Papers by Sayed Reza Hashemi
DYSONA - Applied Science, 2026
Agriculture constitutes the backbone of Afghanistan's economy, as the majority of the population ... more Agriculture constitutes the backbone of Afghanistan's economy, as the majority of the population is directly or indirectly involved in agricultural activities to support their livelihoods. Among widely cultivated crops, cereals represent a strategic agricultural output of the country, ensuring national food security. This study aimed to assess the effects of rainfall and mean annual temperature on cereal production in Afghanistan using a 30-year (1993-2023) time series dataset. Clear year-to-year fluctuations in cereal output and high sensitivity to climatic variability were observed in the dataset. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) econometric model was employed to investigate both short-and long-run relationships between climatic variables and cereal yields. The results showed that rainfall is the primary determinant of cereal production, with a positive and statistically significant effect observed consistently across the analysis. On the other hand, mean annual temperature showed a significant positive short-run effect with a one-year lag, while its long-run effect was insignificant. Unit root tests, the bounds test, and the Error Correction Model (ECM) confirmed the robustness of the short-run relationships; however, no evidence of long-run cointegration was found. These observations reflect the structural instability of Afghanistan's cereal production systems and provide valuable insights for policymakers in designing evidencebased strategies for climate change adaptation within the country's agricultural sector.
Journal of Agriculture and Environment for International Development (JAEID) , 2024
Developing economic activities in villages has been known as one of the important approaches to p... more Developing economic activities in villages has been known as one of the important approaches to poverty reduction, entrepreneurship development, and sustainable development of the rural economy. The most important feature of the Afghanistan villages' economic structure is the lack of diversity in economic platforms as well as the lack of employment opportunities. In this regard, the present study was conducted to identify the components of the creation and development of diversification to rural economic activities and provide solutions in this context in the villages of the Baghlan Jadid district of Baghlan province. The statistical population for this research was all farmers of the Baghlan Jadid district. In this research, the sample size was determined using Cochran's formula of 363 people, which was done by multi-stage sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire and the method was a face-to-face interview. Coefficient of Variation and Exploratory Factor Analysis was used to analyze and describe the data, in addition to descriptive statistics of centrality and dispersion. The results of the factor analysis showed that the components of "education-empowerment", "supporting component", "infrastructurefacilities component", "strategic-legal component" and "access to market component" are considered to be the most important components of creating and developing diversification in rural economic activities, respectively. Also, the findings of the study showed that the villages of this district have the potential capabilities, such as the presence of water resources such as springs and rivers for fish farming, the existence of beautiful landscapes and green spaces, the presence of the spirit of hospitality among the villagers and the belief of the villagers in the employment and income generation of non-agricultural activities. The findings of this innovative study, while facilitating the involvement of villagers in rural economic activities, can also be useful for policymakers and planners in this field.
Potato is a highly consumed staple food in Afghanistan, ranking third in dietary preferences amon... more Potato is a highly consumed staple food in Afghanistan, ranking third in dietary preferences among households, following wheat and rice. Bamyan province is responsible for around 70 percent of the potato production in the country. Although the province possesses a distinct comparative advantage in potato production within the country, potato producers face significant levels of waste during various stages of production. Hence, this study was carried out to examine the fundamental causes of potato waste and determine the techniques for reducing it. The study was conducted in four districts of the province, utilizing the multistage sampling approach. A total of 390 potato growers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires. Descriptive and inferential methods were employed for data analysis. Based on exploratory factor analysis, the key factors that significantly impact postharvest waste management, as perceived by farmers, are 'appropriate storage management', 'proper harvesting and post-harvesting practices', 'pests and diseases control', 'suitable cultivation activities', and 'irrigation management'. Specialized training programs are necessary for farmers to enhance their formal education and embrace new methods. Furthermore, Introducing improvements to storage facilities and employing simple postharvest techniques such as curing, sorting, and washing can effectively minimize waste in the studied area.
International Journal of Environmental and Rural Development, 2018
Wheat is the major crop and staple food in Afghanistan. Though it is a strategic crop in the coun... more Wheat is the major crop and staple food in Afghanistan. Though it is a strategic crop in the country, the nation has never been self-sufficient in wheat domestic production. Yet as a wheat deficit country, it has been highly reliant on wheat and flour imports together with international humanitarian food aids. Thereby, such tremendous dependency on external sources has often led to considerable wheat price fluctuations in Afghan wheat markets associated with imports superfluity or distortions over the years. However, despite the overall weak performance of wheat market in Afghanistan since 2001, the country has got somehow relative stability in this regard over the recent years. Therefore, this study was conducted to address the hurdle through a holistic fashion focusing on both wheat domestic production as well as market aspects in Afghanistan. For production, the study was designed to detect the key underlying factors behind wheat domestic production shortfalls, and for market analysis, wheat price trend was evaluated to determine better policy options so that Afghanistan can achieve better functioning wheat markets in the long run. After all, the findings of this study suggest that there are five mutually exclusive key common factors (invisible factors) behind wheat domestic production quantity and quality failure. Moreover, regarding wheat market stability, Pakistan has been identified as the key disruptive player in the beginning while the Central Asian countries particularly Kazakhstan has recently been the key contributor to wheat market stability in Afghanistan. Therefore, beside concrete policies to boost wheat domestic production within the country, stronger trade ties with Kazakhstan certainly ensure better wheat market performance in Afghanistan.
Conference Presentations by Sayed Reza Hashemi
https://civilica.com/doc/780505/, 2017
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Papers by Sayed Reza Hashemi
Conference Presentations by Sayed Reza Hashemi