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FOOD SECURITY
Table 7.7: Average quantity of foods available for consumption, by food security status, for selected food commodities in grams per person per day
Food commodity Deicit
Borderline Adequate
Total Very
severe Severe
Moderate Surplus
Large surplus
Cereals 238
318 371
426 483
666 512
Tubers 35
45 51
54 60
74 61
Meat and ish 16
24 31
35 40
59 44
Pulses 9
12 15
18 21
35 25
Dairy 41
60 75
89 100
158 114
Oil and fats 20
27 30
33 37
52 40
Vegetables 15
25 29
34 40
53 40
Fruits 32
48 62
72 86
118 88
Nuts 1
1 1
2 4
2 Sugar
16 22
25 29
33 50
37
7.7.2 Availability of different food items by residence
In urban areas, the average food consumption is around 1,000 grams per person per day. However, the consumption peaks above 1,000 grams per person per day from Saratan June-July through Mizan September-October. Fruit
consumption is highest from June to September for both urban and rural areas. Consumption of other commodities is spread almost equally throughout the year in urban areas. In rural areas, the average food consumption is 947 grams
per person, per day. The peak consumption above the average is between Saratan June-July and Aqrab October- November. Cereal consumption in both urban and rural areas tends to be slightly higher in the winter months from
December to March to meet an increased calorie requirement in low temperature conditions.
7.7.3 Sources of food items by population group and food security status
When considering food sources, since the major staple food across most parts of Afghanistan is wheat, sources of wheat lour are used as a measure of where households mainly obtain their food. Across all households, 73 percent depend
on wheat lour purchases, 23 percent use their own production as their main source, while 4 percent rely on borrowing and taking food on credit. More urban and Kuchi households about 90 percent of households, depend on purchases
for wheat lour. The proportion of households dependent on food purchases in both rural and urban areas increases relatively with the improvement in food security. Across all population groups, a higher proportion of food-insecure
households depends on borrowing and credit as a source of food, compared to food-secure households Figure 7.3.
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FOOD SECURITY
Figure 7.3: Households, by source of wheat flour, and by residence, food security status in percentages
10 20
30 40
50 60
70 80
90 100
Food insecure
Border line
Food secure
Food insecure
Border line
Food secure
Food insecure
Border line
Food secure
Urba n Rura l
Kuchi 87
91 94
59 65
69 91
86 92
3 2
3 33
32 30
6 14
6 9
6 3
8 2
1 3
2 2
1
Purcha se Own production
Ba rtered pa yed in kind Borrowed ta ken on credit
Food a id
7.7.4 Sources of food items by main income source
The sources of food vary with livelihood type. As expected, households dependent on agriculture get a relatively larger proportion of their wheat from their own production. However, these households still depend on the market for the
balance of their wheat lour needs. Across all livelihood groups, purchases or own production are the most important sources of food. Borrowing and getting food on credit, though not signiicant, is the third most important wheat lour
source. Those households that borrow wheat lour as one of the major sources of food in addition to purchases are also those whose main income source is borrowing. Food aid is more pronounced in households dependent on Zakat and
shepherding as a main income source.
7.7.5 Sources of food items by season
Within the year, sources of wheat lour vary slightly and purchases remain as the main source for the Kuchi and urban households, with borrowing becoming more pronounced for the urban households, especially from September
to December, as well as between February and April. In rural areas, about a third of households depend on their own production for their wheat throughout the year, and around two-thirds depend on purchases. The proportion of
households dependent on purchases in rural areas increases to 70 percent and above in the January to March winter period. For Kuchi households, about 10 percent depend on their own production from June to August, but otherwise
purchases are the main source of wheat lour for most of the year.
7.8 Food consumption 7.8.1 Dietary diversity
The number of days each food commodity is consumed determines the dietary diversity in the household. In general, all urban, rural and Kuchi people consume at least seven days of cereals and almost seven days of oil and fats and sugar per
week. Urban households tend to have more days of consumption of meat and ish, pulses and lentils, fruits and vegetables, compared to the rural and Kuchi households. As expected, the Kuchi households consume more dairy products compared
to other groups. The number of days of consumption of protein- and micronutrient-rich foods in urban areas is still higher among the households with very severe calorie deiciency, indicating that these households tend to compensate for their
lower cereal and tuber intake as described above. The wider diversity of foods available in urban areas is likely because most commodities are purchased from the market, an easier access to commodities, as well as the higher cash income
levels – and, therefore, a better purchasing power – compared to rural areas and among the Kuchi Table 7.8.
