AFGHANISTAN: U.S. hopes to make friends with sugar

The U.S. is hoping to unleash a new weapon against the Taliban in Afghanistan: bees.

No, not killer bees. Honey makers, pollinators, the better to help the subsistence farmers of Kunar province, one of the most violent and impoverished areas of the country.

The philosophy is simple: If farmers can make a better living, they'll be less prone to help the Taliban in its fight to drive the U.S. and NATO out of Afghanistan and topple the government in Kabul.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State Department's provincial reconstruction team in Kunar have teamed with the Afghan government to distribute sugar to Kunar beekeepers to help existing hives prosper. Healthier hives should help the spring crops.

More honey and beeswax would also help. Honey is one crop that doesn't need refrigeration, a rarity in this part of Afghanistan.
Babylon & Beyond