Local Farmers in Afghanistan Face Destruction as Nomads Invade Agricultural Lands

Field reports from the districts of Hessa Awal Behsud in Wardak province and Jaghori in Ghazni province indicate that the unregulated, premature, and coordinated entry of nomads into local farmers’ agriculture and grazing lands has caused significant damage.

In the past two weeks, large groups of nomads have deliberately driven their livestock into the fields, meadows, and orchards of local residents, leading to widespread destruction of agricultural products. Local farmers report that any peaceful protests they undertake are met with violent responses, threats, and intimidation. This issue is particularly acute in Jaghori, which is already grappling with a severe drought and an unprecedented drop in groundwater levels. As a result, the income chain for rural families has been completely severed, putting the local economy on the brink of collapse.

Residents accuse the Taliban authorities of providing logistical and legal support to the nomads while remaining indifferent to the destruction of people’s property. Many believe that exploiting these long-standing land disputes during a season when crops are just beginning to bear fruit serves as a mechanism to drive local farmers into absolute poverty and forced migration.

Meanwhile, local leaders, in the absence of independent judicial institutions, have called on the international community and human rights organizations to intervene immediately to prevent a humanitarian disaster and violent social clashes in central Afghanistan.