KABUL, Afghanistan – Local Afghans lined up at the seed distribution warehouse Thursday as the seed distribution program continues in Lashkar Gah and 10 other districts throughout Helmand province.
The seed distribution program is now in its third year and the 2010 iteration is the largest effort to date. This year’s goal is for 48,000 farmers to participate.
“It’s an alternative livelihood option for the Helmandi farmers to grow wheat as opposed to poppies,” said Capt. Dina Poma-Barnes, the agriculture officer with Regional Command Southwest.
This year’s program features a subsidized wheat and fertilizer package as an incentive for farmers.
This third year of the program also includes the participation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock; an Afghan government entity responsible for documenting farmers who choose to participate in the food zone program.
“When you get the government involved, they now have the names of these farmers who have agreed to sign in on this contract and so with every carrot comes a stick, the stick will be eradication,” said Poma-Barnes.
When a Helmand farmer participates in a food zone program package, he is subject to potential crop inspections. These inspections are conducted when an agriculture specialist from the Afghan Agriculture Ministry provides training in farming techniques to individual farmers.
If an inspection reveals that a farmer has harvested poppies, the illegal crop is destroyed. The destruction of illegal crops is known as a government led eradication and it’s a mechanism used by GIRoA to enforce the terms of the seed distribution contract signed by the participating farmers.
“Every farmer in Afghanistan knows that growing poppies is illegal, so being able to participate in this program allows the government not only to extend its outreach, lend a helping hand, but also proves that they are legitimate when they come back and enforce the laws that they have laid out and communicated to the public, ” said Poma-Barnes.
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