KABUL – The World Food Programme (WFP) welcomes a US$1 million (1.18 billion; AFN78.2 million) contribution from the Republic of Korea. The new funding will go towards improving household food security and nutrition through strengthening soya production in Afghanistan.
Some 2,400 smallholder family farmers – 800 of which are female-headed - in Balkh, Herat, Jawzjan, Kapisa, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Parwan and Takhar provinces will receive improved fertilized soy seeds, training, agriculture equipment and other support to increase their soy bean productivity.
“Agricultural and rural development enabled Korea to overcome extreme poverty and achieve economic development after the Korean War in the 1950s. Indeed, food security is the foundation for the development of any society. The soya program is designed to tackle food insecurity and malnutrition while promoting soya processed food, such as soya milk, soya naan and soya korma, and I hope Korea’s contribution to the soya program will lead to establishing self-sustainable soybean industry in Afghanistan,” said H.E. Zha Hyoung Rhee, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Afghanistan.
WFP and partners will also work with soy seed producers, soya production companies and bakeries to link the smallholder family farmers’ soya products to the markets and to promote consumption in the country.
“Afghanistan suffers from persistent problems of undernutrition. Although malnutrition has decreased considerably over the last two decades, the prevalence of chronic undernutrition or stunting among children under 5 is still high at almost 41 percent,” said Zlatan Milisic, WFP Country Director in Afghanistan. “This has long-term effects on children’s growth and development and undermines their productivity later in lives. In order to tackle malnutrition among children, adolescent girls, women and elderly people, we need to focus on promoting foods rich in micronutrients, and soya bean is an exemplary source of that.”
WFP has been working in Afghanistan since 1963 with the aim of helping Afghans build a hunger-free future for themselves and their country. WFP food is distributed on the basis of need, without regard for ethnicity, religion or political affiliation. (WFP Press Release)