The contribution of Agriculture Sector in the Economy of Afghanistan

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the contribution of agriculture to the Afghanistan economy by examining the experience of 34 provinces as documented in commissioned case studies and various secondary sources (CSO directory, FAO reports, government publications, USAID reports, NGO reports, journals, and websites) for the period 2016 - 2017. Agriculture is the backbone of the Afghan economy, the contributions of agriculture to the country's gross demotic product (GDP) is 23% in 2017, while the labor force engaged in this sector is around 61.6%. The annual growth rate in Afghanistan is predictable 3.6%. Afghanistan produces organic fruits, nuts, grain, vegetables and livestock products including cashmere, skin, wool, and a significant amount of these commodities is moving towards the export market. Agriculture represents about one-quarter of national GDP and is the second largest sector after services. Over the 70 % of the population are poor living in rural areas, and agriculture plays a significant role in their livelihoods. The most Afghan farms are very small, and their productivity is low over the years that farmers produce to satisfy the food needs of their household, with limited agricultural production entering commercial marketing channels and the trade account deficit overall. The GDP including opium was US$ 20.3 billion with GDP per capita of US$ 697. The agricultural sector is entirely run by private enterprises, including farmers, cooperatives, input suppliers, herders, agribusiness processors, and exporters.

Assessment of Food security situation in Afghanistan

“…(46%) of the Afghan land is under permanent grasslands, and 39% of the homeland of this country is mountainous, and 3% is surrounded by forest (OXFAM, 2007). Afghanistan's agricultural sector supports almost three-quarters of the overall population's livelihoods and contributes almost 28% to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Afghanistan (Muradi et al, 2018). Therefore, the growth of agriculture is vital for driving the economy of the country and maintaining food in national (World Bank, 2014).…”

Influencing Factors of Rural Families’ Migration to Urban Area: The Case of Kabul, Afghanistan

“…Since agriculture is a crucial sector for developing countries as it keeps a significant portion of the population in rural areas, makes contributions to national income and exports, provides labour and raw materials for the industry, and creates demand for industrial products such as chemicals and farm machinery [12,13]. Agriculture plays an important role in the nutrition of rural and urban people and the economic development of Afghanistan [14][15][16]. Soil and climate condition provides many advantages and opportunities to grow many agricultural commodities such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, and nuts.…”

Afganistan Tarım Ürünleri Dış Ticaret Yapısına İlişkin Bir Değerlendirme

“…The majority of Afghan farms are very small, and their productivity has been low over the past years to satisfy the food needs of their household, with limited agricultural production entering commercial marketing channels, hence resulting into the overall trade account deficit. The agricultural sector is entirely run by private enterprises, including farmers, cooperatives, input suppliers, herders, agribusiness processors, and exporters (Muradi, 2018;Bassam 2016).…”