Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is witnessing a worsening humanitarian and economic crisis as women barred from employment under Taliban policies struggle to survive. Many women who once supported their families now face severe financial hardship, with the loss of income also taking a significant toll on their mental health. Husna Qaderi, formerly the sole breadwinner for her family, says her life has drastically changed since restrictions on women&rsquo;s employment were imposed. Unable to work for the past two years, she now struggles to provide even basic necessities. &ldquo;After women were banned from working, I was confined to my home,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;This not only worsened my financial situation but also deeply affected my mental well-being. I used to contribute to society and support other women, but now I cannot even support myself.&rdquo; Another woman, who asked to be identified as Khatira, described similar challenges. She says the scarcity of job opportunities has left many women unemployed and unable to cover daily expenses. &ldquo;Most available jobs are now reserved for men,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Women are facing devastating psychological and economic consequences. I have been unemployed for a long time and still cannot find suitable work.&rdquo; Undermining the future of AfghanistanWomen&rsquo;s rights advocates warn that the impact extends far beyond individual hardship. Activist Julia Parsi describes the ban as a structural crisis with long-term consequences for Afghan society. &ldquo;Depriving women of work is not just an economic issue,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;It has collapsed household economies, removed women from public life, and severely damaged the mental health of an entire generation. These policies undermine not only women&rsquo;s dignity but also the future of the country.&rdquo; Parsi cautioned that while temporary measures such as remote work or financial aid may offer limited relief, they cannot replace women&rsquo;s full participation in the workforce. Without change, she warned, Afghanistan could face rising poverty, inequality, and long-term loss of human potential. Economic experts echo these concerns, emphasizing that excluding women from the workforce wastes vital human capital and weakens the country&rsquo;s economy. According to economist Shakib Ziyaie, households that rely on dual incomes are particularly vulnerable. &ldquo;When women lose their income, families immediately experience a decline in living standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This leads to reduced food quality and increased poverty. On a larger scale, excluding women causes market stagnation and greater dependence on foreign aid.&rdquo; Taliban&#39;s restrictionsSince returning to power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women&rsquo;s participation in public life, including bans on education beyond sixth grade and employment in many sectors. The United Nations Development Program has previously warned that Afghan women face extremely fragile economic conditions, with limited access to jobs and financial resources. According to United Nations data, around 75% of the population struggles with food insecurity, while 88% of female-headed households lack access to basic necessities. As restrictions persist, experts and activists warn that the consequences for Afghanistan&rsquo;s economy and society could be profound and long-lasting, affecting not only women but the nation as a whole.

Group of Afghan women wearing Burqas (File Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Afghanistan

Afghan women, barred from work under Taliban restrictions, face severe economic hardships, psychological distress, and a growing humanitarian crisis with long-term consequences for the country.

Forced confinement of women in Afghanistan: A deepening human crisis

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan&rsquo;s deepening food crisis has pushed some families to marry off their daughters at an early age to secure money for food, according to a report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET).&nbsp;In its latest &ldquo;Afghanistan Food Security Outlook, February-September 2026,&rdquo; the organization said poor households facing emergency-level food shortages have adopted extreme coping measures, including arranging early marriages for underage girls to obtain cash for basic necessities.&nbsp;The report notes that the practice has been observed in several provinces, including Faryab, Ghor and Daykundi.&nbsp;According to FEWS NET, a USAID-funded program,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghan-traders-warn-food-could-run-out-by-april-due-to-taliban-pressure" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">emergency-level food shortages</a>&nbsp;represent the stage just below famine on the international food security scale. Families in affected areas are also resorting to distress sale of assets, borrowing at high interest rates and begging to survive.&nbsp;The report estimates that between 10 million and nearly 11 million people in Afghanistan will require humanitarian food assistance at the peak of the lean season between February and April 2026, one of the highest levels recorded since 2014.&nbsp;The crisis has been exacerbated by four consecutive years of drought between 2021 and 2025, which have severely depleted rural households&rsquo; savings, livestock and agricultural resources.&nbsp;By early 2026, the availability of daily wage work had declined by 26% compared to the previous year, while the purchasing power of unskilled labor, measured in wheat, dropped by about 40% year-on-year, further reducing families&rsquo; ability to buy food.&nbsp;FEWS NET also reported that a surge in returning Afghans has intensified pressure on the labor market. Around 287,000 people returned to the country in the first weeks of 2026, increasing competition for limited jobs and pushing wages even lower.&nbsp;Humanitarian assistance has also been constrained. According to the report, the World Food Program reached about 2.7 million people under its winter assistance program between December and January, but provided three months of food rations instead of the usual five months due to limited resources.&nbsp;Aid deliveries in remote provinces such as Ghor, Daykundi and Nuristan ended before the harsh winter peak, leaving many isolated communities without support during the coldest period.&nbsp;Even with the wheat harvest expected in May, FEWS NET warned that relief may be limited in the worst-affected provinces, where households remain burdened by debt, depleted assets and reduced purchasing power.&nbsp;The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, established by the United States Agency for International Development in 1985, monitors food security conditions and provides early warning of potential famine and hunger crises around the world.

