Extensive livestock production: Afghanistan’s kuchi herders, risks to and strategies for their survival

Abstract

The focus in this chapter is on those Kuchi (Afghan nomads and transhumant herders) who are still engaged in extensive livestock production, and it explores the challenges that they face today in maintaining their livelihood with emphasis on their greatest livelihood risks: insecurity and conflict, land access and land appropriations, and diminishing water and winter fodder sources. A plan is presented for dealing with these risks that can be executed without delay.