Afghanistan has long been the world's largest producer of opium poppies, and, according to the United Nations, the income made by Afghan farmers last year from opium sales was $2.2 billion.
He's been working on various projects in Afghanistan for the past 10 years, and his latest project is centred around poppies funded by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. "So part of my job is to help find alternatives that can actually offer a similar rate of return [compared to poppies]."Helping Afghan farmers make the transition away from poppies has been made more challenging by the rising price of opium.
"And increasingly larger sums are further accrued along the illicit drug supply chain outside the country." "For example, our program is assisting farmers with orchard developments, so planting pistachios, pomegranates, pears, apples, persimmons, and stone fruits," he said.