Reducing the Cultivation of Opium Poppies in Southern Afghanistan
Publisher: Rand Corporation
Author(s): Victoria A. Greenfield, Keith Crane, Craig Bond, Nathan Chandler, Jill E. Luoto, Olga Oliker
Date: 2015
Topics: Livelihoods, Renewable Resources
Countries: Afghanistan
This report identifies a broad range of factors that drive opium poppy cultivation in southern Afghanistan, the locus of opium production in that country, and assesses the positive and negative effects of programs designed to promote rural development, eradicate opium poppies, or otherwise create incentives for farmers to reduce the cultivation of opium poppies. The authors consider the decision to cultivate opium poppy or other crops from the perspective of farmers who must balance concerns about household income and food sufficiency in the context of socio-economic and environmental factors that, for example, relate to security, eradication, and environmental risks; governance and religiosity; landholding terms and conditions; household circumstances; and agricultural input costs and commodity prices.