In a report by the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, up to 11 million Afghans may require food aid during the February–April lean season as drought, falling wages, returning migrants and reduced humanitarian assistance deepen the country’s food security crisis.

Food shortages drive Afghan families to marry off underage daughters: Report

ISLAMABAD: Afghan traders are warning that food supplies in local markets could run out by April if the Afghan Taliban continue forcing traders to sell essential goods below market prices, amid import disruptions. Several local Afghan media outlets reported that traders said continued pressure on <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/malnutrition-crisis-in-south-asia-a-tale-of-two-nations" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">food imports</a> and supply routes could sharply reduce the availability of essential goods across markets. Khan Jan Alokozay, a board member of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, said traders may halt imports if forced by Taliban authorities to sell goods below market prices despite rising costs. &ldquo;If traders are forced to sell goods cheaply, they will stop importing food items,&rdquo; Alokozay said in comments reported by Afghan media outlets. Humanitarian agencies say these warnings come as Afghanistan faces one of the world&rsquo;s most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghanistan-hunger-crisis-deepens-as-47-million-face-emergency-food-shortages-wfp" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">severe food crises</a>. The World Food Programme says worsening economic conditions,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghanistan-at-risk-of-losing-40-of-farmland-in-worst-drought-in-decades" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate shocks</a>,&nbsp;and disruptions to regional trade are deepening food insecurity across the country. According to United Nations estimates, about 17.4 million people in Afghanistan are projected to face crisis or emergency levels of acute food insecurity in 2026. Afghanistan relies heavily on imported food, particularly wheat flour and cooking oil, leaving&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/afghan-markets-remain-stocked-but-poverty-leaves-22-million-unable-to-buy" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">markets vulnerable</a>&nbsp;to disruptions in cross-border trade and regional instability. Aid agencies warn that continued supply disruptions could further strain food availability and worsen the humanitarian crisis in the coming months.

An Afghan vendor selling bread waits for customers at a bakery in the Fayzabad district of Badakhshan province on November 11, 2025. (AFP)

Afghan traders say Taliban price controls and import disruptions threaten food stocks, which may run out by April. 

Afghan traders warn food could run out by April due to Taliban pressure

The total number of Afghans facing acute food insecurity reached 12.7 million this year, as extreme weather conditions slashed crop production across the country.

Afghanistan hunger crisis deepens as 4.7 million face emergency food shortages: WFP 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has achieved some of the strongest results ever documented globally for a large-scale nutrition program, even as neighbouring Afghanistan struggles with increasing malnutrition rates and collapsing health services amid severe funding shortfalls. The contrast between the two countries highlights how sustained investment and stable governance can transform public health outcomes in South Asia&#39;s most vulnerable populations. According to an independent midline evaluation by Aga Khan University, Pakistan&#39;s biggest social protection program reduced stunting by 15% among participating children aged 6-23 months, For children whose mothers enrolled during early pregnancy, the results proved even more effective: stunting prevalence at six months of age was 20% lower compared to non-participants, the evaluation found. The program has reached 3.7 million women and children since its 2020 launch, according to the evaluation. Operating through more than 540 centres in 157 districts, it costs approximately $125 per person per year. &quot;When my son was first weighed, I feared for his life,&quot; one beneficiary, Safia, told program evaluators, according to the evaluation report. &quot;Through the Programme, he grew stronger, and I learned how to keep my children healthy.&quot; According to the evaluation, the program also achieved a 7% reduction in small vulnerable newborn births and a 10% drop in zero-dose immunizations among children aged 12-23 months who had received no vaccinations. Pakistan&#39;s success comes despite widespread poverty. Stunting affects 40% of children under five (approximately 12 million children) indicating a public health emergency, according to the evaluation. Two-thirds of Pakistani families cannot afford a nutritious diet, the evaluation notes, with the poorest households&#39; food expenditure covering less than 60% of the cost of a healthy, diverse diet. Emergency response activated Pakistan has simultaneously activated emergency measures for flood-affected populations. Qatar Charity, in partnership with UNICEF, is implementing water, sanitation and hygiene interventions alongside nutrition services in four Punjab districts, according to a November 2025 report on the emergency response. The nutrition initiative seeks to improve access to treatment for acutely malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women, the report stated. It includes micronutrient supplements for children aged 6-59 months and breastfeeding women, along with counselling on maternal nutrition and infant feeding practices. The project aims to provide climate-resilient sanitation facilities for 20,000 people and improved hygiene awareness for 100,000 people, the report stated. An additional 5,000 children will gain access to safe drinking water and sanitation in 20 schools, 10 temporary learning centers, 10 child-friendly safe spaces and 10 health facilities, as per the report. Afghanistan&#39;s deteriorating crisis The picture across the border could hardly be more different. Afghanistan faces a deepening malnutrition emergency affecting 7.8 million people, including 857,000 children with severe acute malnutrition, according to an INTERSOS advocacy brief published in November 2025. Admissions for malnutrition treatment rose 8% between January and September 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, despite the closure of many nutrition sites following funding suspensions, the brief reported. Moderate acute malnutrition admissions among children under five increased 5%, whilst among pregnant and breastfeeding women they surged 19%, according to the brief. The increases occurred even as operational capacity shrank dramatically. US aid suspension forced the closure of more than 420 health facilities and 305 nutrition sites, leaving approximately 80,000 acutely malnourished children, pregnant women and new mothers without access to life-saving treatment, the brief states. The Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan had received only $870.6m of the $2.42bn required as of 21 November 2025, covering just 36% of total needs, the brief stated. According to the brief, 31 out of 34 provinces are classified as serious or critical for nutrition severity. INTERSOS reported that 8.2% of children screened at its facilities in July 2025 required nutrition support. Between June and August 2025, acute malnutrition cases among pregnant and lactating women at seven INTERSOS-managed facilities in Kandahar and Kabul provinces totalled 489, compared to 367 in the same period in 2024, the brief states. This deterioration occurred despite comparable or higher participation in maternal and child nutrition sessions at some facilities, according to the brief. The situation risks worsening significantly. UNICEF has warned that supplies of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food will be unable to meet required quantities in 2025, with potential stock-outs threatening treatment continuity within months, according to the INTERSOS brief. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network has projected acute food insecurity will worsen at least until May 2026, driven by four consecutive years of drought, a deteriorating economy and mass returns of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan, the brief reports. Divergent trajectories The contrasting outcomes reflect fundamentally different operating environments. Pakistan&#39;s program operates through stable government systems with multi-year funding commitments and partnerships between the program, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and WHO, according to the evaluation. Afghanistan, by contrast, has seen the near-total absence of development assistance since 2021, forcing humanitarian organizations to sustain essential services with short-term emergency funding, according to the INTERSOS brief. Restrictions on female humanitarian workers have severely limited community outreach and early detection of malnutrition cases, the brief noted. Nearly 22.9 million people in Afghanistan (almost half the population) require humanitarian assistance simply to meet basic needs. Decades of conflict have left public services severely weakened, whilst authorities lack the financial and institutional capacity to address the growing crisis. Without sustained donor engagement, more health facilities risk shutting down and nutrition programs risk not reopening, leaving vulnerable families without treatment or support, the brief warned.

