Crop monitoring in Afghanistan
UNODC conducts well-received research and analysis in Afghanistan and also supports the development of the Government's capacities to collect, analyse and disseminate information on areas related to UNODC mandates. We thereby aim to better-inform our own and other actors' responses. In addition to the Annual Opium Survey, UNODC continuously monitors the poppy cultivation cycle, the eradication campaigns which are led by the governors of the 34 provinces and the price trends throughout the year. Other areas of interest are the availability and impact of alternative livelihoods assistance, the nature and development of organized crime and the hawala system. Current major survey topics are drug abuse, cannabis cultivation, corruption in the justice sector and the conditions faced by women and girl prisoners. Our analytical products strive for operational impact, whether in designing better projects internally or assisting other actors to implement more effectively.
The crop survey data helps the Government of Afghanistan in their policy development and in planning how to tackle the illicit crops. The monitoring systems supported by UNODC are tailored to the national Afghan context and emphasize training and development of local expertise. The direct participation of UNODC in the national monitoring systems ensures transparency in the surveys and gives additional credibility to the results. UNODC's flagship report in Afghanistan is the Annual Opium Poppy Survey. In addition to the Opium Poppy Survey, UNODC continuously monitors the poppy cultivation cycle, the eradication campaigns which are led by the governors of the 34 provinces and the price trends throughout the year.