The Government of Italy has approved the second phase of funding for “Improving the well-being of Afghan women and youth by increasing licit income opportunities” project to build upon the results achieved during Phase 1 of the project in Herat and Nangarhar provinces.
Since its launch in December 2024, the project enabled 1,514 vulnerable former poppy farmer households (including 53% of women-led households) across 93 villages in five districts in Herat and Nangarhar, to access licit and sustainable income opportunities. The project mitigated the potential return of target communities to opium poppy cultivation, supporting long-term community resilience, economic stability, and access to sustainable value chains and markets.
Building on previously implemented UNODC Alternative Development initiatives, Phase 2 of the project will scale up proven interventions, particularly saffron cultivation in Herat and rose cultivation in Nangarhar, which have demonstrated strong potential as high-value alternatives to opium poppy. Both provinces remain priority areas under the Joint Action Plan on Alternative Livelihoods developed by Afghanistan de facto Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and the United Nations in consultation with independent Afghan experts under the framework of the Doha Process’s Counter Narcotic Working Group.
Through this continued partnership, Phase 2 of the project will strengthen alternative livelihood opportunities, enhance economic resilience for 6,797 women and youth, and contribute directly to national and international efforts to reduce reliance on narcotic crops cultivation in Afghanistan.
