IJERD – International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development (2017) 8-1

Research article
erdCurrent Agricultural Status and Problems faced in Paghman
District of Kabul Province, Afghanistan
RAHMANI SHAFIQULLAH
Graduate School of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan
Email: salarhaleem@gmail.com

MACHITO MIHARA*
Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Japan
Email: m-mihara@nodai.ac.jp
Received 15 December 2016

Accepted 27 June 2017(*Corresponding Author)

Abstract Afghanistan, an agricultural and land locked country, located in the heart of Asia.
More than 75% of country’s population is living in rural areas. Paghman District located in theKabul Province of Afghanistan was selected for conducting this research. In Paghman District,there are some severe problems regarding agricultural land use, water resource conservation,and utilization. The objective of this study is to identify current agriculture status and problems
faced in Paghman District for conserving water environment of the Qargha Reservoir
qualitatively and quantitatively. To achieve the objectives, a questionnaire survey wasconducted to find out the current agricultural status and problems faced in Paghman District.
One or more local farmers (representatives) were selected from each of the 15 different villages
in Qargha Reservoir watershed of Paghman District. The results indicated that water shortage,soil erosion, and low fertility were the major factors causing low agricultural productivity.
Majority of the local farmers perceived water shortage magnitude as severe and very severe at33%, respectively. Local farmers’ awareness about soil erosion effects on their cultivated lands
were minor. About 54% of the local farmers were not aware of the soil erosion effects on theirlands. The correlation analysis showed that water shortage and soil erosion negatively affected
the yields. The development of proper conservation strategies as well as farmers education onproper soil and water resource management is needed to achieve sustainable agriculture in
Paghman District of Kabul Province, Afghanistan.
Keywords Paghman, Afghanistan, sustainable agriculture, low fertility, land use,water resource management

INTRODUCTION
Afghanistan is a country with majority of the population involved in agricultural activities and islocated in the center of Asia. Afghanistan is bordered by Pakistan in the south and the east, Iran in thewest, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast. More than
75% of country’s population is living in rural areas, and 50% or more of the GDP is generated byagriculture and related sectors in rural areas. By far, the greatest part of the land surface of Afghanistan
is extensive grazing land, desert, and semi-desert or high or Steep Mountain, only about 40% is said tobe suitable for winter grazing (Thieme, 2006).
Afghanistan faces problems of effective use of water resource, an increase of irrigation area, andimprovement of irrigation method (Kawasaki et al., 2012). Rainfall varies from a low 75 mm in Farah
Province to 1,170 mm in south Salang, occurs mostly in the winter months and particularly in theFebruary/April period. The wet season is concentrated in winter and spring when the vegetative coveris low. In higher elevation, precipitation falls in the form of snow that is highly critical for river flow
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and irrigation in summer. From June to October, Afghanistan receives hardly any precipitation. TheAfghan climate is continental with temperatures ranging from above 30° C in summer to below -20° Cin winter. In spring, late frost can affect fruit production (Favre and Kamal, 2004). According to Sabaet al., (2001), only 6% of the 15% of land in Afghanistan is usable. Due to the nature of the topography
and the arid climate, vast areas are subject to soil erosion. The annual average soil loss rate of KabulRiver Basin was estimated to be 19 tons/acre/year (4748 tons/km2/year) (Sahaar, 2013). Agriculture
production has been considered as a key sector for the revival of the economy and well-being of thepeople in the country, but it is not enough level to achieve the food self-sufficiency and to export ofagricultural products (Kawasaki et al., 2012). The objective of this study is to identify current
agricultural status and problems faced in Paghman District of Kabul Province, Afghanistan forconserving Qargha Reservoir water environment qualitatively and quantitatively by reducing sedimentyield, nutrient loss, and irrigation water shortage.
METHODOLOGY
Paghman District is located in west part of Kabul Province of Afghanistan, total of the area is 361 km2,and average annual rainfall is 473 mm. Qargha Reservoir is located in Paghman District. Qargha
Reservoir is used for irrigation and recreational purposes. Furthermore, Qargha Reservoir provides
irrigation water for more than 2,000 hectares of farmland. Only seven extension workers areresponsible for managing agriculture in the whole study area with more than 150,000 population.

