Back to success stories
18 Jul 2022 | Engaging policy makers

Navigating the national drought emergency in Afghanistan

Drought outlooks allow pastoralists to adapt and policy makers to prepare contingency plans

70% Complete

Pastoral communities in the western Himalaya drylands are extremely vulnerable to recurrent droughts. Through our SERVIR-HKH Initiative we provided critical support to line departments at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) in evaluating the severity of the 2021 drought. Ahead of the grazing season, we used satellite and modelled data, our National Agricultural Drought Watch – Afghanistan, and the National Rangelands Monitoring System to assess the potential impact of droughts on Afghanistan’s pastoral sector, and alerted government officials of the onset.

Working in tandem with the General Directorate of Livestock and Animal Health at MAIL and other partners, we conducted a comprehensive situational analysis of the upcoming disaster, identified at-risk provinces and districts, and prepared a drought-risk response plan for livestock and pastoral communities. The presidential office used the joint MAIL–ICIMOD report to officially declare a national drought emergency across the country.

Through this intervention, Afghan government officials experienced first-hand the value of climate risk preparedness tools and Earth observation-derived information as they were able to map drought vulnerability across Afghanistan’s districts and develop contingency plans as part of their livestock feed assistance plans to pastoral communities.

We assessed the potential impact of droughts on Afghanistan’s pastoral sector before the start of the grazing season and were able to alert officials on the potential of devastating drought impacts

Other stories

3 Dec 2015 SERVIR-HKH
Building youth capacity in geospatial technology

As a knowledge and learning centre, ICIMOD recognizes the role of information in improving the understanding of environmental and social ...

9 Jul 2021 SERVIR-HKH
Monitoring cryosphere resources in Afghanistan

Despite the significant contributions ...

Supporting best practices in environmental journalism

Harnessing the power to amplify understanding and promote climate action

Gender integration in Afghan water resource management

Using hands-on and multi-pronged approach to mainstream gender issues

Regional Drought Monitoring Outlook System for South Asia launched

Near-real time monitoring of droughts through reliable indicators

Bridging the STEM gender gap in the HKH

Women researchers and technologists in the Earth observation (EO) and geospatial information technology (GIT) sector are ...

Capacity building in using open-source software

Through trainings organised by our Cryosphere, Climate Services, and Himalayan University Consortium initiatives, we have introduced ...

Influencing National Programmes on GLOFs

The HKH region contains the largest concentration of snow, glaciers, and permafrost. The snow and ice-covered HKH Mountains are a ...