Alternative to poppy offered to southern Afghanistan farmers 

Marines with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, conducted shuras with Garmsir farmers inside of Combat Outpost Sharp and Patrol Base Amir March 7-8.
They discussed current and upcoming agricultural programs which will allow the farmers to move away from growing poppy, a popular crop that is used to make opium and has been the main source of income for many farmers in Garmsir.
“Without the poppy seeds we need everything- corn, wheat, okra,” said one village elder, during the shura in COP Sharp. “If we tell the people they can’t grow poppy, then they’re going to be asking us for different seeds.”
 Wilmer E. Snell, an agricultural specialist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, spoke to the elders about these opportunities the first of which is a program that gives farmers training, seeds, and fertilizer at a discounted price.
“For many months, from the time we got here, we have been trying to connect you with your government,” said 2nd Lt. Conner G Gentil, the executive officer for Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment. “He is here to connect you with your department of agriculture.”
Snell added that the program is also being used to provide the farmers with extra income so they do not feel the need to turn to the Taliban for money.
The program has already started in parts of Garmsir where they have distributed seeds to approximately 2,500 farmers over the past weeks. They will soon be distributing vegetable seeds to the farmers, and Snell hopes to get the farmers of Lakari and Mian Poshtey involved before those packages are gone.
Snell, who stressed that now is the time to think about what kind of seeds the farmers would want to plant next year, brought up the importance of planning for next year.
Snell also talked to the elders about cooperatives. A cooperative is made up of at least 35 members, cannot be located any closer than 300 meters from the next cooperative, and will be able to purchase farming equipment, such as tractors, using money from a grant.
“It’s a way of pooling your resources for things that are shared,” said Snell. “Here in Afghanistan, it’s almost an exercise in governance because they’re not used to working together and having boards of directors and things like that. It’s good for them, it can build their communities.”
The areas of Mian Poshteh and Lakari are newly secured areas, that just months ago, played host to countless firefights between Marines and insurgents. Marines took time at the shura to remind the elders of the need for peace in the area.
“One thing we have to stress is the reason this stuff is able to happen is because we now have security in the area,” said Gentil. “The moment that changes, the second that bad stuff happens here all the way down to Laki, these projects go away. So we need to keep the peace.”
The farmers, Marines, and U.S. AID will meet again to discuss future cooperative opportunities throughout Garmsir.
 “They seemed like they were interested in the packages and that they’re going to have their people enrolled for the benefits,” said Snell.