Fig. 1 Location of Qargha Reservoir Paghman District, Kabul, Afghanistan
Table 1 Land cover and land use classification in Paghman District (FAO, 2016)
Irrigatedland (ha)Fruittrees(ha)Vineland(ha)

Barrenland (ha)Forestshrub (ha)Rangeland

Build up

Water body

Total(ha)

(ha)

(ha)

(ha)

8,080. 63

1,419.50

31.5

456,5999.93

24,587.40

907.9

537.4

36,12022.37%

3.93%

0.09%

1.26%

0.28%

68.07%

2.76%

1.49%

100%

In order to identify the current agricultural status and problems faced in Paghman District ofKabul Province, Afghanistan, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Paghman District of Kabul
Province, Afghanistan. Paghman District is located in the west of Kabul Province with 361 km2 area.
Qargha Reservoir is located in the Paghman District and used for irrigation and recreational purposes.
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In total, 24 local farmers were interviewed. One or more local farmers (representatives) wereselected from each of the 15 different villages in Qargha Reservoir watershed of Paghman District,
Kabul Province, Afghanistan. The questionnaire sheets contain different type of questions; thequestions were on basic information of the local farmers, cultivated crop and yield, soil erosion effects,
irrigation water shortage and irrigation water sources, future farming plan, fertilizer application,
agricultural extension services, assistance and technical training as shown in Table 2.
Table 2 Type of questions in the questionnaire sheet
Category

Related question

Basic information

Farmer’s information

Name, gender, household, address, education,
age and cooperative

Future farmingContinue farming

Yes, no and not decided

Fertilizer application

Type of fertilizer

MAP/DAP, Urea, farmyard manure, greenmanure, compost

Soil erosion effects

Soil erosion effect on
fertility and crop field
Extension service
provision

Destroy crop, decrease productivity and notaware
Extension worker visit to the field

Assistance and technicaltraining

Any kind of agricultural
aid to the farmers byGovt./NGO

Improved seed and nursery stock, machinery,
fertilizer and medicine

Irrigation water shortageand irrigation water source

Water shortage severity
and source of irrigation

Water source and water shortage severity

Agriculture Extension
service

Details

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Pre-harvest Agricultural Problems
Afghanistan is a country in which local farmers face a number of pre-harvest problems, which causes
their farmlands to yield low and direct them to agricultural insufficiency. The common problems local
farmers face are diseases and pests, low fertility, water shortage, and unwanted weed. In Afghanistan,
local farmers face agricultural problems during a complete growing session starting from land
preparation and sowing until harvesting. According to the results diseases/pests, irrigation watershortage, soil erosion, and low fertility were the major problems in the study area with 63%, 83%, 50%,and 29%, respectively as shown in Fig. 3. Former studies have indicated that water shortage, nutrient
loss, and soil erosion are the dominant problem in Afghanistan (Kawasaki et al., 2012; Sahaar, 2013;Safi et al., 2016). Besides other factors, lack of agricultural technical knowledge is the source of low
productivity.
Extension workers as shown in Fig. 2 did not visit the majority (88%) of the farmers. Thus,
Agriculture in many parts of the country remains starkly underdeveloped. Hence, to solve theseproblems faced in the study area, proper conservation strategies as well as farmers’ education onproper soil and water resource management.

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80%
60%
40%
20%

63%
60%

50%
29%

30%
13%

8%

4%

0%

83%

90%

88%
Farmers affected

Farmers visited

100%0%
Not visitedOnce a year

Twice a year

Disease/pest

WeedDrought

Low fertility Soil erosion

Problems faced during crop production

Extension workers visit

Fig. 2 Extension workers visit

Fig. 3 Problems faced during crop production

Water Shortage
The availability of water resources is vital to the social and economic well-being and rebuilding ofAfghanistan. In the Kabul Basin, 10% reduction in recharge was simulated to assess the hydrologic
effect of potential climate change on groundwater resources (USAID, 2010). Size of cultivated land in
Afghanistan is 3.9 million ha of which 1.3 ha is rain-fed and 2.6 million ha is irrigated land. Almost
85% of all agricultural production is produced in irrigated areas. The rainfall begins in October,reaches its peak in March and ends in May. It hardly rains during the periods from June to October,especially in summer when the temperature is high.
33%

Farmers perception

33%
30%
18%

20%
8%

10%

8%

Average mothly rainfall (mm)from 2004 to 2015

12040%

0%VeryslightSlightModerate

Severe

96

100
80
60

87
75

59
38

40

34
1220

166

927

140

Very
severePerceived water shortage severity

Vegetable yield (tons/ha)

700

Perceived vegetable yieldFig. 4 Farmers perception on water shortage Fig. 5 Average monthly rainfall (MAIL, 2016)
y = -45.781x + 411.41

