Evaluation of the diversity of agricultural production systems in Afghanistan

Background & Objective: In the past, agroecosystems were managed based on diverse cultivation of crop species and landraces. Today intensive agricultural systems are mainly monocultures with low sustainability, because the mutual relationships between living organisms and the environment are not paid attention. Intensification in spatiotemporal dimensions and uncontrolled use of external inputs have created ecosystems with less diversity and greater vulnerability. Afghanistan has an agricultural-based economy and food security of people in mostly dependent on national agricultural production. However, in recent years food production in the country is threatened due to complicated political conditions. It is well documented that proper use of biodiversity could be enhance crop production in low input systems. However, so far, no published information is available on this important issue. This study was conducted to evaluate the diversity of Afghanistan agricultural production at agroecosystem level.

Materials and Methods: In order to carry out this research, countrywide data set was collected. Required data were extracted through collected questionnaires from 388 counties in 34 provinces. For this purpose, all provinces and at least 10% of the counties located in each province were selected and evaluated based on the cultivated area of crop species across the provinces. In addition, the national registered information and the data available in the agricultural management centers of the provinces were also used. The existing production systems were differentiated using cluster analysis. The common crop rotations in different provinces were also extracted from the questionnaires and included in the relevant table.

Results: The results showed that the provinces of Afghanistan are very similar in terms of the proportion of land allocated for cereal crops production. Cluster analysis indicated that cereals cropping system is practiced across the country. According to the cluster analysis, since cereals have allocated between minimum 41.2% (Maidan Wardak province) and maximum 96.70% (Konar province) of the cultivated area of different provinces, the agricultural system of Afghanistan is based on the cultivation of cereals. Wheat has a significantly higher contribution in cropping systems compared to other cereals provided that agricultural production of Afghanistan is dominated by a wheat-based system. Pulse, vegetables, industrial plants and forage crops are respectively formed maximum equal to 14.2%, 55.5%, 33.4%, 38.2% of the cultivated area of other major agricultural products, respectively in Daikundi, Nimroz , Balkh and Logar provinces. The three provinces of Bamyan, Nimroz and Maidan Wardak have the highest percentage of vegetable cultivation area with 24.9%, 55.5%, and 28.5% respectively. The minimum and maximum percentage of the area under the cultivation of pulse, belongs to the provinces of Farah (0.56%) and Daikundi (14.2%) and Balkh province has the highest percentage of cultivated area of industrial plants in Afghanistan (33.4%). Study of crop rotations showed that in most of the provinces, cereals are dominant crops and other crops such as pulse, vegetables, industrial plants and forage crops are alternated as second crops along with cereals. Common crop rotations in the country are mainly based on wheat cultivation, and do not have much variation among provinces. In addition to irrigated agriculture, dryland farming is also prevalent in this country, which includes 32% of all cultivated lands.

Conclusion: In general, the results of this study showed that the agro-ecosystems of Afghanistan are very similar to that of neighboring countries, including Iran, and has been developed based on wheat cultivation. Also, the diversity is relatively poor at the level of agro-ecosystems, and their management is designed for the development of uniform irrigated agriculture in short-term crop rotations.