(Updates with Oxfam comments)
NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - Poor rains and a lack of snowfall in recent weeks in war-torn Afghanistan have left the impoverished nation at risk of a drought that could push millions of already vulnerable civilians over the brink, aid workers warned on Wednesday.
Struggling to recover after three decades of conflict, Afghanistan - one of the poorest countries in the world - is highly susceptible to food shortages due to poverty, militancy, and natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and droughts.
"Normally by this time in the year, we should have seen snowfall but that has not been the case so far. This is a concern for farmers who risk losing their winter crop," said Bijan Farnoudi, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kabul.
"We are not saying that there is a drought yet, but we are putting our finger on the spot and saying there is a risk and this is essential in a country where agriculture is so important," he added.
A drought would affect agricultural production, food prices and the availability of drinking water, the ICRC says, making life even harder for Afghans already suffering the consequences of the expanding and intensifying conflict.
Oxfam in Afghanistan said it was also concerned about a drought.
Â?We've had reports from Helmand and other areas of the south that water tables have already dipped and farmers are beginning to worry. Its been an unseasonably warm winter so far in many areas, with little snow or rain,Â? said Ashley Jackson, Oxfam InternationalÂ?s head of policy and advocacy in Kabul.
Â?When fears of an impending drought emerge in Afghanistan, itÂ?s a good reminder of how far we have to go in tackling the issue of food security. A third of Afghans are at risk of hunger and crises, such as droughts or flooding, push them over the edge of vulnerability. Clearly, more must be done to tackle the underlying causes of crises over the long term.Â?
FRAGILE FARMING
The rugged, mountainous country, in which more than half the population lives below the poverty line, normally sees rain and snow from December through to March.
Aid workers say the country's agricultural output, which includes wheat, rice, pulses, barley and fruit is very fragile as farming is almost completely dependent on rainfall and snowmelt.
In 2008, the country experienced the worst drought in a decade. Combined with high food prices, it left millions without enough to eat.
According to the National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, carried out by the Afgjan government, in 2007/8, 7.4 million people - nearly a third of the population - are unable to get enough food to live active, healthy lives.
Another 37 percent of the population, or 8.5 million people, are on the borderline of food insecurity, added the report.
Officials from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which helped 9 million Afghans with food aid last year, say farmers saw a bumper harvest in 2009, but add they are closely monitoring early warning signs for a drought.
"In Afghanistan there is an extreme level of vulnerability to things like drought," said Challiss McDonough, WFP's public information officer in Kabul.
"In a good year, farmers are able to grow most of the food that the country needs but in a bad year, it pushes literally millions of people into a rather desperate situation where they are unable to access the food they need."
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