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 ce

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.