Joint FAO/UNICEF/Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France News Release
Kabul, Afghanistan - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Government of France are supporting earthquake-affected communities in eastern Afghanistan to restore food security, improve nutrition and protect livelihoods. The €2 million initiative is supported by France under the French Initiative for Food Security and Nutrition (FIFSAN) and focuses on strengthening household food production, improving access to nutritious diets and essential services and reducing malnutrition, particularly among women and children.
The project will reach 51 870 people in Kunar and Nangarhar provinces, where families are still reeling from the August 2025 earthquake amid worsening acute food insecurity and malnutrition. Many households are rebuilding in communities that have seen recent displacement and forced returns, adding strain to already limited land, food and basic services. Implementation will focus on Chawaki and Nurgal districts of Kunar province and Dara-e-Nur district of Nangarhar province, where damage to productive assets has directly undermined families' ability to feed themselves. At the wider community level, the reach is expected to extend indirectly to approximately 190 000 additional people, as food production, nutrition and essential services are strengthened across districts.
The devastating 6.0-magnitude earthquake caused widespread damage to homes, cropland, food stocks, livestock assets, and critical health, nutrition and WASH infrastructure, compounding an already severe humanitarian situation. In rural areas of eastern Afghanistan, where families depend heavily on farming and livestock for both food and income, the damages and losses incurred have had lasting consequences.
"Almost a year after the Nutrition for Growth summit held in Paris in March 2025, eradicating malnutrition in all its forms remains a priority for the French authorities. 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, and especially women and children" said Salina Grenet-Catalano, Director of Global Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and foreign affairs. "Food security and nutrition are not only humanitarian and development concerns. They are foundations for peace, social stability and collective security, shared by all."
Through integrated, gender-sensitive and community-based interventions, FAO and UNICEF will work to address both the immediate needs of the affected population and the long-lasting impact of the earthquake on food security and nutrition. The main objective of the project is consequently to reduce malnutrition among women, adolescent girls and children under five, while protecting livelihoods and strengthening local food systems, with a strong focus on women-headed households, pregnant and lactating women and families with young children.
Using FAO's Cash+ approach, the project combines unconditional cash transfers with livestock protection packages, backyard vegetable production, poultry support, technical training and tailored nutrition education. By promoting agroecological practices and safeguarding productive assets, the project aims to prevent negative coping strategies such as distress sales of livestock and essential resources.
"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. "For rural communities, recovery often comes down to whether they can keep the few animals they have alive, plant again and get through the winter without giving up what little they have left. For women and young children, that can mean the difference between having enough to eat or going without. Targeted support like this, made possible through France's commitment to food security and nutrition, gives families the space to recover with dignity rather than being pushed into choices that are difficult to undo."
UNICEF's complementary interventions will strengthen community-based solutions to improve access to nutritious first foods and prevent child food poverty and malnutrition. The programme will support caregivers through counselling on optimal infant and young child feeding practices, empower youth through skills-development initiatives that generate innovative, locally led first foods solutions, and promote safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to ensure the safe preparation of complementary foods at household level. Where prevention is not sufficient, the programme will also ensure timely treatment for children suffering from life-threatening forms of wasting, helping to protect child survival while building longer-term resilience.
"Far too many children in Afghanistan are being driven into malnutrition, and nearly 80 per cent of those affected are under the age of two, a critical window for survival and healthy development," said Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan. "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. Thanks to the support from France, UNICEF and FAO, with local partners, will strengthen multiple systems to protect young children and mothers from malnutrition and build resilience to future crises."
This joint initiative is part of a broader effort to address the underlying drivers of malnutrition in Afghanistan through agriculture, nutrition, health and water systems. Such coordinated support helps families meet immediate needs while maintaining the foundations for recovery. In a context where gains in food security and nutrition are fragile, targeted investments like this offer a cost-effective way to protect progress and prevent reversals.
