Nationwide livestock census under way

For the first time in more than six years, a nationwide census is under way to establish the extent of livestock losses in Afghanistan, as part of the rehabilitation process. Millions of people lost their sources of food and income as a result of a devastating drought and years of civil war. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is taking the lead role in conducting the survey. "We want to know what impact the four-year drought has had as it is essential for the rehabilitation process," Simon Mack of the FAO's animal production service told IRIN from the Italian capital, Rome. At a cost of US $700,000, the survey will be carried out in more than 30,000 villages in almost every district across the country. "There are a few places on the border with Pakistan that we cannot access due to the conflict there. But we will cover 95 percent of the country," he said. More than 500 Afghans from private veterinary field units will deliver and collect the simple two-page census form over the next few months. "We will contact the local imam and shura [local council] first to explain the reasons for the census, and also use radio stations to inform farmers about the survey," the FAO's census manager, Len Reynolds, said in a statement issued on Tuesday. Earlier surveys conducted indicated that livestock losses had been up to 80 percent. The worst affected populations were the nomads, who have had their entire stock wiped out. Northern Afghanistan is also one of the hardest-hit regions, because it is the country's breadbasket. "What we need to do now is get a reasonably good idea of what the situation is before embarking on rehabilitation," Mack observed. Meanwhile, Mack said the huge loss of livestock had had a substantial effect on the economy, with price increases in meat markets leading to increased vulnerability. FAO already has a smaller-scale livestock project in place, with a new five-year scheme due to start in 2003, focusing on poultry, sheep and dairy rehabilitation. "It is crucial to rehabilitate people in the rural areas as this is the only way for them to survive," he said, adding that the vast majority of households in Afghanistan owned animals. Another major concern was the prevention of disease in animals being brought in from countries bordering Afghanistan. "Rinderpest is a highly contagious disease, and we know that it exists in Pakistan, where some of the cattle is being brought in from," Mack warned, adding that the disease was still prevalent primarily in South Asia. "We are trying to rid the world of this disease under an FAO programme," he said. The information for the census will be completed by the end of March 2003, with results due to be made public in July.