Over the past seven years, Alcis has been tracking the changing nature of Afghanistan’s agriculture and rural economies, with a focus on opium poppy cultivation. Each year, using satellite imagery, we have mapped the entire country at a field level to understand where and what changes are taking place. This year’s analysis has revealed a landscape under immense strain, one defined by drought, declining livelihoods, and a quiet but noticeable return of opium poppy.  The number

Although the Taliban took power four years ago, and poppy cultivation has remained at historically low levels since 2023, declining opium...

Winter crop estimates for six provinces in Afghanistan reveal two concerning results: A second year of reductions in the area of...

While many argue that a shift into synthetic opioids downstream in Europe is a function of a shortage of opium in Afghanistan caused by the Taliban drugs ban, opium prices in Afghanistan have been falling since their peak in December 2023: a function of substantial inventories in southwest Afghanistan, continued widespread cultivation in Badakhshan, improved processing techniques, and the dramatic rise in poppy cultivation in Pakistan and Iran in 2025.