Pakistan’s large-scale nutrition program significantly reduced child stunting and improved maternal health, highlighting the impact of stable governance, while Afghanistan struggles with severe malnutrition amid funding shortfalls.

Pakistan achieves global nutrition success while Afghanistan faces worsening crisis

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan risks losing 40% of its farmland due to the country&#39;s worst drought in decades, a new monitoring report warned. According to the latest Afghanistan Seasonal Monitor from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the country is experiencing below-average rainfall and above-average temperatures that have triggered soil moisture deficits across the nation, The crisis marks the sixth consecutive year of poor weather conditions. Farmers are abandoning fields as irrigated crops struggle to survive and rain-fed wheat production continues to fall. Northern and central Afghanistan face precipitation deficits of up to 100 millimeters through December 2025, according to the monitor. Water shortages are exacerbating the crisis in these regions, which are seeing widespread crop failures, particularly in wheat farming, with soil moisture at critically low levels. In the northeast and central parts of the country, where rain-fed crops are vital, many farmers are unable to plant or maintain crops. Even irrigated areas are struggling with declining groundwater levels. A survey released in November by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime found that traditional irrigation systems, such as &quot;qanats&quot;, are failing, forcing farmers to dig deeper wells. Climate change has made droughts more frequent and severe, with above-average temperatures intensifying the situation. Snow water volumes, essential for irrigation, are at their lowest levels in years, the monitor said. Many farmers are seeing their income collapse as 40% of farmland remains unused. Even in irrigated areas, people face difficulties due to water scarcity and climate change. More than 75% of rural households depend on agriculture, and many are struggling with food insecurity, according to the report. The report warned that unless conditions improve, food shortages could worsen, causing higher food prices and economic instability. It predicted that if the situation persists, farmland abandonment and declining crop yields will continue, worsening the crisis for the country&#39;s farmers. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network was established by the US Agency for International Development in 1985 and provides early warning and analysis of acute food insecurity worldwide.

Afghanistan’s worst drought in decades has led to widespread crop failures, with severe water shortages exacerbating food insecurity and economic instability, a new report warns.

Articles tagged with "afghanistan food crisis"

Forced confinement of women in Afghanistan: A deepening human crisis

Food shortages drive Afghan families to marry off underage daughters: Report

Afghan traders warn food could run out by April due to Taliban pressure

Afghanistan hunger crisis deepens as 4.7 million face emergency food shortages: WFP

Pakistan achieves global nutrition success while Afghanistan faces worsening crisis

Afghanistan at risk of losing 40% of farmland in worst drought in decades

Forced confinement of women in Afghanistan: A deepening human crisis