Policy Brief No.272: Afghanistan’s Pastoral Crisis: A Blind Spot in Humanitarian, Development and Policy Frameworks

Image: Eric Lafforgue Photography

This policy brief argues that the continued exclusion of Afghan pastoralists from humanitarian, development and national policy frameworks represents a critical policy failure with regional consequences extending to Pakistan, Iran, and Central Asia. Drawing on socio-political and ecological evidence, the brief demonstrates that pastoralist’s marginalization undermines the pastoral economy, food security, fuels intercommunal conflict and exposes them to greater risks across border. It calls for the structured integration of pastoralist-responsive approaches that promote pastoralism as a viable and resilient livelihood system in Afghanistan.