Samangan

ENHANCING STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATION

Samangan is located approximately two hundred and fifty kilometres north west of Kabul, straddling the main road between the capital and Mazar-i-Sharif. Whilst accessibility is relatively good and climatic extremes are less significant then elsewhere, the province suffers disproportionately from lack of access to water, often necessitating the drilling of deep wells, which bring further risks of water table depletion and soil salinity. The majority of people are Uzbeks and 90% of them are employed in agriculture. Only 20% of the land is irrigated, while 80% is rain-fed. Almonds, walnuts and pistachios, the most marketable products rom Samangan, are exported internationally. Livestock products are also an important source of income.

Afghanistan's 2003 National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) showed Samangan provice to have one of the loweest levels of household access to safe drinking water (1%). 62% of households suffered from poor diets, while vulnerability to the incidence of shocks was the highest in Afghanistan. These shocks include drought, crop pests and livestock diseases.

Afghanaid has been working in Samangan since 2000 when it introduced a programme of integrated rural development in two central districts with support from the European Community. In 2005/6, Afghanaid worked in 162 communities across Khuram wa Sarbagh, Hazarat i Sultan and Aybak districts.