“Better no gold than no snow,” says an old Afghan proverb. In this largely agricultural country, the absence of the latter leads inevitably to a shortage of the former.

“There is no snow,” wailed Shirin Aqa, 58, a farmer living in Yaka Toot, an agricultural area east of Kabul. “The mountains, the farms, and everywhere is dry. I do not know what will happen next year.”

Kabul has not experienced such dryness during the winter in at least 30 years, according to farmers and meteorologists.

In former winters snow was common in Kabul. Children made snowmen, had snowball fights, and all of the other activities associated with the cold white stuff.

But those living around Kabul are concerned about much more than recreation. Shirin Aqa looks very worried as he surveys his brown fields. He is quiet for a moment, and then goes back to his major preoccupation.

“What will happen if it doesn’t snow?” he said.

The sun shines on his deeply lined face and wrinkled hands. The difficulties of his life can be clearly seen.

He says that he feeds his extended family with the produce of his fields. But this year he has no idea how he will manage.

“Rain and snow have been decreasing for a long time,” he said. “But I can remember no winter like this one, at least for the past 30 years.”

Shirin Aqa understands only too well that if there is no snow, the water table will fall. He points to a well on his farm. The water used to be just two meters below the surface, he said. Now it is more than 18 meters down.

“This year I planted cabbage and other vegetables, but nothing is growing,” he said. “This is a disaster.”

Last year Shirin Aqa harvested almost one ton of wheat from 6,000 square meters. This year he will have nothing.

“The government will have to step in and do something, otherwise people will die of hunger or leave the country,” he said.

According to Abdul Qadir, Head of Afghanistan’s Department of Meteorology, the prime season for snow is between December and February. With January fast approaching its end, and no snow in sight, it has been an extremely unusual winter.

“Snowfall during this season is vital for water sources and irrigation,” he said.

Abdul Qadir believes that the drought in Afghanistan is related to the problem of global warming. Snow patterns have been irregular all over the world, he pointed out. While there has been very little snow in Afghanistan, there has been unusual cold and a surfeit of snow in the United States, Europe and China.

Industrial countries are the creators of this trouble, he insisted, and he demands that they take action.

“Every dollar spent to counter global warming will bring in seven dollars in increased revenue,” he said.

The lack of snow will have a severe effect on the country’s agricultural output, said Professor Mohammad Yasin Mohseini.

“If there is no snow especially in December and January, it will very negatively affect agriculture, especially wheat,” he said. Wheat is planted in early November and needs moisture over the winter months.

“Trees will also be badly affected,” said Professor Mohseni, “Especially fruit trees, which have very weak roots. They will dry out.”

In the short term, he calls on the government, particularly the Ministries of Agriculture, Water and Energy, and Rural Rehabilitation and Development, to try and conserve water and control water sources. But in the long term, Afghanistan must develop a strategic plan, he said.

“We have to meet this challenge, because in addition to the negative impact this situation has on agriculture, it also has bad environmental effects,” added Professor Mohseni.