Farmers in Afghanistan Face Crisis Amid Nomadic Influx and Drought

Field reports from the districts of Hesa Awal Behsud in Maidan Wardak province and Jaghori in Ghazni province reveal that the influx of nomads into agricultural areas and pastures belonging to local farmers has caused severe damage…

Severe Strain on Local Agriculture

Over the past two weeks, large groups of nomads have intentionally driven their livestock into the fields, meadows, and orchards of local residents, resulting in widespread destruction of crops. Frustrated farmers assert that any peaceful protests they engage in are met with violent responses, including armed threats and intimidation. This predicament in Jaghori, which is already grappling with a severe drought and unprecedented drops in groundwater levels, has completely disrupted the income chain for rural families and put the local economy on the verge of collapse.

Local residents accuse the Taliban of facilitating the nomads through logistical and legal support while showing indifference to the destruction of people’s properties. This has led to systematic pressure on specific ethnic and religious communities. Experts believe that utilizing these longstanding land disputes at a time when crops have just begun to yield is a tactic to further oppress local farmers, pushing them into absolute poverty and forced migration.

In the absence of independent judicial and legal institutions, local leaders have issued calls for the international community and human rights organizations to urgently intervene to prevent a humanitarian disaster and the potential for violent social conflicts in central Afghanistan.