I have always had difficulty with "export" as a solution to third world
problems; it is to my mind "a one step solution to a two step ditch".
In Afghanistan the farmers are living in what is essentially a feudal system
under tribal headmen. The headmen get the big payoff while the farmers are
basically getting by. The wealth accumulates in the hands of a few brutal
strongmen and makes its way to organizational despots like the Taliban, who
maintain a climate of repression in the name of Allah.
I don't think that a crop different from poppies (the precursor of heroin)
is going to change much without a major change in the system. Afghan
president Kharsai, is part of that system and is as reluctant to change it
as are the Taliban. It seems what is needed are some models of
sustainability to point the way for farmers that it is possible for them to
determine their own fate and prosper without the traditional leaders riding
on their shoulders.
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