ࡱ > U@ 8 bjbj h + R R R 8 $ . l. n. n. n. n. n. n. $ 0 R 3 X . 1 ^ \ @ 1 1 . . Q Q Q 1 8 l. Q 1 l. Q , Q } + h - o@ R v 8, X. . 0 . H, s3 ) s3 - s3 - L 8 & Q ^ J . . D R ^ R Land and Livelihoods Living off the land Afghanistans land is as varied as the people who live in it. In the centre and north-east are the high mountain ranges of Hazarajat and the Hindu Kush, mild in the summer and extremely cold in the winter. To the north are plains that form the bread-basket of Afghanistan. Parts of the south and south-west are desert. In 1978, the year before the Soviet invasion, 85% of the countrys 15 million people lived in rural areas and the country was self-sufficient in food. Tractors are little used and most agricultural work is still done by hand or using animal power. In contrast, the south and north of the country contain rich agricultural areas. Many varieties of fruit-tree were grown, as well as sesame, olives, sunflower, groundnuts, cumin and grain. In Afghanistan, lack of water, rather than land, continued to be a major restriction on production for the country. In 1999, a drought began in the central highlands which spread to the whole of the country in 2000 and got worse in 2001. There was a massive loss of crops which meant that many people had no way of keeping their animals and owners were forced to slaughter their stock. Keeping animals is an important part of the agricultural economy. The drought affected different parts of the country in different ways. The worst affected area was probably the central highlands as the drought started here a year earlier than in most other areas. As the drought wore on, it was not only crops that were affected but also access to drinking water. Many Afghans depend on springs or shallow wells, and even in cities access to piped water is a luxury. The year 2002 saw an improvement in many areas, and the snows in early 2003 were also good. Drugs Afghanistans location has meant that it has always been an important trade route. There has been a large trade in drugs, such as opium and heroin. Opium which comes from poppy seeds has been grown in Afghanistan for centuries. It is thought that the crop was first introduced by traders from China for medicine. It is a drug that causes addiction, creating a market for opium which has led to more people cultivating the crop. Cultivation had remained in a small area of the country until the resistance against the Soviet Union. The war changed this as many mujahedin groups used profits from the opium trade to finance their war efforts, and the breakdown of government control in rural areas meant that cultivation spread. In 1978 only 200 tonnes of opium were produced; in 1999 the UN estimated annual production at 4600 tonnes. Afghanistan had become the largest single source of opium in the world, producing more than three-quarters of the heroin sold in Europe. By 2003, new areas which had never before grown the plant started to grow poppy by poor farmers attracted to the chance of making a livelihood. Poppy growing has also increased in some of the areas where traditionally it had been grown and almost every household in many districts of Afghanistans central highlands was growing poppy. Many thousands of rural families now depend on poppy production. The routes by which opium and heroin are smuggled out of the country vary according to changing opportunities. In recent years, many traders used routes through Moscow in Russia, but with the change of government there have been reports of large quantities also moving south to Kabul, from where it is flown out of the country. The south-west border with Iran is also a favourite route. While there are still Afghans who do not believe in the cultivation of poppy because they see it as going against the teachings of Islam, poppy cultivation will continue as long unless law and order is returned to the country. Source: Afghanistan, Chris Johnson, Oxfam GB, 2004 EMBED PhotoshopElements.Image.4 \s / * + , - . / @ X ʲʣpaSG8G h= h= CJ OJ QJ aJ h= CJ OJ QJ aJ j hnr+ UmH nH u h`7q 5CJ OJ QJ \aJ h h CJ OJ QJ aJ hnr+ CJ OJ QJ aJ h`7q CJ OJ QJ aJ h CJ OJ QJ aJ h 5CJ OJ QJ \aJ .j hS CJ OJ QJ UaJ mH nH sH u h OJ QJ h l 5CJ OJ QJ aJ hg 5CJ OJ QJ aJ hS j hS UmH nH sH u . / q r + - . [ \ gdf gd5X gdn . gdo3 gd`7q gdX1 gd*H $a$gdy?' $a$gdS 7 h 9 p ) 3 ʸymaaRaaF h+ CJ OJ QJ aJ h5X 5CJ OJ QJ \aJ h5X CJ OJ QJ aJ h!-4 CJ OJ QJ aJ hX1 5CJ OJ QJ \aJ hn . 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