Strengthening food security, household income and rural resilience across 11 communities
TYPE: Livelihoods Development – Food Security – Climate-Smart Agriculture – Livestock Support
IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 2023–2024
GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS: Firozkoh and 11 surrounding villages, Ghor Province, Afghanistan
DONOR: United Nations Development Programme – UNDP Afghanistan
IMPLEMENTED BY: Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO)
TARGET GROUP: 300 vulnerable rural households dependent on small-scale agriculture and livestock
Project Overview
The Climate-Smart Greenhouses and Livestock Support Project was implemented by Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization in 2023 and 2024 with financial support from UNDP Afghanistan.
The project reached 300 rural households across 11 villages surrounding Firozkoh, the provincial capital of Ghor. It responded to the serious food-security and livelihood challenges facing communities that depend heavily on small-scale farming and livestock for their survival.
Through the project, SUAO distributed 300 household greenhouses and supported the renovation of livestock stables for participating families. The intervention enabled households to improve vegetable production, protect livestock and diversify their sources of food and income.
The project combined immediate livelihood assistance with longer-term resilience by providing families with productive assets that could continue generating benefits beyond the formal implementation period.
Development Context
Rural communities in Ghor Province face significant barriers to maintaining sustainable livelihoods.
The province is characterised by:
- Harsh and prolonged winters
- Short agricultural seasons
- Recurrent drought and water scarcity
- Limited irrigation infrastructure
- Low agricultural productivity
- Poor access to markets
- Livestock diseases and winter losses
- Limited livelihood alternatives
- High levels of poverty and food insecurity
For many families, agriculture and livestock are their main sources of food and income. When crops fail or animals become sick or die during severe weather, households may lose both their immediate food supply and their principal economic assets.
Traditional open-field agriculture is also highly dependent on seasonal rainfall and suitable temperatures. This limits the variety of crops families can produce and reduces access to fresh vegetables during colder months.
The project was designed to address these interconnected challenges through practical and climate-sensitive livelihood support.
Household Greenhouses
SUAO distributed 300 greenhouses, providing one greenhouse unit for each participating household.
The greenhouses were intended to help families:
- Extend the agricultural growing season
- Produce vegetables in more controlled conditions
- Protect crops from cold weather and harsh winds
- Improve access to fresh and nutritious food
- Reduce dependence on external food purchases
- Generate income through the sale of surplus produce
- Diversify household livelihood activities
- Improve resilience to changing climatic conditions
Greenhouse cultivation provides an important opportunity in a province where conventional agricultural production is restricted by climate and geography.
By creating a protected growing environment, participating households gained greater potential to cultivate vegetables beyond the traditional agricultural season and make more productive use of limited land and water resources.
Livestock Stable Renovation
Livestock represents one of the most important household assets in rural Ghor.
Families depend on sheep, goats, cattle and other animals for:
- Milk and dairy products
- Meat
- Household income
- Agricultural production
- Transportation
- Emergency financial security
However, inadequate livestock shelters expose animals to cold, disease, injury and loss, particularly during Ghor’s severe winter months.
The project therefore supported the renovation and improvement of livestock stables for participating households.
Improved shelters were intended to provide:
- Better protection from rain, snow and extreme cold
- Safer conditions for animals
- Improved livestock health and survival
- Reduced household losses during winter
- Better management of productive animals
- Greater stability of livestock-based livelihoods
Protecting livestock also helped safeguard household assets and reduce the risk that families would lose a critical source of food and income.
Geographic Coverage
The intervention reached 11 villages surrounding Firozkoh City.
Working across several communities allowed the project to respond to livelihood needs beyond the provincial centre and reach rural households with limited access to development assistance.
SUAO’s local presence in Ghor Province supported community engagement, field access and direct communication with participating households.
Key Project Activities
The main activities included:
- Identification of vulnerable rural households
- Distribution of 300 household greenhouse units
- Support for greenhouse establishment and agricultural production
- Renovation and improvement of livestock stables
- Engagement with participating communities
- Coordination with relevant local stakeholders
- Field follow-up and documentation
- Promotion of climate-sensitive agricultural practices
- Support for food production and household livelihood diversification
Main Results
The project achieved the following confirmed outputs and development results:
- 300 vulnerable households received direct livelihood support.
- 300 greenhouse units were distributed.
- Eleven villages surrounding Firozkoh were reached.
- Participating households gained greater capacity to cultivate vegetables in protected conditions.
- Families improved their potential access to nutritious household food.
- Greenhouse production created opportunities for households to sell surplus vegetables and increase income.
- Renovated livestock stables improved the protection and management of productive animals.
- The intervention helped families diversify their livelihoods and reduce dependence on a single source of income.
- SUAO strengthened its experience in agricultural livelihoods, food security and community-based development programming.
Food Security Impact
The greenhouse component directly addressed household food insecurity by increasing families’ capacity to produce vegetables locally.
For households with limited income, home-grown vegetables can reduce food expenditure while improving dietary diversity. Access to fresh produce is particularly important for children, women, older persons and families experiencing poor nutrition.
