ERA II Midterm Review
This midterm review assesses the outcomes of the Empowering Rural Afghanistan (ERA-II) programme in Badakhshan, Daikundi, Faryab, Ghazni, Kapisa, Paktia, and Takhar – measuring progress against set targets, looking at what has changed, where progress has been made, and where gaps remain. It focuses on programme indicators related to livelihoods, food security, natural resource management (NRM), disaster risk reduction (DRR), and dialogue and conflict transformation. Data were collected through household surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews with programme participants in November 2025.
Overall, the findings demonstrate substantial progress across most programme indicators. Improvements have been observed in household livelihoods, income, agricultural and livestock productivity, climate-smart agriculture adoption, natural resource management, and food security. The following summarises progress across the main programme indicators between the 2023 baseline and the 2025 midterm.
- Livelihood opportunities: The proportion of supported households reporting improved livelihood opportunities increased from 14.7% at baseline to 59.9% at midterm. Female-headed households reported particularly strong progress (70.6%) compared to male-headed households (54.1%). The main drivers of improvement were better crop and fruit productivity, improved access to irrigation, and increased employment opportunities. Around one in five households still reported declining livelihoods, primarily due to drought and reduced employment.
- Household income: The proportion of households reporting increased income rose from 11.0% at baseline to 56.1% at midterm. However, many households still face economic pressure to meet their basic needs, reportedly due to natural hazards, drought, market instability, rising prices, ongoing regional instability and conflict, and the closure of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, from mid-2025. Agriculture, livestock, small businesses, and labour wage remain the primary sources of income.
- Agricultural productivity: 60.2% of households reported increased agricultural productivity in 2025, compared to only 13.3% at baseline. Farmers reported better crop yields, improved irrigation access, increased use of organic fertilisers and drought-tolerant seeds, and wider adoption of crop rotation and water conservation practices. Challenges such as drought, irregular rainfall, pests, limited irrigation water, and lack of agricultural inputs continue to affect productivity in some areas.
- Livestock productivity: Economic benefits from livestock increased notably among households that rely on livestock as their primary source of income, rising from 6.6% at baseline to 78.9% at midterm, though animal diseases and limited access to veterinary services continue to be reported as barriers.
- Natural resource management (NRM): The programme strengthened sustainable NRM practices and environmental protection efforts at the community level. Partner communities increasingly adopting soil conservation measures, reforestation activities, organic farming practices, and tree plantation. The establishment of NRM committees and their sub-groups contributed to improved community awareness and local engagement in climate adaptation and environmental protection.
- Food security: Household food consumption score (borderline or acceptable) improved from 31.6% at baseline to 66.3% at midterm. However, dietary diversity remains limited, with most households still relying heavily on a narrow range of food items. Most households (76.7%) are still employing some form of food-related coping strategy, indicating that food stress has not been eliminated.
- Disaster risk reduction (DRR): Community resilience to climate and natural disasters improved from 14.6% at baseline to 64.3% at midterm. Access to DRR infrastructure was reported at 49.1% at midterm, compared to 23.7% at baseline. Communities showed strong understanding of disaster risks (80.2%) and functional DRR committees and structures at the community level (74.1%).
- Dialogue and conflict transformation: This cross-cutting component has shown strong results. 52.5% of community members participated in dialogue sessions, with satisfaction rates above 98% and high reported relevance. Most participants said they had applied dialogue skills at both family and community level, contributing to improved communication and social cohesion across target areas.
