Farmers in Central Afghanistan Face Devastation as Nomads Infringe on Agricultural Lands

Field reports from the districts of Hissa-e Awal Behsud in Wardak province and Jaghori in Ghazni province indicate that the unregulated, premature, and coordinated entry of nomads into agricultural lands and the private pastures of local farmers has caused significant damage…

Widespread Agricultural Damage in Central Afghanistan

In recent weeks, large groups of nomads have intentionally driven their livestock into the fields, pastures, and orchards of local residents, leading to widespread destruction of agricultural products. Farmers assert that any peaceful protests they stage are met with violent responses, threats at gunpoint, and aggressive intimidation. This ongoing challenge in Jaghori district, which is already grappling with severe drought and unprecedented drops in groundwater levels, has completely disrupted the income supply for rural families, pushing the local economy to the brink of collapse.

Local residents accuse the Taliban administration of facilitating systematic pressure on specific ethnic and religious communities through logistical and legal support for the nomads, while remaining indifferent to the destruction of people’s properties. Experts believe that exploiting these longstanding land disputes during a season when crops are just beginning to yield serves as a tool to systematically harass local farmers, forcing them into absolute poverty and coerced migration.

Meanwhile, local leaders are calling on the international community and human rights organizations for urgent intervention to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and to avert violent social clashes in central Afghanistan, especially in the absence of independent judicial institutions.