The Kabul Tribune (KT) — UNICEF, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Government of France have launched a €2 million initiative to strengthen food security and nutrition for families affected by the August 2025 earthquake in eastern Afghanistan, particularly women and children.
In a joint news release issued Thursday, the agencies said
the project will support 51,870 people in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, where
communities continue to struggle with acute food insecurity and malnutrition
following the 6.0-magnitude earthquake.
The initiative, funded by France under the French Initiative
for Food Security and Nutrition (FIFSAN), aims to restore household food
production, improve access to nutritious diets and essential services, and
reduce malnutrition among women, adolescent girls and children under 5. The
program will focus on Chawaki and Nurgal districts in Kunar province and
Dara-e-Nur district in Nangarhar province.
According to the statement, the earthquake caused widespread
damage to homes, farmland, food stocks, livestock and critical health,
nutrition and water infrastructure, worsening an already severe humanitarian
situation. Many families in rural areas, who rely heavily on farming and
livestock for food and income, lost key productive assets.
The project is also expected to indirectly benefit
approximately 190,000 additional people at the community level by strengthening
food production systems, nutrition services and access to basic services across
affected districts.
Salina Grenet-Catalano, director of global affairs at
France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, said eradicating malnutrition
remains a priority for French authorities following the Nutrition for Growth
summit held in Paris in March 2025.
“Through this project, France, FAO and UNICEF show that we
can collectively bring concrete solutions for the Afghan people, who are
particularly vulnerable to malnutrition, especially women and children,” she
said, adding that food security and nutrition are foundations for peace and
social stability.
Under FAO’s Cash+ approach, the initiative will combine
unconditional cash transfers with livestock protection packages, backyard
vegetable production, poultry support, technical training and nutrition
education. The program seeks to prevent families from resorting to negative
coping strategies, such as distress sales of livestock and essential assets.
“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, noting that targeted support can help
families recover without being forced into harmful survival strategies.
UNICEF will complement the program by strengthening
community-based interventions to improve access to nutritious first foods and
prevent child food poverty. The agency will provide counseling on infant and
young child feeding practices, support youth-led food initiatives, and promote
safe water, sanitation and hygiene services to ensure safe food preparation at
the household level.
Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF representative in Afghanistan,
said nearly 80 percent of malnourished children in the country are under the age
of 2, a critical period for growth and development.
“After the earthquakes and repeated shocks that have
disrupted households, markets and access to food, the need for nutritious first
foods, alongside services to prevent and treat malnutrition, has never been
greater,” he said.
The joint initiative forms part of broader efforts to
address the root causes of malnutrition in Afghanistan through coordinated
support across agriculture, health, nutrition and water systems, the statement
added.
