The Economic Importance of Crop Residues in Afghanistan Wheat-Based Farming Systems

Wheat, the dominant food crop of Afghanistan, is grown in all the major farming systems prevailing in the country, in most of which crops and livestock are closely related. Important inputs for the crops, chiefly manure and draught animals, come from the livestock sector, whilst a significant part of the crop revenue comes from the use or sale of crop residues, chiefly as fodder but also as building materials and fuel. Calculations based on a nationwide 2003 farm survey suggest that not considering crop residues as part of the crop revenue (a regrettably common practice) would lead to a gross underestimation of the crop's profitability. In fact, even in years of high production and relatively low prices, and with very conservative cost-calculation assumptions, growing wheat for grain and residues is still a profitable operation. It is therefore strongly recommended that cost/benefit calculations in this kind of farming systems take always the value of residues into account