Micropanacea

A few months ago, I saw an article on the BBC regarding Afghanistan. The interviewer had asked several Afghani citizens about the state of their country and many of the responded not only with a report on the status quo, but with suggestions to improve their own future. Here is a quick sum up of what was mentioned:

1. Set up factories from which to make fruit juices from locally grown fruits. This would provide for a market for the fruit growers to sell their product and create additional jobs for the non-farming villagers. Jobs can also be very stabilizing for those who might otherwise be induced into violence.

2. Make serious efforts to improve irrigation (which were largely destroyed by Russia back in the day) so increased farming can resume in the highly fertile areas of the country.

3. Continue to increase access to global media to promote an increased world view and access to educational programs.

4. Encourage foreign forces to coordinate their operations with Afghan forces in a bigger way in order to avoid civilian casualties, and invite the Taleban to join a broad-based national government, negating the need for foreign troops in the country. This would entail declaring amnesty for all indigenous Taleban to draw them into mainstream politics.

5. Fight corruption by punishing corrupt officials and increasing the salaries of government workers to decrease the incentive to take bribes.

6. Give more aid money directly to the government rather than funneling it through NGOs. The government should then set up an independent commission, made up of honest, patriotic top officials, to receive the aid and allocate it.

7. Increase employment opportunities for women.

Feel free to comment on any of the points that interest you. I was most pleased to see the efforts being made by the people to come up with sustainable solutions to their own problems. My favorite idea was the juice factory - sustainable, and totally attainable. It would also answer a number of problems, including job shortage, food shortage, and need for a revived market. Having a such a specific goal can also be helpful for NGO's looking for the best place for their cash. Its small but could be very wide reaching.

If you want to see the whole article, its at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6763865.stm