Helmand's Golden Age

Actually the golden age for Helmand was the 1970s after the land was well developed and the farmers were trained into modern agriculture. Most of the land in central Helmand was developed from previously un-farmed desert escarpment and at least 30% of the farmers were settled nomads with no experience with irrigation farming under harsh desert conditions. The 70s brought in high yielding wheat with fertilizers and an explosion of cotton production to the point the Brits decided to build a second cotton gin in Girishk to try to keep up with the rapidly expanding production.

Read "the Road to Oxiana" -Afghanistan used to be one of the most modern places in the middle east. That's why the communist ideologists figured they could take over.

My father, uncle, and grandparents lived in the region around that time. (Late 50s, early 60s). They were in Tehran and then in Lahore (Pakistan). They loved it - the culture and people especially. Glenn Foster's photos and films are reminiscent of my family's. Sitting and watching my grandfather's 8mm home movies was made more poignant when considering the direction the area is taking since then.