Agriculture Financing in Afghanistan

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 - by Mudasser Hussein Siddiqui of ActionAid
 

The Center for Policy and Human Development (CPHD) held its second guest lecture of the year on June 23 on the topic of “Agriculture Financing in Afghanistan.” Mudasser Hussain Siddiqui of Action Aid Afghanistan delivered a presentation directly relevant to a central theme of the forthcoming Afghanistan Human Development Report.

The lecturer presented an overview picture of agriculture in Afghanistan. Mr. Siddiqui highlighted that agricultural productivity as well as productive areas are both on decline, as are the general conditions of food security in Afghanistan. The lecturer compared agricultural exports in 1979 to 2004, noting dramatic reversal in the country’s food production and security, as well as the prominence of poppy cultivation vis-à-vis other agricultural products, and declining agriculture expenditure as a share of public expenditures.

Mr Siddiqui provided policy recommendations and put forward some of the key challenges in achieving them. He also identified the political barriers towards agricultural sector in Afghanistan as including centralized government and limited focus on post-production processes, such as short duration agricultural programs leading to food insecurity.

Focusing on acquiring modern technological methods, Mr. Siddiqui asked for greater coordination among government and donors, greater investment in agricultural field, and setting up long term agricultural strategies.

The lecture was attended by over 40 participants. Among the participants were representatives from different national and international agricultural organizations conducting field research in the country, and Kabul University’s students from different faculties, well-represented by the Faculty of Agriculture. Demonstrating great interest, the audience inquired about decreasing of the budget allocation for agriculture sector in public expenditure, and were curious on why donors are decreasing there funding.