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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (44365)	9/16/2002 7:46:22 AM
From: maceng2	Respond to of 281500

As bad as things are, they are better than under them. Yep, not much news, but it was not so recent that Afghanistan faced massed starvation. Still addressing the problems, myafghan.com Afghan Seed Stocks Face Depletion KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The seeds were bred over generations - hardy strains of chickpeas, lentils, melons and other crops tough enough to withstand the scorching summers and brutal winters of Afghanistan. For years, they were hidden in basements for safekeeping as war and the worst drought in 40 years devastated the country. But when the Taliban fled, looters arrived - and dumped out the priceless seeds to steal the plastic jars that contained them. "They had no idea of their value," said Nassrat Wassimi, who had painstakingly gathered the seeds. Now an international consortium of scientists is working to replenish Afghanistan's seed stocks and save them for future generations to ensure good harvests and enough food to go around. Otherwise, Afghanistan's 27 million people will remain dependent on international food aid for decades. The organization, Future Harvest, is working to bring back crop samples that were collected in Afghanistan during the 1960s and 1970s and are now stored at seed banks in India, Mexico, Pakistan and Syria. The aim is to help the Afghanistan's once-thriving farming sector move toward food self-sufficiency by 2007. A nationwide seed collection representing most of the country's food and cash crops was destroyed in 1992, at the start of a brutal four-year civil war. In the years that followed, plant scientists began to rebuild the collection. In 1998, Wassimi, an adviser to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization's crop improvement program, hid hundreds of dried seed samples in plastic jars - some in the FAO office in the eastern city of Jalalabad, others at a friend's home in Ghazni. But when the Taliban fled Kabul and other major cities late last year, looters took advantage. "They threw the (seed) samples out on the ground and took the jars with them.," Wassimi told The Associated Press on Friday in Kabul, where he is directing the local Future Harvest program. Wassimi said the seed stocks, known to agricultural experts as "gene banks," were highly valued because Afghanistan's farmers had spent centuries breeding them. They were tailored to the soils and harsh, dry climate of Afghanistan, as well as the tastes of Afghan consumers. The destroyed seeds Wassimi tried to safeguard included samples of wheat, barley, chickpeas, lentils, melons, pistachios, almonds, pomegranates, and other fruits and pasture crops. The effort is part of a broader, $12 million program to rebuild Afghanistan's agricultural infrastructure and provide farmers with seeds for the next planting season. Most of that funding is coming from the U.S. Agency for International Development. - Article submitted at 12:25 PM (CST) on 9/14/2002

To: LindyBill who wrote (44365)	9/17/2002 1:56:20 AM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

My question, after reading your post, is "Will kicking out Saddam make things worse for the Iraqis?" Based on what I have read, the answer is no. Same thing for removing the Taliban. As bad as things are, they are better than under them. It's hard to say what effect the ejection of Saddam would have on the Iraqis. It will unquestionably place us in a vulnerable position. We will become patron and protector of a government that will almost certainly be weak and vulnerable. If that government falls, it will be seen throughout the region as a defeat for the US. The Islamic extremists can not defeat us on the battlefield, but they will certainly make life as difficult as possible for any government we sponsor. Dealing with such threats requires subtlety, foresight, and flexibility, not our strong suits. It would be much, much, better for us if we can get Saddam out without having to take responsibility for what happens after.