AFGHANISTAN

Location
It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north.

Population
In 2014 they estimated that the population was around 31,822,848. The current population is 32,854,194.

Topography:
Afghanistan is a country with a very varied geography, ranging from plains to mountains to deserts. 2 thirds of Afghanistan is covered in mountains. Half of the remaining third of Afghanistan is desert, and the other half is pastures and farmlands which is about 15% of the land.

Industries:
Some of the exports include- small-scale production of bricks, textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilisers, clothes, food products, non- alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement, handwoven carpets, natural gas, coal, copper, wool, cotton, gemstones and fruits.

Main export partners:
Afghanistan's main export partners are India (23.5%) , Pakistan (17.7%), Tajikistan (12.8%) and United States (16.5%)

Main import partners are Pakistan (36%), US (9.3%), Germany (7.5% ) and India (6.9%)

Explain the causes for the food scarcity in Afghanistan.
The cause for the food scarcity in Afghanistan is because of all the increase in prices for wheat flour and vegetable oil, after three decades of war, civil unrest (protest between the two countries) and natural disasters which could destroy and damage crops. Nearly one-third ( 7.6 million) of Afghanistan's people are food-insecure, which means they cannot get enough nutritious food to support an active, healthy lifestyle. Over half of children under 5 years are malnourished and one-fifth of Afghan women that give birth age are underweight.

What problems has that food scarcity led to?
Food scarcity has lead to people starving and dying from hunger and there are some people who can not afford to buy food because of the increase in prices. Also some have been eating grass just to survive due to hunger and poverty.

What is being done to overcome that problem?
The WFP (United Nations World Food Programme) and the Afghanistan Government are working on an appeal for food aid for people who don't have food to eat. They'll be making 40,000 tons of food which will cost around $30 million dollars.

Bibliography

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan
• http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=25283#.VbrbcicaySP
• http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/afghanistan/export-import.html