Conflict & Hunger in Afghanistan
Hunger in Afghanistan has reached record levels due to conflict, economic collapse and ongoing drought.
Almost half of Afghanistan’s population is in the grips of an unprecedented hunger crisis. Decades of complex conflicts, combined with an economic crisis and climate shocks, have pushed nearly 19 million Afghans into severe levels of hunger.
Afghans are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse
Afghans are on the brink of starvation
Afghans are already facing famine
Q&A with Afghanistan Country Director
WFP is committed to staying the course in Afghanistan as long as it is possible to deliver assistance to the Afghan people while ensuring the safety of our staff.
WFP has been in Afghanistan for more than 60 years and despite security and logistics challenges, is on the ground working with partners to get food to those most in need.
How We Help Afghans Survive Hunger
WFP has been working in Afghanistan since 1963 – with a special focus on women and girls – helping vulnerable families, schoolchildren, returning refugees, internally displaced people and disabled people. With your help, we provide:
Food & Cash
In 2022, WFP has assisted 19.2 million people through emergency food and nutrition support, distributing 540,000 MT of food and $149 million in cash and commodity vouchers.
School Meals
WFP’s school meals serve as a lifeline for the children of Afghanistan. Through daily meals, hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren receive the nutrition they need to thrive in the classroom.
Nutrition Support
WFP has become a lifeline for millions of women and children through direct food and nutrition aid. In 2022, WFP has supported 612,000 children and pregnant and breastfeeding women through nutrition programs.
Food for Assets
This year, WFP is aiming to reach 1M people through Food for Assets and vocational projects including: building irrigation canals, helping farmers to repair arable land and teaching embroidery.
A Dangerous Uphill Battle
Conflict
For decades, Afghans have lived through foreign intervention, civil war, insurgency and widespread insecurity. This has destroyed the country’s economic growth, limiting opportunities and making poverty worse. The recent escalation of conflict has thrown the lives of Afghan families into turmoil and uncertainty.
Photo: WFP/Arete/Andrew Quilty
Hunger
Nearly half of Afghanistan's population is food insecure, and that insecurity is rising sharply. Undernutrition is a big concern for women, children, displaced people, returnees, households headed by women, people with disabilities and the poor.
Photo: WFP/Arete/Andrew Quilty
Coronavirus
Millions face acute food insecurity in the face of COVID-19. The pandemic is particularly hard on the more than one in four Afghans who rely on day labor and low-income jobs to live. Lockdowns and other measures to stop the spread of the virus threaten to push vulnerable communities deeper into despair.
Photo: WFP/Massoud Hossaini
Drought
A massive drought in 2018 – the worst in a decade – wreaked havoc on most of the country. It displaced thousands, kept farmers from growing crops and forced people to sell precious animals.
Photo: WFP/Arete/Andrew Quilty
The Larger Climate
Every year, some 250,000 people on average are affected by a wide range of environmental disasters including floods, droughts, avalanches, landslides and earthquakes. Weather events become more and more unpredictable - and severe - each year.
Photo: WFP/Arete/Andrew Quilty
You can help save lives in Afghanistan and other countries by donating to send emergency food supplies today.