Where production exceeded household needs, families could potentially sell or exchange surplus vegetables within local markets, generating additional income for other essential expenses.
The intervention therefore supported both household consumption and economic recovery.
Livelihood Impact
The project strengthened two of the most important livelihood systems in rural Ghor: small-scale farming and livestock ownership.
Greenhouses provided households with an additional productive asset, while stable renovation helped protect animals that represented existing household wealth.
Together, these components contributed to:
- More diversified household income
- Reduced exposure to seasonal agricultural losses
- Improved protection of livestock assets
- Increased capacity for household food production
- Greater economic self-reliance
- Reduced vulnerability to climatic shocks
The project did not provide temporary consumption support alone. It invested in productive assets that families could continue using after project completion.
Climate Resilience
The intervention was particularly relevant in the context of climate change.
Ghor Province is increasingly affected by irregular precipitation, drought, flooding, water shortages and extreme weather. These conditions make traditional agricultural production less predictable.
Greenhouses can help reduce exposure to some of these risks by offering a controlled production environment. Improved livestock shelters also help protect animals from extreme temperatures and weather-related losses.
The project therefore promoted practical climate adaptation at household level by helping families protect and strengthen the livelihood systems on which they depend.
Community Ownership
The sustainability of the intervention depended on the active involvement of participating families and communities.
The greenhouses and improved livestock shelters were located at household level, placing responsibility for their maintenance and productive use directly with the participating families.
This approach promoted ownership because beneficiaries were not passive recipients of short-term assistance. They became responsible for managing productive assets that could support their food security and income over several agricultural seasons.
SUAO’s local presence also supported communication with communities and follow-up during implementation.
Role of Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization
SUAO implemented the project through its local structures and field presence in Ghor Province.
Its responsibilities included:
- Community engagement
- Household identification and coordination
- Distribution of greenhouse units
- Coordination of livestock stable improvements
- Liaison with local stakeholders
- Field implementation and logistical management
- Monitoring and documentation
- Communication with participating communities
- Reporting on project progress and results
The project further strengthened SUAO’s institutional capacity in climate-smart agriculture, rural livelihoods, food security and community-based development.
Partnership with UNDP Afghanistan
UNDP Afghanistan provided the financial support that enabled the project to reach vulnerable rural households.
The partnership combined UNDP’s development support with SUAO’s:
- Local access
- Knowledge of rural communities
- Community relationships
- Field implementation capacity
- Understanding of agricultural and livelihood needs in Ghor
This locally implemented model ensured that project assistance responded to the practical realities of participating communities.
Sustainability
The project was designed to generate benefits beyond the implementation period.
Greenhouses can continue producing vegetables over multiple seasons when properly maintained. Livestock shelters also remain household assets that protect animals year after year.
Longer-term benefits may include:
- Continued household food production
- Reduced expenditure on vegetables
- Income from surplus agricultural products
- Improved survival and health of livestock
- Protection of productive household assets
- Greater resilience to future climatic shocks
- Reduced reliance on short-term assistance
The combination of agriculture and livestock support also reduced the risk associated with dependence on a single livelihood source.
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
The project contributed to several goals within the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
SDG 1 – No Poverty
The project supported productive household assets and opportunities for income generation.
SDG 2 – Zero Hunger
Greenhouse cultivation improved families’ capacity to produce nutritious food locally.
SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
Agricultural production and livestock support contributed to rural economic activity and self-employment.
SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production
The intervention promoted more efficient and sustainable household food-production systems.
SDG 13 – Climate Action
Greenhouses and improved animal shelters strengthened household adaptation to extreme weather and changing climatic conditions.
SDG 15 – Life on Land
Improved agricultural and livestock practices supported more sustainable management of rural livelihood assets.
SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals
The project demonstrated cooperation between UNDP Afghanistan, SUAO and local communities.
Long-Term Development Impact
The project helped participating households move from vulnerability toward greater self-reliance.
Instead of addressing food insecurity through short-term food distributions alone, the intervention gave families the means to produce food, protect livestock and strengthen their own livelihoods.
For households facing recurring drought, poverty and limited employment opportunities, these productive assets created a foundation for longer-term recovery and resilience.
The project also demonstrated how relatively focused agricultural investments can create multiple benefits at household level, including better nutrition, improved income, protection of livestock and increased confidence in families’ ability to manage future challenges.
Conclusion
The Climate-Smart Greenhouses and Livestock Support Project strengthened the livelihoods and food security of 300 households across 11 villages surrounding Firozkoh in Ghor Province.
Through the distribution of 300 greenhouses and the renovation of livestock stables, the project supported year-round vegetable cultivation, improved livestock protection and created new opportunities for household income and food self-sufficiency.
Implemented by Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization with financial support from UNDP Afghanistan, the initiative demonstrated the importance of locally led and climate-sensitive development solutions for vulnerable rural communities.
By investing in productive assets rather than temporary assistance alone, the project contributed to stronger households, more resilient livelihoods and greater long-term economic stability in Ghor Province.