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AFGHANISTAN, 2025. Wheat Farmer in Kandahar Province

18 May 2025. Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Noor Ahmad received the certified wheat seed package from FAO in November 2024, and he cultivated it. Now his wheat is ready for harvest.

05/18/2025

Country or Territory Afghanistan

File size 35.33 MB

Unique ID UF1A2NB

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

Background Information From fields to families.
Over the past four years, FAO has reached nearly 2.20 million Afghan smallholder households through its wheat cultivation programme, benefitting upwards of 15.4 million people across the country. This large-scale, timely support has played a critical role in improving the availability of staple foods and helping to reverse acute food insecurity.

This photo album follows that impact through the story of Noor Ahmed, a farmer in Kandahar. From planting the first seeds to harvesting golden fields and preparing fresh bread at home, Noor’s journey captures the wider transformation unfolding across Afghanistan.

To support farmers like Noor, each FAO cultivation package includes 50kg of certified wheat seed, 50kg of urea fertilizer and 50kg of Diammonium Phosphate fertilizer, as well as training in good agricultural practices. With this support, farmers increase yields by nearly one-third per jerib (0.2 hectares), gaining an average of 360kg more wheat. The benefits extend beyond the initial harvest as the high-quality seeds continue to boost yields for up to three years. Farmers also benefit from surplus straw, which can be sold for extra income or used as fodder for livestock.

Wheat is central to Afghan agriculture, covering most of the country’s farmland and providing over two-thirds of the daily caloric intake for the average family. FAO’s support has become a cornerstone in national food security efforts, enabling vulnerable farming households to improve their food production, consumption and incomes, while strengthening the national wheat supply.

As Afghanistan continues to confront overlapping climate and economic challenges, sustained investments in rural livelihoods and local food production remains vital to protect these gains and build a more resilient, food-secure future.