By Abdullahi Lukman
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of France have launched a €2 million initiative to restore food security, improve nutrition and protect livelihoods in earthquake-affected communities in eastern Afghanistan.
Funded by France under the French Initiative for Food Security and Nutrition, the project will support 51,870 people in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, where families are still recovering from the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that struck in August 2025.
The disaster damaged homes, cropland, livestock, food stocks and critical health, nutrition and water infrastructure, worsening already severe food insecurity and malnutrition.
Implementation will focus on Chawaki and Nurgal districts in Kunar province and Dara-e-Nur district in Nangarhar province, areas where destruction of productive assets has significantly weakened households’ ability to feed themselves.
At the community level, improvements in food production and essential services are expected to indirectly benefit about 190,000 additional people.
The initiative aims to reduce malnutrition among women, adolescent girls and children under five, particularly in women-headed households and among pregnant and lactating women.
It combines emergency support with long-term resilience measures through integrated, gender-sensitive and community-based interventions.
Under FAO’s Cash+ approach, families will receive unconditional cash transfers alongside livestock protection packages, backyard vegetable and poultry support, technical training and nutrition education.
The strategy promotes agroecological practices and seeks to prevent negative coping mechanisms such as distress sales of livestock and essential assets.
UNICEF will complement these efforts by strengthening community-based nutrition services, promoting optimal infant and young child feeding practices and improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services.
The programme will also provide timely treatment for children suffering from severe wasting to reduce child mortality and build resilience.
French officials said the initiative reflects a continued commitment to tackling malnutrition as a foundation for peace and social stability.
Representatives of FAO and UNICEF in Afghanistan noted that, nearly a year after the Paris Nutrition for Growth summit, coordinated investments in agriculture, health and nutrition systems remain critical in a country where food security gains are fragile
The joint project forms part of broader efforts to address the root causes of malnutrition in Afghanistan by linking agriculture, nutrition, health and water systems, helping families meet urgent needs while laying the groundwork for sustainable recovery.