributing to the broader economic and social development of Afghanistan.

Using our partner Premise’s platform for remote primary data collection, we gathered rapid and extensive data from diverse geographical areas through crowdsourcing to identify key challenges and needs.

Key Findings (from the 405 households surveyed):

• Agriculture is crucial for many households, but there is a significant gap in training and support.
• Critical challenges include water scarcity, seed and fertilizer access, financial constraints, and market limitations and exacerbate the struggles faced by Afghan farmers.
• Households prefer hands-on, field-based training in crop cultivation and farming techniques.

Recommendations:

Provide tailored training programs focusing on practical skills with a focus on:

• Water Management
• Access to Resources (seeds, fertilizers and financial resources)
• Financial Literacy

Discover more about our insights on agricultural training needs in Afghanistan

Unfolding Community Insights on Cash-Based Programs in Afghanistan 

In 2024, the humanitarian response in Afghanistan prioritizes the comprehensive needs of 23.7 million people, with 17.3 million targeted for assistance. And humanitarian Cash-Based Assistance (CBA) is seen as an innovative and cost-effective approach to address humanitarian needs, boost local economies, create jobs, and equip communities to cope.

However, for CBA to be truly efficient, it needs to be designed with appropriate context knowledge of Afghanistan, a clear understanding of community preferences, household needs, market conditions, and suitable cash delivery mechanisms. To understand community perceptions of cash programs and inform future interventions, we collaborated with the Afghanistan Cash and Voucher Working Group (CVWG) and used remote data collection via the Premise platform. We focused on regions like Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kunar, and Kabul, also taking winterization needs into account.

Key Findings:

• Households have a generally positive perception of cash assistance programs.
• Disparity in awareness and understanding of these programs among household members affects effectiveness.
• Households face unmet basic needs, especially in food, healthcare, and education, with urgent winterization needs in heating, health, and clothing.

Recommendations:

• Implement flexible cash assistance programs responsive to community needs.
• Adjust payment schedules to align with local conditions.
• Alongside direct aid, introduce programs that promote financial literacy, income generation, and debt management.

Find out more about our recommendations for better cash-based assistance

The insights derived from these comprehensive studies not only facilitate the refinement of current humanitarian programs but also ensure that future interventions are well-informed and precisely targeted. By continuously engaging with and responding to the on-the-ground realities faced by Afghan communities, we reaffirm our commitment to enhancing the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance.