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Combat Farmer, did you work with a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT)? I am curious, I was in Maiwand District, Kandahar Province back in 2010 and your pictures look familiar to me. They look similar to an Afghan Ag Education Center that was being constructed in the Hutal near a US Combat Outpost. When I was there the main cash crop was Opium Poppy with a secondary wheat crop for local consumption. I have lots of pictures of poppy and wheat plots and lots of memories of talking with the local farmers over the price of poppy just like I talk to those here in NC about price of soy beans and corn. View Quote Bladerunner- You have a good eye; Maiwand was one of the districts in which we worked. Additionally, we did work indirectly with the PRT/DG and taught classes out of the Ag Center you mentioned. Mostly we focused on alternative crops that could replace lost income. The farmers were always happy to see us and I enjoyed the ag “shop-talk”, it reminded me of home. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/9555106259_0e766a23fb.jpg In my opinion, it might be a good idea for people here in the states to figure out what can be grown in their own back yard. --Combat Farmer |
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Aside from choosing crops that will grow in a given area, was there much consideration of nutritional content in choosing crops not intended for market?
How is food preserved in that region? What I'm getting at: Extrapolating from my own limited gardening experience - Where I am, I can grow tons of cucumbers with little effort and have all the fresh cucumbers that I can stomach. I can preserve cucumbers and have pickles stashed in every corner of the house. In the end, though, the caloric and nutritional content of the crop would be of questionable value. If I were farming in the U.S. to survive something like the great depression, there would be better crop choices than cucumbers. Can you share some guidelines/strategies that guerrilla farmers could use to optimize which crops and how much of each would be best for a homestead/farm/village? |
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Aside from choosing crops that will grow in a given area, was there much consideration of nutritional content in choosing crops not intended for market? How is food preserved in that region? What I'm getting at: Extrapolating from my own limited gardening experience - Where I am, I can grow tons of cucumbers with little effort and have all the fresh cucumbers that I can stomach. I can preserve cucumbers and have pickles stashed in every corner of the house. In the end, though, the caloric and nutritional content of the crop would be of questionable value. If I were farming in the U.S. to survive something like the great depression, there would be better crop choices than cucumbers. Can you share some guidelines/strategies that guerrilla farmers could use to optimize which crops and how much of each would be best for a homestead/farm/village? View Quote Wight_Hat Great question! There would certainly be a better choice than solely growing cucumbers…unless you live near a pickle factory. But seriously – This is a photo of our family farm taken somewhere around 1899 to 1901. The little boy in the lower right corner holding two horses was my Grandfather. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7295/9579276418_3605d79ff2.jpg All farms at that time were sustainable. Of course, there were always items needed that were not produced on the farm and to obtain these one could sell or trade. Trading crop surplus was common. During the 1930s, farms were much the same and many people in towns even had large gardens for self-consumption and trade. Here are some general things to think about when selecting crops (without knowing where you are I can't get too specific):
If you want, use this Crop Calendar as a guide to fill in what crops grow in your area and when you need to plant and harvest. http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5336/9579276392_d887170fcd.jpg I’m heading out of town soon but will get back to you next week with more ideas and on guerrilla farming. – Combat Farmer |
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Very cool. I was extremely impressed by how the locals utilized their wells and korez systems to water some extremely arid surfaces. Rows and rows of very healthy looking grapes, watermelons and onions.
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My wife and I love the thread. We want to know when can we buy the book We are getting ready to start our own little farm and your advice is by and far the easiest to understand for those that have not lived the life. I grew up on a small farm and she grew up in the suburbs so any little bit helps. Thank you for the info.
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Not a bad idea, actually. Done right it could have a very wide audience. I'd be in for a copy. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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My wife and I love the thread. We want to know when can we buy the book Not a bad idea, actually. Done right it could have a very wide audience. I'd be in for a copy. Add me to the list of people who'd want a copy. |
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Add me to the list of people who'd want a copy. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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My wife and I love the thread. We want to know when can we buy the book Not a bad idea, actually. Done right it could have a very wide audience. I'd be in for a copy. Add me to the list of people who'd want a copy. Lab_Guy, Wight_Hat, & JFarley Thanks so much for your votes of confidence. I have recently been toying with the idea of passing on my knowledge and experiences through some form of training – onsite, online, etc. Maybe a book would be a good way for me to do this effectively. If you don’t mind my asking, what about my post and replies do you find the most useful or interesting? Specific details of farming techniques/methods, details of my time in Afghanistan or a combination of both? My main hesitation with starting a training project, in whatever form, has been whether there would be an audience, so your interest is definitely motivation for me to move forward. Thanks again! Combat Farmer |
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While I happen to find the Afghan experience interesting in its own right, I think you could reach a wider audience by using it much like you did here; to show what can be done with primitive skills and the right know-how.
I look at your photo essay and see what to my relatively untrained eye looks like successful small to mid-scale farming in an area that looks otherwise uninhabitable. If it can be done in Afghanistan where, as you point out, farming has been essentially forgotten and farm technology is virtually non-existent, I feel like I can be successful in my much more fertile AO. As far as who your target audience would be, I can see several types: Preppers, new gardeners, farm families that want to return to a more traditional operation, and entrepreneurs who see an opportunity to feed (no pun intended) the locavore movement and/or who want to make money in a farmers' market. Hope this helps some. |
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I missed this when it was first posted, but welcome to the site. This was a heck of an intro!
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When in Afghanistan we had to start with the basics…the very basics. Before we even began work with the villagers we first had to educate the donor agencies and bureaucrats (the foreigners not the Afghans), on when you PLANT and when you HARVEST. This may sound funny but many public servants had no idea. That is why we came up with our crop calendar (posted above - 8/23/13).
A good 1st step for those just starting out is to look at growing zones – see the picture below or follow the link for an interactive map. http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/# http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/9674390770_418f1fcccd.jpg Determine where you live in relation to this map and then identify what crops can grow. From that list, decide which crops you would most like to eat - that'll help you determine what to grow. This process can also be useful for people with current ag projects that are looking at expanding their crops. -- Combat Farmer |
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Wow. Spectacular first post.
Welcome to the site. Thanks for taking the best of America to other parts of the world. Put me down for a book whenever you do one as well. Growing up in Ohio, tossing anything on the ground would grow. Here in Plano, it's been rough trying to get things to grow for me. Looking forward to learning more from you as time goes by. TXL |
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Combatfarmer, if you get a minute, please log out and log in.
TXL |
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Wow. Spectacular first post. Welcome to the site. Thanks for taking the best of America to other parts of the world. Put me down for a book whenever you do one as well. Growing up in Ohio, tossing anything on the ground would grow. Here in Plano, it's been rough trying to get things to grow for me. Looking forward to learning more from you as time goes by. TXL View Quote Thanks TxLewis! I hope I can keep things interesting going forward. If you have any specific planting questions, let me know. - Combat Farmer |
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With more than seven years spent in Afghanistan, would you do it again?
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aw dang, you had to post the poppy roll?
My source for that retired from baking this year. Great thread! Wish I knew half of what my dad knew about growing things. |
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Limiting fossil fuel input. Open pollinated seeds. Water harvesting growing beds. Community involvement. Excellent stuff!
