Editor’s note: This blog post originally appeared on www.icrc.org. In this series, we feature some of the global activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The cleaned and upgraded canals will allow farmers in Gulbahar to irrigate their main summer crops, such as wheat, maize, and beans, which are planted on 18,720 jiribs of land (around 9,250 acres). This will also substantially improve the community’s food security (ability to access sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to remain healthy) and ability to earn an income from the harvest this summer. This is particularly important given the ongoing economic crisis in Afghanistan, where labor and job opportunities are severely limited, and many people are now relying on a small income from agriculture to survive.

“Assistance in the form of cash for work eases the economic strain on these vulnerable households and also benefits the wider community,” explained Natacha Bazin, the ICRC’s head of office in Gulbahar.

“This project has helped us feel like we are not alone, and the money we have earned will help to sustain us in the coming weeks,” said Mustafa, who was one of the workers on the project.

To read the full blog, please click here.