Laghman

Laghman demonstrates agricultural niche specialization at its most complete—nearly 90% of the population works in farming, an extraordinary concentration even for rural Afghanistan. The province's lush valleys, watered by the Alingar and Alishing rivers, produce fruits that fill Kabul's markets: oranges, grapefruits, lemons, apples, apricots, alongside walnuts and other dry fruits from mountain forests. Rice, wheat, and cotton round out the agricultural base. Water management infrastructure focuses almost entirely on irrigation—crops and orchards first, livestock second, human consumption last.

The province's historical name, Lamghanat, appears in Baburnama's accounts of the Mughal conquest. The region once included Muslim-settled portions of Kafiristan, the "land of infidels" that remained isolated until forced conversion in the 1890s. This history of gradual absorption into larger political systems continues. Mihtarlam, the capital, has become a high-return district: between October 2023 and August 2024, over 6,800 documented and undocumented returnees arrived from Pakistan and Iran, adding pressure to an agricultural economy already operating near capacity.

Infrastructure investment has begun addressing connectivity constraints. February 2025 saw road tarring projects worth 22 million Afghanis, part of 243 development initiatives completed by May 2024 totaling 278.4 million Afghanis (approximately $3.8 million). The investment pattern reveals priorities: road access to enable agricultural trade drives modernization. Unlike resource-extraction provinces waiting for mining investment, Laghman's development path runs through improved irrigation and market access—organic growth building on what the rivers already provide.