Introduction

Afghanistan is a landlocked and mountainous country situated approximately in the South-Central Asia. According to UN estimate of 2009, country is inhabited with around 28 million population. The National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) 2007–2008 states that more than half of the population of Afghanistan lives below the poverty line. Also, around 31 per cent of the total population does not meet its daily food requirements and around 4 million people each year are severely affected by natural disasters.

The overall threat to the food security in the country is due to the ongoing political risks, difficult access to market, poor sanitation, low education level, droughts and floods and environmental degradation. In lieu of these problems, this chapter discusses the policy options available to tackle the issue of food security in Afghanistan. The chapter also throws light on the role of trade and food bank as a way to achieve food security in the country.

Socio-Political Situation and Access to Food

Historically speaking, whenever either food prices soar or a devastating decrease in the production of food occurs, there is an uproar about food security. The price hike of 1970s and mid 1990s, great famine of 1984–85, and decrease in production during the first decade of 2000 are substantive examples in support of the argument. Although food security is a global issue, its incident is unequally distributed across the world and regions.