©FAO/Fahim Rahimi
Joint FAO/UNICEF/Ministry for Europe & Foreign Affairs of France News Release
Kabul, Afghanistan – The Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) & the Government of France are supporting earthquake-affected communities in eastern Afghanistan to restore food security, improve nutrition & protect livelihoods. The €2 million initiative is supported by France under the French Initiative for Food Security & Nutrition (FIFSAN) & focuses on strengthening household food production, improving access to nutritious diets & essential services & reducing malnutrition, particularly among women & children.
The project will reach 51 870 people in Kunar & Nangarhar provinces, where families are still reeling from the August 2025 earthquake amid worsening acute food insecurity & malnutrition. Many households are rebuilding in communities that have seen recent displacement & forced returns, adding strain to already limited land, food & basic services. Implementation will focus on Chawaki & Nurgal districts of Kunar province & Dara-e-Nur district of Nangarhar province, where damage to productive assets has directly undermined families’ ability to feed themselves. At the wider community level, the reach is expected to extend indirectly to approximately 190 000 additional people, as food production, nutrition & essential services are strengthened across districts.
The devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake caused widespread damage to homes, cropland, food stocks, livestock assets, & critical health, nutrition & WASH infrastructure, compounding an already severe humanitarian situation. In rural areas of eastern Afghanistan, where families depend heavily on farming & livestock for both food & income, the damages & losses incurred have had lasting consequences.
“Almost a year after the Nutrition for Growth summit held in Paris in March 2025, eradicating malnutrition in all its forms remains a priority for the French authorities. Through this project, France, FAO & UNICEF show that we can collectively bring concrete solutions for the Afghan people, who are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, & especially women & children” said Salina Grenet-Catalano, Director of Global Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe & foreign affairs. “Food security & nutrition are not only humanitarian & development concerns. They are foundations for peace, social stability & collective security, shared by all.”
Through integrated, gender-sensitive & community-based interventions, FAO & UNICEF will work to address both the immediate needs of the affected population & the long-lasting impact of the earthquake on food security & nutrition. The main objective of the project is consequently to reduce malnutrition among women, adolescent girls & children under five, while protecting livelihoods & strengthening local food systems, with a strong focus on women-headed households, pregnant & lactating women & families with young children.
Using FAO’s Cash+ approach, the project combines unconditional cash transfers with livestock protection packages, backyard vegetable production, poultry support, technical training & tailored nutrition education. By promoting agroecological practices & safeguarding productive assets, the project aims to prevent negative coping strategies such as distress sales of livestock & essential resources.
“When the earthquake struck, many families lost more than their homes. They lost the means to feed themselves,” said Richard Trenchard, FAO Representative in Afghanistan. “For rural communities, recovery often comes down to whether they can keep the few animals they have alive, plant again & get through the winter without giving up what little they have left. For women & young children, that can mean the difference between having enough to eat or going without. Targeted support like this, made possible through France’s commitment to food security & nutrition, gives families the space to recover with dignity rather than being pushed into choices that are difficult to undo.”
UNICEF’s complementary interventions will strengthen community-based solutions to improve access to nutritious first foods & prevent child food poverty & malnutrition. The programme will support caregivers through counselling on optimal infant & young child feeding practices, empower youth through skills-development initiatives that generate innovative, locally led first foods solutions, & promote safe water, sanitation, & hygiene (WASH) services to ensure the safe preparation of complementary foods at household level. Where prevention is not sufficient, the programme will also ensure timely treatment for children suffering from life-threatening forms of wasting, helping to protect child survival while building longer-term resilience.
“Far too many children in Afghanistan are being driven into malnutrition, & nearly 80 per cent of those affected are under the age of two, a critical window for survival & healthy development,” said Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan. “After the earthquakes & repeated shocks that have disrupted households, markets & access to food, the need for nutritious first foods, alongside services to prevent & treat malnutrition, has never been greater. Thanks to the support from France, UNICEF & FAO, with local partners, will strengthen multiple systems to protect young children & mothers from malnutrition & build resilience to future crises.”
This joint initiative is part of a broader effort to address the underlying drivers of malnutrition in Afghanistan through agriculture, nutrition, health & water systems. Such coordinated support helps families meet immediate needs while maintaining the foundations for recovery. In a context where gains in food security & nutrition are fragile, targeted investments like this offer a cost-effective way to protect progress & prevent reversals.
Source: FAO News