Left:A field of poppies. Afghanistan is the world's largest opium producer, providing almost three-quarters
Middle: Poppy pods
Right: Young orchards like this one are replacing poppy fields

An acre planted to trees is an acre removed from poppy production.
IFHope believes that high value permanent crops provide the most viable alternative to opium production in terms of both income generation and providing employment.  In addition to the income provided, once the land is planted to a permanent crop it will not be planted to poppies. During a woodlot project in Chaparhar, eucalyptus saplings were planted on land that was already prepared by the farmers – prepared to plant poppies.

The 2003 draft report, “Needs Assessment on Horticulture in Afghanistan” by Future Harvest Consortium to Rebuild Agriculture in Afghanistan and ICARDA describes the labor intensive nature of poppy production and states that 2.8 million people are involved in its production.  They conclude, “Alternatives to poppy are urgently needed to provide both employment and income substitution.” Horticulture is identified as a good alternative because of its labor-intensive nature and similar farming knowledge as is used for poppy production.  

With an average price for raw opium now at $283 per kilogram and expected yields of up to 40 kilograms per hectare, poppy cultivation is much more profitable for farmers than the production of other commodities.  In 2003, poppy cultivation generated a gross income of approximately $1 billion, about $3,900 per opium-growing family.  This compares to an average national wage of $2 per day.   “Rural poverty and the lack of income are the main reasons why farmers produce opium,” according to the FAO. 

Farmers must be given a choice besides “poppy production or starvation”
There is consensus among those who have looked closely at the relationship between rural incomes and poppy production.  Farmers are not receiving enough farm income to support their families and are growing poppies as a means for survival.  This is especially important given the dramatic decline in poppy cultivation for the 2005 crop season.  Through a combination of political pressure, community leadership and local enforcement, IFHope agricultural staff has estimated poppy planting is down over 90% from 2004 levels in Nangarhar Province.  However, farmers must be given a choice besides “poppy production or starvation”.  Unless there are alternative means to earn a living, this decline in poppy production will not last.  Horticulture is repeatedly identified as a viable alternative to increase farm incomes.  Because of the decline in horticultural emphasis over the last 25 years of national conflict, IFHope believes that horticultural production needs significant attention and intends to implement development efforts to address it

Provide a Visible Alternative to Poppy Production
As the advantages of orchard production become evident, another indicator of the result will be the demand for more plantings of alternate crops on the part of farmers who previously grew poppies.

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