Greg Bruno, 'Backgrounder: Nourishing Afghanistan's Agricultural Sector', Council on Foreign Relations, 26 May 2009
EXCERPT: "As the United States focuses new attention on the Afghan war front, U.S. policymakers are emphasizing rural development and agricultural reform as keys to long-term stability. Bruce Riedel, who coauthored the Obama administration's review of Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy, says Washington is 'going to emphasize wheat' as an alternative to opium poppy production, which has helped fund the country's strengthening insurgency. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the farm sector is a pillar of future development, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to spend $27.5 million on food assistance and rural development projects in Afghanistan and Pakistan, on top of $208 million spent on Afghan food aid programs since 2003."
To continue reading the backgrounder, click here.
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'Afghan opium - The farmer's perspective', 8 April 2008
