I have just spent a couple of days in the Panjshir Valley, north of Kabul. This place has a pretty amazing history, showing strong defiance against both the Soviet occupation as well as the Taliban. The valley is littered with the debris of Soviet and Taliban battles - tanks and cannons, shells and even the odd helicopter lie desolate in the fields and river bed. The people revere the leader of this resitance, Massoud, above all other Afghans. Visiting the massive shrine being constructed in his honour indicates the depth of this passion.
But between the imposing and snow covered mountains, there is a new industry taking shape - tree fruits & nuts.
Hundreds of farmers are turning to the commercial potential of the high value fruits and nuts that have traditionally only been part of each family's kitchen garden. New orchards are springing up all along the fertile slopes that feed into the Panjshir River. Young horticulturists see a future in this industry, and are developing new orchards and even tree nurseries to supply the valley and beyond.
We were told stories of farmers who for the first time last year took their fruit to markets instead of letting it fall on the orchard floor. We also saw the high fences around the few older orchards in the valley. These used to be needed to stop people stealing the fruit, but there are now so many orchards that these are no longer needed. Why steal other's fruit when you have your own orchard?
This valley, that is central to recent Afghan history, is also showing what can be achieved with a little outside help and a lot of local passion.
Afghanistan has a long way to go to achieve peace and prosperity, but there are signs of success all over the country, including in this narrow valley called Panjshir.
