Attachments
Spring wheat planting took place earlier than normal
Key Messages
• Most lower elevation areas of Afghanistan have already emerged from the lean season; dietary diversity and access to markets has improved.
• Since early February, precipitation has been temporally regular and of normal volume, which has contributed to the current, normal or slightly early crop development. Total seasonal precipitation since October is below average in northern, northeastern, and southern Afghanistan. Near normal rainfall is assumed to continue through April, resulting in continued normal or early development of winter and spring grain crops.
• At the higher elevations, poor households’ food stocks will soon run out. Typically, poor households will sell some of their livestock to procure food to last until the grain harvest starts in August or September. With above average terms of trade between livestock and wheat, pastoral and agropastoral households should be able to fund food purchases without making unsustainable livestock sales.