Food Production and Consumption in Shah Foladi, Bamyan Province, Afghanistan: The Challenge of Dietary Seasonality

Abstract

‘Assuring global food security’ is among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nutrition security focuses on micronutrient-deficiency diseases caused by inadequate intake of vitamins and minerals. In South Asia, as in many other regions of the world where there are high levels of malnutrition, emerging patterns of changes in seasonality as a likely consequence of climate change are threatening the livelihoods and food security of households. This paper concentrates on agriculture and nutrition in Afghanistan. In the recent Living Conditions Survey 2016-2017 (CSO 2018), food insecurity has increased from 30 per cent in 2011-12 to 45 per cent. This small-scale qualitative exploration of households’ experiences of food and nutrition insecurity aimed to elucidate seasonal drivers and patterns of food production and marketing and also purchase and consumption in Shah Foladi, Bamyan Province.