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AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
Figure 5.2: Percentage of irrigated land not cultivated, by district
a
a
Data at district level are not representative. The igure is only meant to be indicative at a more regional level
Source of irrigation water Almost two-thirds 64 percent of households with access to irrigated land receive the water for farming land from an
irrigated river, canal or dammed water source Figure 5.3 . However, in speciic provinces irrigated land farming relies
to a large extent on deep-well pumping Paktika, Farah, Kandahar and Nimroz all for more than 40 percent or Kariz or Nawara Ghazni, Daykundi, Paktya and Zabul for more than 40 percent. Again the association with shares of land
remaining fallow is apparent.
Crop production from irrigated land The data collected by NRVA 2011-12 refer to two different harvesting seasons. Since circumstances differed considerably
between 2011 and 2012 due to drought in the northern provinces, results produced for crop production differentiate between the two years. However, differences in yields are more pronounced for rain-fed land see section 5.2.2 than
for irrigated land.
Wheat is the most important crop produced on irrigated land. According to the households reporting in the NRVA 2011- 12, 2.1 million metric tonnes of wheat were harvested in the spring cultivation season of both years Table 5.2. Total
cereal production – wheat, maizesorghum, barley, rice and millet – amounted to 2.5 and 2.4 million tonnes in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Next to other food crops – particularly potatoes – fodder alfalfa, clover and other varieties and
cotton are main production crops. The report on opium is likely to be an underestimate in view of the oficial stance of the Government of Afghanistan with regard to opium production.
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AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
Figure 5.3: Main source of water for irrigated land in percentages
64 12
9 7
5 3
36
Irrigated river, canal, dam Kariz
Deep well Spring
Absialab, snow-melt, lood
Other
Table 5.2: Crop production from irrigated land in spring cultivation season prior to the survey
Crop Tonnes
2011 2012
a
Total cereals 2,498,662
2,393,223 Wheat
2,064,376 2,090,587
Rice 187,623
: Maizesorghum
178,245 153,204
Barley 66,314
61,295 Millet
2,104 2,935
Potatoes 241,131
156,711 Fodder
235,942 328,719
Cotton 71,020
145,831 Onions
58,310 84,421
Water melonmelon 53,342
55,813 Tomatoes
30,498 52,366
Beans 13,021
13,400 Fruit and nuts
3,895 5,882
Opium 3,093
3,434 Other vegetables
56,626 51,222
Other crop 34,384
27,100
: Data not available a Including estimates for Kabul and Bamyan provinces
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AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
5.2.2 Rain-fed land
Rain-fed land tenure Farming households in Afghanistan use less rain-fed land than irrigated land. Around one in six households around 610
thousand owns any land of this type Table 5.3. Figure 9.4 shows the percentage of households owning rain-fed farm
land by province. Related to its marginal productivity, the size of rain-fed landholdings is on average larger than that of irrigated land, with a mean area size of 16.4 jeribs 3.3 ha. and a median size of 7.0 1.4 ha.. Compared to NRVA 2007-
08, the share of households owning rain-fed land, as well as the relative area sizes owned show only marginal changes.
In view of the inding that some 11 percent fewer households have actually access to rain-fed land than owning it 26 percent for urban households and 9 percent for rural ones, it could be deduced that renting-out of this type of land is
relatively common, especially for urban households.
Figure 5.4: Percentage of households owning rain-fed farm land, by province
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AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
Table 5.3: Households, by ownership of rain-fed land, rain-fed land size in percentages; also stating mean and median rain-fed land size in jeribs
Ownership Percentage
No ownership 83.2
Any ownership 16.8
Less than 2.0 jeribs 1.9
2.0-3.9 jeribs 3.0
4.0-5.9 jeribs 2.5
6.0-9.9 jeribs 2.4
10.0-19.9 jeribs 3.6
20 jeribs or more 3.5
Total 100.0
Mean land size jeribs 16.4
Median land size jeribs 7.0
Rain-fed land cultivated and not-cultivated NRVA 2011-12 household information suggests that the total rain-fed land area is slightly larger than irrigated land
area: 18.1 thousand km
2
, with Faryab, Herat, Takhar and Ghazni accounting for half of the rain-fed land. However, well over one-third of this land 37 percent was left uncultivated. In seven provinces – Parwan, Bamyan, Urozgan, Ghazni,
Baghlan, Wardak and Kandahar – the part of the land that is left fallow is even more than half. Lack of rain is the predominant reason for not cultivating rain-fed land 53 percent, followed by infertility of the land
18 percent and inancial constraints 13 percent. The practice of rotating between cultivating land leaving land fallow is common to deal with marginal rain-fed land in Afghanistan.
Crop production from rain-fed land Production from rain-fed land is limited compared to that of irrigated land. The survey data indicate large differences in
crop production between 2011 and 2012. Based on households reporting to the NRVA, in 2012 752 thousand tonnes of cereals were produced on rain-fed land, compared to only 399 thousand in 2011 Table 5.4. Analysis at provincial level
shows that the main differences occurred in the northern provinces, which were affected by drought in 2011. More than 90 percent of cereal production consists of wheat.
Table 5.4 Crop production from rain-fed land in spring cultivation season prior to the survey
Crop Tonnes
2011 2012
a
Total cereals 399,468
751,664 Wheat
371,582 693,918
Barley 26,400
57,623 Maizesorghum
1,486 122
Water melonmelon 62,261
328,719 Other crop
31,831 1,167
a
Including estimates for 3 or more provinces
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AGRICULTURE AND LIVESTOCK
5.2.3 Horticulture
Tenure and size of garden plots Produce from garden plots can be important for Afghanistan households, in terms of supplementation of their consumption
diet, as well as their household income. Valuable garden products – especially fruits and nuts – are harvested from horticulture production. Overall, 13 percent of households own a garden plot Table 5.5, but in several provinces –
Parwan, Bamyan, Sar-e-Pul, Wardak and Zabul – more substantial shares of households till garden plots.
The mean and median size of garden plots are 2.0 and 1.0 jeribs 0.4 and 0.2 ha. respectively, with considerably larger plot sizes in the south-east eastern provinces of Paktika, Ghazni, Zabul and Kandahar.
Table 5.5: Households, by access to garden plots, garden plot size in percentages; also stating mean and median garden plot size in jeribs
Ownership Percentage
No ownership 87.4
Any ownership 12.6
0.1 - 0.9 jeribs 3.4
1.0 - 1.9 jeribs 4.2
2.0 - 3.9 jeribs 3.2
4.0 - 5.9 jeribs 1.0
6.0 - 9.9 jeribs 0.6
10 jeribs or more 0.2
Total 100.0
Mean land size jeribs 2.0
Median land size jeribs 1.0
Horticulture production Grapes and other fruits and nuts from trees are the main products from garden plots, and are produced in large volumes.
The yield in 2012 has been considerably larger than in 2011, especially for grapes and other crops.
Table 5.6: Crop production from garden plots in spring cultivation season prior to the survey
Crop Tonnes
2011 2012
a
Grapes 267,706
435,383 Fruitnuts from trees
156,143 160,888
Other fruits 68,414
70,025 Fodder
35,837 33,413
Other produce 36,350
118,033 Other crop
31,831 1,167
a
Including estimates for one or more provinces
