Reasons for not cultivating land

The agricultural sector 53

5.6 Conclusions

Agricultural activities are the main livelihood strategies for the Afghan population, as 55 percent of households are engaged in farming and 68 percent have any type of livestock. However, productivity in the agricultural sector is relatively low, as for instance reflected by the 37 percent contribution of agriculture to the GDP. Frequently, farming households have access to only small areas of land, and provision of water is cited as a main problem for both irrigated and rain-fed cultivation. The rehabilitation of irrigation systems is also the main priority for community development according to the male Shuras interviewed in the NRVA survey. The relatively low rate of mechanized traction in farming is another factor in the low productivity, and so is the significant proportion of farming households that is not using fertilizers 38 percent and the large proportion that is not reached by agricultural extension services 90 percent for information on agricultural production and 85 percent for veterinary services. Finally, remoteness of communities and access to markets are impeding factors for the development of the agricultural sector. Strategies that would benefit the agricultural sector include improvement of irrigation systems, cultivation of drought- resistant crops, provision of credits to farmers, soil fertility increase through proper crop rotations andor the use of fertilizers, increased agriculture awareness through media and extension services, and all-weather road construction. With regard to the latter, significant development is reported, as more than half of the households mention that road conditions have improved over the three years preceding the NRVA 20078. Another positive development is that the share of households with access to land has increased in the period between the 2005 and 20078 NRVAs. In a wider perspective, increased education and literacy would provide farmers and livestock owners with better knowledge and access to relevant information. Also, decline in fertility would help to reduce the ever-increasing pressure on the limited available arable land in Afghanistan. On a separate note, it should be mentioned that 10 percent of Afghan households engaged in agricultural activities produce opium, a figure which likely is a considerable under-estimation. Six provinces account for almost all reports on opium production, with Urozgan and Helmand having the highest proportion of households producing opium 82 and 67 percent, respectively.