With David Mansfield, Consultant, Department for International Development  
(DFID), United Kingdom, and Keith Disselkoen, Contractor, US Agency for International Development


March 12, 2008
5 to 7 PM
The Rome Auditorium, Rome Building
1619 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036

To complement the recent flood of reports and policy recommendations on the "macro" aspects of narcotics in Afghanistan, the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute presents a "micro" view of what motivates opium-growing farmers and one approach to persuading them to grow an alternative crop.  David Mansfield's field surveys in Afghanistan have made him the recognized expert on the village-level opium economy.  He has spent 10 years conducting research on the subject and is a co-author of the new World Bank/DFID report "Afghanistan: Economic Incentives and Development Initiatives to Reduce Opium Production," as well as many studies on the village economy.  Much of his recent research has been in northern Afghanistan in areas close to the former Soviet Central Asian republics.  Keith Disselkoen was a USAID contractor in rural Afghanistan focusing on expanding the growing of traditional Afghan crops of fruits and nuts, including both the horticultural and marketing aspects of the problem.

Please note that this program is OFF THE RECORD -- NO PRESS OR BLOG REPORTS.

Light refreshments will be served at 5 PM.  The program will begin promptly at 5:30 PM. and conclude at 7 PM sharp. RSVP for this event is mandatory and will NOT be accepted after 10 AM on the day of the event. To RSVP please send an email with your name and affiliation to caci2@jhu.edu or call 202-663-7721.

The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute is a leading center conducting fundamental and applied research on an important world region. It has offices at SAIS (Johns Hopkins University), Washington, and in Stockholm, Sweden, through a Joint Center with the Silk Road Studies Program (Institute for Security and Development Policy). This Joint Center publishes the Central Asia-Caucasus Analyst (cacianalyst.org), the China and Eurasia Forum Quarterly, and the Silk Road Papers as well as books and monographs. Additional information about the Joint Center is available at www.silkroadstudies.org .