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combatfarmer, my parents grew up in Hungary where they grew opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) for the seeds. In fact, I love Poppy Seed Cake (picture below). Using opium was not part of their culture, though, so it simply wasn't done. My understanding for lancing of the pods is to both gather opium but also to allow the seeds to mature and later collect for consumption. How important are poppy seeds in their diet in those areas where it is grown? What are some dishes they make with it? http://culinarythrillseekers.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/hungarian-mooncake-blue-plate-cts.jpg View Quote C4, The cake looks fantastic! The seeds were not widely used in cooking or baking, some locals said they were to “hot to use”. But during late summer afternoon meetings in the field, I did see them being eaten with afternoon tea. The locals said the seeds were good for “the brain”; I took their word for it and would came back another day to finish the meeting. We were in AF to achieve a number of objectives, one of them to find and train the local farmers on alternatives for the high value crops. We were not part of any of team that destroyed the high value crops (that was as high risk a task to do as demining). Where high value crops did get plowed under we tried to help the farmer find another crop to grow. Most of our work was done on the front end to show the farmer that other crops could get close to making as much money as the high value crops without the risk…and not having to sell the farmer’s daughter off to the drug lords. Personal consumption of both, were part of the culture and excepted. --Combat Farmer |
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C4, The cake looks fantastic! The seeds were not widely used in cooking or baking, some locals said they were to “hot to use”. But during late summer afternoon meetings in the field, I did see them being eaten with afternoon tea. The locals said the seeds were good for “the brain”; I took their word for it and would came back another day to finish the meeting. We were in AF to achieve a number of objectives, one of them to find and train the local farmers on alternatives for the high value crops. We were not part of any of team that destroyed the high value crops (that was as high risk a task to do as demining). Where high value crops did get plowed under we tried to help the farmer find another crop to grow. Most of our work was done on the front end to show the farmer that other crops could get close to making as much money as the high value crops without the risk…and not having to sell the farmer’s daughter off to the drug lords. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/10365349276_0e424f7e2b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/10365544423_512eef05a0.jpg Personal consumption of both, were part of the culture and excepted. --Combat Farmer View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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combatfarmer, my parents grew up in Hungary where they grew opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) for the seeds. In fact, I love Poppy Seed Cake (picture below). Using opium was not part of their culture, though, so it simply wasn't done. My understanding for lancing of the pods is to both gather opium but also to allow the seeds to mature and later collect for consumption. How important are poppy seeds in their diet in those areas where it is grown? What are some dishes they make with it? http://culinarythrillseekers.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/hungarian-mooncake-blue-plate-cts.jpg C4, The cake looks fantastic! The seeds were not widely used in cooking or baking, some locals said they were to “hot to use”. But during late summer afternoon meetings in the field, I did see them being eaten with afternoon tea. The locals said the seeds were good for “the brain”; I took their word for it and would came back another day to finish the meeting. We were in AF to achieve a number of objectives, one of them to find and train the local farmers on alternatives for the high value crops. We were not part of any of team that destroyed the high value crops (that was as high risk a task to do as demining). Where high value crops did get plowed under we tried to help the farmer find another crop to grow. Most of our work was done on the front end to show the farmer that other crops could get close to making as much money as the high value crops without the risk…and not having to sell the farmer’s daughter off to the drug lords. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/10365349276_0e424f7e2b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/10365544423_512eef05a0.jpg Personal consumption of both, were part of the culture and excepted. --Combat Farmer Thank you! I come from Hungarian peasant stock so I get very excited about anything to do with growing plants. |
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Good stuff OP. Nice to get away from the super secret squirrel ninja conversations.
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You mentioned earlier that "step" gardening didn't work out well because of the desert environment, that it is more suited to a wet environment. Why is that and what are the benefits to stepping your crops?
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If you need any help in future endeavors please let me know. I would like to help! I have a great background that can prove to be useful.
Thanks for sharing! |
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I know this is a bit off topic, but please tell this story:
•What if we were to drive into a Taliban checkpoint on our way out? (Yes, this happened too.) |
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I know this is a bit off topic, but please tell this story: •What if we were to drive into a Taliban checkpoint on our way out? (Yes, this happened too.) View Quote Since you asked, I gave “Ralph” a call – he’s a long-time member of our team and former Australian military. He had a memorable close call at a checkpoint so I asked him to tell his story in his own words. – Combat Farmer --- Having spent many years traveling through and working in third-world countries, I have had literally hundreds of run-ins with local police checkpoints and militia roadblocks. More recently travelling and working in rural Southern Afghanistan from 2009-12, provided one of my more interesting experiences. We were passing through a Taliban checkpoint just minutes before they fired upon and killed three Afghan National Army Soldiers in a very well sited ambush. The Taliban had two ‘early warning groups’ and a main ‘killer group’ covering the selected ‘Killing ground or Engagement area’ and had excellent withdrawal routes. Unknowingly, a mate and I drove through the ambush, which was on a sharp left hand bend on a small narrow dirt road, surrounded by poppy fields and rows of grape vineyards. On rounding the bend, we saw 3 Taliban Insurgents, sitting behind an RPK (heavy barreled AK47 with bipod) barely covered by a green shawl and a few AK47’s. One of the Taliban stood up and with an AK47 slung over his shoulder, approached our slow moving vehicle. My mate and I, dressed in locally sourced Afghan clothing (salwar kameez) instantly realized that we were in a potentially life threatening situation. On instinct rather than planning, we knew we had to bluff our way through this check point, or face being kidnapped, or killed on the spot. With my left hand gripping my holstered TT (my trusty 1942 7.62mm Russian Tokarev pistol), I simply looked from the insurgent to the semi covered weapons, and back to the insurgent, nodded approvingly and gave an acknowledging wave with my open right hand. The Taliban guard, no more than 2 meters away at this point, was surprised by my acknowledgment and confidence. He hesitated and looked back to his buddies, during which time we drove past, never having accelerated, or changing speed at all. Keeping our eyes on rearview and side mirrors, we drove past the remaining early warning sites, and back onto the main road. Minutes later, the ambush was initiated and 3 Afghan Soldiers were killed. The Taliban vanished in the undergrowth, and not even the A10 Warthogs dispatched minutes after the initiation could locate the enemy. To this day, there is not a doubt in my mind that our confidence and calmness at that moment saved our lives. The Insurgents may have mistaken us for one of their higher commanders, inspecting the ambush site, prior to contact. Whatever it was, a level head saved the day. --Ralph |
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CombatFarmer, I don't know if you or your group is possibly planning anything, but I would love for a chance to assist you guys if you possibly go back for something like this again. I would be very excited for the opportunity and would gladly share my qualification if there'd be a chance to help with such work.
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The USDA is who sponsors these Ag Development Teams, IIRC.
You could also poke around with DOS, which sponsors something called OTI, office of transition initiatives. Basically, where having US faces and money in front is an invitation to violence, US money finds its way to "trusted partners" so the work can get done. Help if you want, but be careful...nobody has wound up on a milk carton that I am aware of yet...but as US forces draw down, and things change over there, I would be VERY cautious. |
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Afghanistan, of course, was a little different. We learned to keep our heads down and farm with an AK. This is what led to my being called the “Combat Farmer”. So now I’m a first generation Combat Farmer and have trained my daughter, who also spent 4+ years in AF, as a second generation Combat Farmer. View Quote I'm impressed you've made this into a multi-generational operation. Did your family (you mentioned your daughter) stay with you the entire time or did they rotate in during peak times like planting and harvest? If your family was over there for extended periods of time, do they have any unique first hand experiences they could share? |
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Jormungand - Thanks for the sharing, your pictures are great. JFarley & GTLandser – Thanks for your comments! Originally I went to AF to help “State”. I spent most of my time trying to make their ideas (concocted up in a DC cubical) work or explain why they would not (Mother Nature does not wait for bureaucrats). Yes, it was frustrating, but in the end we did achieve their objectives and gave them a whole lot more, which is why our work caught the attention of many generals along the way. We established great relationships and formed lasting trusts during our time spent in country. It was remarkable the quality of information that our new friends, the “local farmers”, would tell us. So naturally we were a good fit with special operations as liaisons between the military and the locals. View Quote From a COIN perspective, the above is exactly what makes these programs so popular; "small is beautiful"-- they are less likely to fail to begin with, since your aims are modest, and even if it doesn't work out, USG hasn't lost much $$$ in the attempt. We should all be glad money is being spent on these programs, because there are many more examples of public and expensive boondoggles. Newsflash, DOD is TERRIBLE at cost-effective international development work.... The key for such small programs to succeed is having the RIGHT people, and it sounds like CombatFarmer is exactly that kind of person. On the other hand, what that local farmers tell you, and who you share that with, is a double-edged sword. Sure, you could improve security and governance in your area (helping to win the COIN fight, because the rising tide must lift all boats for any gains to be lasting)....but you could also find yourself sharing space with a bunch of yahoos, and you don't control what THEY do with YOUR information. If it was me, running around the AO in a toyota, counting on the personal goodwill I've accumulated...I'd be a "happy neutral", following the same rule as applies in the rest of life: "never invite THE MAN into your life"...whether he wears a turban or a kevlar helmet. |
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