Food Security in Pakistan and Afghanistan: Investigating the Lacunae of Domestic Policy and Foreign Policy

Abstract

Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been suffering from a food crisis. Due to the acute fiscal crisis since 2021, both countries are in search of a way out of this economic hardship. Issues such as lack of industrialization, ethnic conflicts, political violence, terrorism, corruption, misgovernance, arms trafficking, drug trafficking and human trafficking, poverty, illiteracy, and overdependency on foreign aid are common in both countries. Pakistan has an additional feature of military involvement in politics and the decision-making process. Due to wrong governmental policy, corruption, lack of agriculture, or food security policy, food security is a fundamental issue for both the countries. Foreign currency reserves in Pakistan are currently depleted, and international funding agencies are not interested in sanctioning additional loans. The economic profile of the country has declined due to terror financing. Millions of people in Pakistan are experiencing food crisis, with starvation becoming more common. The government has no adequate money to import food grains from overseas. Since August 2021, the foreign-aid-dependent Afghan economy has been facing severe crisis . After the Taliban took over the administration of Afghanistan for the second time, foreign donors stopped all types of assistance, thereby intensifying the food crisis. Due to the shortage of water, modern irrigation systems, droughts, and modern agriculture equipment, Afghanistan is unable to produce adequate food. This chapter intends to investigate the causes and consequences of food security in Pakistan and Afghanistan through the content analysis method.

Citation

Nandy, D. (2024), "Food Security in Pakistan and Afghanistan: Investigating the Lacunae of Domestic Policy and Foreign Policy", Das, R.C. (Ed.) Growth, Poverty and Developmental Aspects of Agriculture, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 211-224. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83608-076-320241014