Poppy Production in Afghanistan

According to Parenti’s Tropic of Chaos, Afghanistan produced 90% of the world’s opium population in 2011. How are they able to do this? By growing and selling poppies. The best environment for poppies to germinate is in an area with a significant amount of dry soil and daylight. Parenti states, “...poppy uses only one-sixth the water needed for wheat.” As climate change is increasingly becoming worse, the high temperatures and droughts for Afghanistan are becoming worse. However, this is a huge benefit when it comes to planting and producing poppies. Although poppy production is increasing with drought, it’s not an invincible plant. Yes, it uses less water to germinate and grow, but extreme droughts can prevent this from happening at all. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ), cultivation had a 32% increase and poppy production had a 10% decrease in 2022 due to the droughts. The efforts of farmers are increasing while the results are not what they are hopi...