Assessment of growing water and food security crises in Afghanistan

Year 2023, Volume: 1 Issue: 6, 5 - 28, 24.01.2023

Fulya Aydın-kandemir , Dursun Yıldız

Abstract

Afghanistan's national water development and management, as well as regional peace and security, may suffer from a more significant gulf in its interactions with the international community. Therefore, what would happen if Afghanistan cannot utilize its water resources and is cut off from the rest of the world must be clear. This necessitates research into regional threats associated with increasing water insecurity. According to a 2013 UNEP assessment, 70–80% of Afghans depend on agriculture, animal husbandry, and artisanal mining as their primary income and survival. If food hardship, water shortage, and population increase continue, Afghanistan's chances for peace and stability are dim. Suppose Afghanistan's water resources are not developed and managed sustainably. In that case, they could become the primary source of social unrest, instability, mass migration, and escalating conflict among the riparian nations linked by economic, historical, cultural, and environmental links. The protracted crisis has made it harder for Afghanistan to deal with food and water insecurity challenges.

Moreover, natural catastrophes have put additional strain on the country's already flimsy government structure. The international community must therefore consider the food and water crises in Afghanistan along with their impact on regional instability and Afghanistan's security position. In this context, this study includes research on Afghanistan's key crops, water potential, and the development of droughts. As a result, the nation's food and water security topic was evaluated.

Keywords

transboundary basin, regional water security, hydropolitics, peace, stability, food security, wheat, data analysis

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