More than19 million people in Afghanistan are expected to face acute food insecurity during the coming winter, the United Nations warned on Tuesday.

Between September and October, 15.9 million people – nearly one in three Afghans – were facing food insecurity at crisis levels or worse, including 3.4 million in emergency conditions, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said. The outlook is set to deteriorate further over the winter season from November to April.

"The number facing acute food insecurity is projected to rise to 19.2 million, of which 5 million are expected to face emergency levels of hunger... one step away from famine," said the OCHA's Afghanistan spokeswoman Olga Cherevko.

"We must act before winter, not after families have exhausted all the options. That means getting food assistance to people in need, protecting livestock and productive assets, supporting farmers before critical planting windows close, and keeping essential health, nutrition and water services accessible." The OCHA warned that more than 4 million babies and children under six will need treatment for malnutrition next year.

"Over 1 million of these children are expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition," Cherevko said.

"These numbers represent children whose parents cannot afford nutritious food and families whose ability to cope has been worn down by years of conflict, economic hardship, drought and other shocks." The Afghan women farmers keeping their village alive In the midst of this hunger crisis, around one third of nutrition sites across the country have closed or have suspended services – "largely due to funding cuts" said Cherevko.

"Once these services disappear, the consequences could be irreversible, particularly for children." Afghanistan has seen a sharp decline in international aid since 2021, when the Taliban returned to power.

They have imposed a severe version of Islamic law, including a series of rules limiting women's access to education and public life. The Taliban government remains largely excluded from the international community, which criticises its repressive measures.

Five years into Taliban rule, Afghanistan seeks to ease international isolation International aid to Afghanistan has dropped sharply, with the UN saying it had received less than 30 percent of the funding needed to provide life-saving assistance as of late August.

The humanitarian crisis has been worsened by several natural disasters and the forced return of millions of Afghans from Iran and Pakistan since 2023.

Cherevko said humanitarian aid could save lives, but could not compensate indefinitely for the absence of economic opportunity and public services.

While better rainfall and agricultural production this year have helped improve food stocks, one good harvest, she said, "cannot undo the damage of several years of drought".