Response priorities:

• Integrated and coordinated actions are required to contain high rates of asset depletion and food consumption gaps through food and livelihoods assistance for the populations classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and Crisis (IPC Phase 3). The modality (cash or in-kind) of the humanitarian assistance should be considered based on proper market analysis as prices of food commodities are significantly high in hotspot areas.
• Livelihood assets creation programmes should be considered where possible while providing cash or in-kind assistance to construct, protect and rehabilitate livelihoods infrastructure for agriculture and livestock, such as tube-wells, water channels and reservoirs for better conservation and management.
• Food assistance should be prioritised in urban areas, especially for those relying on daily wage labour and unsustainable sources of income. Humanitarian agencies should follow government guidelines and international practices during distribution in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Rural farmers will not be able to get labour opportunities, especially small and medium farmers, therefore, they may consume all of their harvest during this challenging lockdown period. Timely provision of quality seeds will help farmers not only cultivate, but also increase production for household consumption.
• Crop pests & disease monitoring and control should continue, to avoid losses.
• Introduce livelihood diversification programmes for the people facing Crisis and Emergency levels of acute food insecurity, especially women-headed households and people with disabilities. Livestock support, poultry and kitchen gardening are potential activities to enhance the food security, nutrition and income of vulnerable communities.
• Considering the regular occurrence of environmental shocks, stakeholders should also focus their attention and funding on programmes to build resilience to disasters and reduce disaster risks. Floods in Afghanistan are causing more and more damage to the lives and livelihoods of the populations living in vulnerable areas.
• To break the continued cycle of food insecurity and high rates of populations in IPC Phases 3 and 4, joint integrated programmes with nutrition, health and WASH clusters need to be designed and implemented. The complex context of Afghanistan, including ethnically diverse people, rugged terrain and unrelenting civil unrest, needs to be considered when developing strategies for food and livelihood security programming.
• Considering the low resilience of people, high levels of vulnerability to shocks and the chronic nature of food insecurity, close between development programmes and those of the humanitarian community is needed to tackle the root cause of food insecurity and enhance population resilience and livelihood means.