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AFGHANISTAN 2023. Pistachio forest and rangeland restoration

20 March 2023. Mubarak Shah village, Abkamary district, Badghis province, Afghanistan. View of trenches excavated by FAO for the plantation of pistachio saplings.

03/20/2023

File size 4.21 MB

Unique ID UF17JNT

Editorial use only. Photo credit must be given. For further information contact: Photo-Library@fao.org

Background Information

FAO with funding from the GEF has been working with Forest Management Associations (FMAs) and Rangeland Management Association (RMA) to rehabilitate the Pistachio Forest and degraded rangeland in northwestern Badghis province of Afghanistan. The natural forest with mature trees estimated to be 1000 years old is protected by the FMA (Forest Management Association) from wanton cutting from the community, while artificially reseeding 3100ha of land with 1.5m pistachio seedlings between 2021 and 2023.
The area replanted is cordoned off from grazing animals. FAO has created awareness among the FMA in the villages on the importance of taking care of the forest.

FAO has been also rehabilitating rangelands in the mentioned province through quarantine of dilapidated areas for regeneration, implementation of rotational grazing, and improving barns. The large herd of sheep grazes out in the rangeland, where 35,000 ha of rangeland is divided into three parts for rotational grazing– one part for each season. Solar passive houses are built to decrease the demand for fuel wood and reduce pressure on the existing rangeland, while barns were improved to increase the bio-microbial resistance of the livestock which leads to more production and enhanced the livelihoods of households. The community, out of deep appreciation of the availability of pasture, all year round as a result, has named the mountain ‘GEF-FAO’.