Repeated droughts and dwindling water supplies have damaged crops in Afghanistan’s southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, leaving some farmers and orchard owners struggling to meet their families’ needs.
They fear further losses if dry conditions persist, threatening both the productivity of their land and the incomes they depend on.
In Helmand’s Marjah district, 36-year-old farmer Sawab Gul stands in a field that was once green and productive. Now, the land lies dry. His face is sunburned and weary.
He says he sowed more than 1,050 kilograms of wheat on his rainfed land this year but harvested nothing after the crop dried out.
“There was hardly any water this year, and we suffered heavy losses,” he said. “We planted wheat over a large area of rainfed land, but no rain came. The wheat sprouted, then withered for lack of water. We were left with no harvest.”
Like many farmers in Helmand, Sawab Gul relies on agriculture to support his household. With that income gone, he is unsure how he will cover the living costs of his family of 11.
“Our rainfed fields used to produce crops thanks to the rain,” he said. “Now there is neither rain nor water for irrigation. Even when it rains, it comes at the wrong time, outside the planting season.”
Water shortages damage pomegranate harvests
In neighbouring Kandahar, orchard owners say water shortages are reducing both their yields and the quality of their fruit.
Arghandab district, renowned for its pomegranate orchards, has faced growing pressure on its water supplies in recent years.
Abdul Rahim, a 38-year-old resident, says the problem was once less severe. Over the past four years, however, low rainfall, falling groundwater levels and recurring droughts have damaged local orchards.
“Drought has hit Kandahar’s orchard owners and farmers particularly hard,” he said. “The pomegranate harvests are no longer what they used to be. Many fruits are affected by pests or have split open, and their seeds have little juice. This has hurt the market for our pomegranates.”
He says the decline in quality has lowered the prices growers can earn, compounding the losses from smaller harvests.
Rainfed fields and grazing land have also suffered, he added.
“Rainfed crops and pastures have been lost in many districts of Kandahar,” he said. “People are getting no harvest from their land. The continuing drought has made their lives harder.”
Some residents have resorted to drilling deep wells to irrigate their fields and orchards. According to Abdul Rahim, wells in some areas reach depths of up to 230 metres.
He urged aid organisations to help farmers improve water management and gain access to modern farming equipment and water-saving irrigation systems.
Without support, he fears that continued drought will deepen growers’ financial difficulties and leave their land less productive.
Rainfall deficits, despite spring improvements
Reports from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) document substantial rainfall shortages in parts of both provinces during the 2025–26 growing season.
Its February 2, 2026 report showed that parts of Helmand and Kandahar received just 30 to 60 percent of their long-term average rainfall between October 1, 2025, and January 25, 2026 — a shortfall of 40 to 70 percent.
The network’s June report also recorded below-average rainfall in parts of Kandahar. Between April 1 and May 25, 2026, those areas received 45 to 60 percent of their long-term average.
Conditions varied, however. FEWS NET reported that rainfall in late March and early April improved soil moisture in parts of Afghanistan, creating better conditions for wheat growth.
Experts urge more efficient use of water
Agricultural expert Shams-ul-Haq says persistent drought and reduced rainfall have harmed farming, the environment and livelihoods across southern Afghanistan.
“The southern provinces are facing drought and water shortages, and this has had damaging effects on agriculture and the environment,” he said. “Farmers need better resources to protect their crops.”
He called for wider access to modern farming methods and irrigation systems that make more efficient use of limited water supplies.
Agricultural authorities and aid organisations should expand drip irrigation while also protecting forests and other natural resources, he said. These efforts could help prevent further land degradation and preserve agricultural productivity.
Better water management, combined with improved farming practices, could help reduce drought losses and sustain production, he added.
Ministry outlines its response
Maulvi Sher Mohammad Hatami, spokesperson and director of information and public awareness at the Taliban’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock, said climate change and repeated droughts were a cause for concern.
He said the ministry was supporting farmers by building check dams to capture floodwater, promoting drip irrigation and distributing seeds for crops that require less water.
“Most provinces in Afghanistan are currently facing severe drought, with the threat greater in the south,” Hatami said. “We have sought to address it by building check dams to retain floodwater across the provinces, promoting drip irrigation and distributing seeds that need less water.”
His comments did not specify how many check dams had been built in Helmand and Kandahar, how many farmers had received drip irrigation systems or how much funding had been allocated to these measures.
For Sawab Gul in Marjah, the immediate concern is how to provide for his family after the failed harvest.
“All 11 members of our household depend on this land,” he said. “The harvest was our source of income.”