600
500
400
300
200
100012345543211

Perceived water shortage severity

234Perceived water shortage severity

Fig. 6 Trends between vegetable yield and perceived water shortageⒸ ISERD

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Majority of the farmers perceived water shortage as severe and very severe at 33% and 33%,
respectively. As a result, the problem of water shortages frequently occurs in the latter part of thegrowing season between April and October, causing a major deficit in crop yield. Agriculture in
Afghanistan faces a problem of water shortages during the latter half (summer) of planting period. The
issue is the wastage of water due to the aging of irrigation facilities and unorganized irrigation
practices. Therefore, the efficient use of limited water resources is an issue of paramount importance(Kawasaki et al., 2012). Correlation analysis indicated crop yield was affected by water shortage in thestudy area. Hence, water shortage would cause low water inflow into Qargha reservoir. Therefore,irrigation potential of Qargha reservoir is negatively affected. Karezes (Karez is a tunnel system used
to extract shallow groundwater) and tube wells were the major irrigation water sources in Paghman
District.
Soil Fertility Management
Afghanistan’s soils are mainly alkaline, soil pH ranges from 7 to 8.5, rich in calcium and potassium
minerals. Soil organic matter content ranges from 0.2 to 2.5% (Alemi, 2010). According to the results
farmyard manure, chemical fertilizers and crop rotation were the common soil fertility management
practices in the study area, with 100%, 96%, and 71%, respectively. Local farmers usually usedfarmyard manure for soil fertility management, mainly made of cow, goat and sheep dung alongsidehuman excreta. Chemical fertilizers were usually applied to the field by broadcasting on the soil andbanding around plant roots. The liquid form of fertilizer application is not common practice inAfghanistan, only used in governmental and non-governmental owned farms. Hence, local farmers use
intercropping and crop rotation in the agricultural field by growing alfalfa and clover to manage soil
fertility. Urea (96%) and DAP (92%) were the major chemical fertilizers used for soil fertility
enhancement in the study area as shown in Fig. 7. Potassium fertilizers are rarely used in Afghanistan.
Nitrogen, phosphorous, zinc and iron, are the major elements deficient in Afghanistan soils. Organic
fertilizers or Chelates (combination of an organic compound with a metallic ion) are rarely used byfarmers.
96%

92%

100%

100%

96%

80%

80%
Farmers applying

Farmers applying

100%

60%
40%
20%

4%

71%

60%
40%
20%4%

0%0%
Urea

DAP/MAP

Chemicalfertilizer

Potassium

Type of fertilizer

Farmyard
manureCrop rotation

CompostSoil fertility management methods

Fig. 7 Extension workers field visit

Fig. 8 Soil fertility management practice

Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is one of the issues influencing soil fertility all over the country. Due to irregular
topography and low land cover, Afghanistan soils are subjected to soil erosion risk. The annual averagesoil loss rate of the Kabul River Basin was estimated to be 47.4 tons/ha/year and the gross mean annual
soil loss rate was approximately 47.4 million tons/year. By producing 57% of the total annual averagesoil loss, rangelands were the primary contributor to the basin. Barren lands by producing about 38%Ⓒ ISERD187

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were the second largest contributor to the overall soil loss rate in the basin (Sahaar, 2013). Paghman
District land use map shows that rangeland made 68.07% of the total land with low land cover andsteep slopes, which increases the risk of soil erosion. Half of the total local farmers responded that they
faced soil erosion during crop production. Thus, the majority (54%) of the responded local farmers
were not aware of soil erosion effects on their cultivated lands. In case, if soil erosion occurs in thestudy area, Qargha reservoir would be at the receiving end by receiving a high amount of sedimentyield, which could decrease water storage capacity. Safi et al., (2016) reported that surface runoff
causes a significant amount of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and carbon losses from agricultural
fields. In case, in the study area, local farmers did not realize the significance of soil erosion. It is theresponsibility of governmental and non-governmental organizations to increase local farmer’sawareness about soil erosion effects by offering them technical training courses and workshops in thestudy area.
554%
Perceived vegetable yield

Farmers affected

60%
50%
40%

32%

30%
20%
10%

4%

4%

4%

0%

432
1

Not aware Disturb soil Water
Increase Decease
texture absorption fertility soil fertility
Soil erosion effects

12345

Perceived soil erosion severity

Fig. 9 Soil erosion effects

Fig. 10 Trends between perceived vegetableyield and soil erosion

CONCLUSION
This study was to identify current agricultural status and problems faced in Paghman District of Kabul
Province, Afghanistan for conserving water environment of Qargha Reservoir qualitatively andquantitatively. Water shortage was one of the issues local farmers seriously faced during cropping
season in the study area. About 83% of the farmers responded that they faced water shortage duringcrop production. Wells and karezes were the major water sources used for irrigation. Half of the local
farmers faced soil erosion during crop production. However, local farmers’ awareness about soil
erosion effects was at very low level. The majority (54%) of the local farmers were not aware of soil
erosion effects on their cultivated lands. Farmyard manure, chemical fertilizers, and crop rotation werethe common soil fertility management practices in the study area with 100%, 96%, and 71%,respectively. Correlation analysis showed that soil erosion and irrigation water shortage negatively
affected productivity. Soil erosion, low fertility, and irrigation water shortage were identified as major
factors causing low agricultural productivity. Therefore, proper conservation strategies, as well as
farmers education on proper soil and water resource management is needed to achieve sustainableagriculture in Paghman District of Kabul Province, Afghanistan.
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