Livelihoods in scarcity: combined rainfed farming systems in Ishkamesh, Afghanistan

Abstract

This paper deals with the multiple insecurities affecting combined rainfed farming systems in the Ishkamesh district of Takhar Province in Northern Afghanistan. It looks at how local natural resource management practices work out under conditions of recurrent and severe drought and how pasture access regimes and rainfed farming practices structure intergroup relations in an area that was affected by heavy fighting during Soviet occupation and civil war in Afghanistan. Based on findings from three periods of fieldwork in the area, Ishkamesh can be used to provide a better understanding of practices of rainfed agriculture and the construction of rural livelihoods at the Afghan periphery, which is influenced by high risk environmental conditions. Affected by scarcity of land, deficiency of water, restricted income opportunities and restricted access to education and health facilities, the threats to human security of local populations are identified and security strategies examined.