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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF CEREAL, VEGETABLE AND GRAPE PRODUCTION SYSTEMS IN URBAN AND PERI-URBAN AGRICULTURE OF KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2011

ZIKRULLAH SAFI ,
LUC HIPPOLYTE DOSSA  and
ANDREAS BUERKERT
ZIKRULLAH SAFI
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, Kabul University, Kabul, Afghanistan Organic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics
LUC HIPPOLYTE DOSSA
Affiliation:
Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
ANDREAS BUERKERT*
Affiliation:
Organic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics
*
Corresponding author: tropcrops@uni-kassel.de
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Summary

Little is known about the economics of urban and peri-urban agriculture in Kabul, Afghanistan. This study therefore aimed to investigate the profitability of 15 mixed cropping farms with a total of 42 farm plots that were selected from a survey of 100 households (HHs). The sample represented the three dominant farm types: cereal producers (15 plots), vegetable farmers (15 plots) and grape producers (12 plots). A cost-revenue analysis of all inputs and outputs (costs of tillage, seed where applicable, weeding, harvesting, casual labour, machinery use, pruning, pesticides and of revenue from produce sold) over two years showed major differences in net HH income. Differences were largely due to production type and crops grown and reflected differences in market prices for produce. Cereal production yielded a total bi-annual revenue of 9630 US$ ha−1, and a gross margin and a net profit of 8770 US$ ha−1. Vegetable farming gave an average bi-annual revenue of 27 900 US$ ha−1, a gross margin of 26 330 US$ ha−1 and a net profit of 25 530 US$ ha−1. Surprisingly, vineyards generated the lowest returns with a revenue of 5400 US$ ha−1, and a gross margin and a net profit of 4480 US$ ha−1. The results suggest that among the production systems studied vegetable cultivation was most profitable given its direct linkage to city market demands, rather stable prices and much shorter growing season than for cereals and grapes. In addition, the inflow of wheat and grapes from rural areas into the city negatively affects local producer revenues. If vineyards are to be maintained in the city surroundings, incentives such as subsidized credit may need to be made available to producers.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 47 , Issue 4 , October 2011 , pp. 705 - 716
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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