A Paradise of Silt, Sand and Rock

Old hippies love Afghanistan. Following the Grand Trunk Road, they traveled through this country in the 1970’s on their way to enlightenment in India. Others stayed longer getting lost in clouds of hashish while indulging in Kabul’s mini-skirted scene. Today these dusty travelers sit at Kabul’s rare bars, look into the distance and reminisce of the trees and flowers that once blanketed the countryside, a pastoral landscape, green and peaceful.

Today when a US soldier looks into the distance all he or she sees is 33 shades of one color — beige. Yet, facts do back up the memories of the old hippies. In the 60’s and 70’s, flowers were so abundant they sold throughout the Middle East and Europe. Grapes, with genetic roots from California, adorned the tables of families throughout the Gulf and 20 percent of the world's raisins were grown in Afghanistan. According to the Afghan agriculture ministry, farmers produced enough grains, fruits and vegetables they were able to export which is unusual today. Yet, one crop is still abundant, hashish. For those who are interested, the hashish grown in Mazar-e-Sharif is considered the most potent in the world.

Here are a few facts and photos illustrating why rebuilding the agriculture sector is a main priority in the US counterinsurgency strategy.

• Of the $4.4 billion spent by USAID between 2002 and 2006, just 5 percent was for agriculture-related projects. It fell to 4 percent between 2007 and 2008.
  
  
• The environment in Afghanistan is harsh. Only 19.5 % of the land is arable and droughts are common.
  
  
• Over the last thirty years of war, cultivated land area has declined by half to just 6% of the country. Causes are population dislocation, land mines and damage to centuries-old irrigation infrastructure.
  
  
• Water from the Hindu Kush in northern and eastern regions fill the numerous rivers and creeks, yet prewar irrigation systems are damaged beyond quick repair with only 25 percent currently operating, the UN believes.
  
  
• Electricity is unreliable and frequently nonexistent in most rural areas.
  
  
• A shredded road system makes transporting produce to nearby markets difficult. Only 58 percent of rural villages have seasonal access with average walking distance to reach those roads nearly three miles.
  
  
• In 2008 the first public demonstration against food price increases occurred in Jalalabad. As a result, the WFP distributed 500 tons of food to 30,000 people during that week in Kabul; 200 tons to 12,000 people in Mazar-e-Sharif and Kunduz; and 500 tons to 30,000 people in Kandahar and Helmand.