Decision-making Indicators of community representation
11 Household shocks and community preferences
SUMMARY. This chapter presents various problems of households, adopted coping strategies to deal with these
problems, and preferences for community development that are partly related to these problems. More than two-thirds 71 percent of Afghan households experienced in the year before the survey at least one
household shock – a negative effect of events that is beyond their control. It came as a surprise that the most frequently experienced shock was the inlux of refugees and IDPs: no less than 60 percent of
all households mentioned this, followed by 39 percent that experienced any natural disaster, 22 percent suffering from agriculture and livestock problems, and 18 percent facing drinking water problems. Incidence
of most types of shocks has declined compared to 2005, but the largest part of this improvement is attributed to urban areas, which could be interpreted as an indication of stabilizing and improving conditions there.
The most prevalent strategies to deal with these challenges were reducing household expenditures, community support, food reduction and taking loans or credit. Income-generating and food
programmes that assisted Afghan households in the year before the survey reached over 450 thousand households and contributed to food security, health and productive investments.
A rather consistent picture emerges across the urban, rural and Kuchi communities and across gender
about the main priorities for community development. Heading the list are improvement of drinking water and health facilities, for rural areas in addition rehabilitation of irrigation systems, and for urban areas
road repair.