Daikundi falls into the traditionally ethnicHazara region known as theHazarajat in the highlands of central Afghanistan with the provincial capital,Nili. It was carved out from the northern part ofUruzgan Province in 2004, becoming a separate province.
In November 2007 aWorld Food Programme convoy carrying mixed food aid was forced to abandon its mission due to security concerns and Afghanistan's Interior Ministry confirmed thatTaliban insurgents had infiltrated the southern district ofKajran in a bid to destabilize the province. On 11 November 2007 Afghan forces launched a military operation to drive out the insurgents.[8]
The United States began building new government institutions in the province. The insurgency problem and shortage of food continued until 2012. Several government officials have warned in October 2012 that "If the government or NGOs (non-governmental organizations) do not address the situation with proper assistance, Daikundi would witness many deaths this winter."[9] In the meantime, a rebel leader along with his 150 fighters joined the government-initiated peace drive inNili, capital of Daikundi province.[10]
In July 2018, a bicycle competition was organized in the provincial stadium in Daikundi, between two teams of girls and boys.[11] The bicycle competition was held to promote peace and harmony.[11] There were ten females and ten boys on each of the two teams, and medals, clothing, and other items were given to the winners.[11]
The province of Daikundi is located in central Afghanistan. The province is bordered on the south by Uruzgan, on the east by Ghazni and Bamiyan, on the north and west by Ghor, and the southeast by Helmand. Until March 2004, Dai Kundi was part of Uruzgan province. TheHelmand River separates nearly 90 percent of the steep landscape.[12]
Daikundi is the most vulnerable province to Climate Change in Afghanistan. The province experiences acute water shortages and droughts have poorsoil quality, and risks of avalanches, landslides, and flooding, which cause extensive damage to agricultural land, infrastructure, and food security.[13]
The impacts of climate change in Daikundi are manifold, mostly due to the limited institutional capacity to plan and respond to these impacts.[13]
With support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) are cooperating on pilot field demonstrations in Daikundi province that aim to build environment adaptive and resilience of vulnerable villages to climate change impacts.[14]
The above-mentioned organization also aims to build the capacity of local institutions to address climate change risk within the peri-urban extent of the rapidly developing Nili Town.[13]
Agriculture is the main industry of the province. It is well known for its high-qualityalmonds, which are distributed throughout Afghanistan.
The dry weather of Daikundi and its uncertainty of precipitation make farmers concerned about their farm products. They are mostly relying on irrigated land, as they are afraid they do not lose their time, capital, and their labors.
As Daikundi does not have enough rainfall, there is a low capacity for wheat, orchard crops, beans, and vegetable production in cultivation; this makes the household members not have enough required food.
Daikundi people have less access to markets as there is a long distance from rural areas to local markets, poor road networks, snowstorms in the winter, and insecurity. However, people still sell their fruits and nuts to the traders at the farm gates, which get transported to the provincial center and regional markets.
Since the water for irrigation has decreased in Daikundi province, farmers are very concerned about their food production and pasture; even, this has affected farmland leasing. The farmers are not interested to contract lease lands as their crop production is lower and strongly relies on precipitation. Therefore, farmland leasing has decreased in Daikundi province.
The dry weather of Daikundi has not only affected farm production but also has negatively impacted livestock. The fodders and pastures are not enough and sufficient for the animals and they get common diseases like Tuberculosis, PPR (Peste Des Petits Ruminants), Sheep pox, foot and mouth diseases, etc. Even the dairy preservation is very poor in which milk and dairy are not sold in the market, except Kurut.
The only season that dairy products are consumed is during the spring season between April and June. The rest of the year, people in Daikundi do not have access to better nutrition status and try to import dairy products, like yogurt, from other provinces.
Taking care of fruit trees is the most important agricultural part of Daikundi. The most common fruits are almonds, mulberry, and walnuts. The districts ofShahristan,Miramor, and Ishtarlari are the main and major producers of these fruits.
Also, fruit tree plantations, which are mostly apples and almonds, have been increased and supported by NHLP, National Horticulture and Livestock Project.
The Market of Daikundi is pretty functional throughout the year but it has its struggles over the winter season as communications become difficult.[19]
As a result of the above situation, the market and traders in the district centers make enough food stocks at their household level to ensure that there are enough stocks during the winter season.
Daikundi is mostly a rural tribal society. The ethnicHazaras make up the majority of the total population of the province, who speak theDari andHazaragi, eastern varieties ofPersian.[5]
Estimated ethnolinguistic and -religious composition
The crude death rate was 0.42 (0.25–0.68) (95 percent CI) and the under-five death rate was 0.66 (0.29–1.51) respectively (95 percent CI). Both rates are below the SPHERE emergency levels.
The firstGole Badam Festival was held in Daikundi 14 years ago. In 2010, the Hazara International Network recommended that this Festival be held to commemorate the blossoming of the almond tree.[26]
Almonds are the province's principal agricultural commodity, and many households rely on them for livelihood.[26]
The city's Almond Festival, an annual event hosted by the province government, drew nearly 4,000 people from across Daikundi to celebrate.[26]
Almond cultivation is a major contributor to the Daikundi economy.[26]
Hussain Sadiqi, an athlete who won in some competitions in the world.
Shakardokht Jafari, a medical physicist who is an innovator based at the Surrey Technology Centre. She developed an efficient and low-cost method of measuring a medical dose of radiation.
