Afghanistanâs Gold Rush Is Digging Into Farmland
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In Afghanistanâs Badakhshan province, gold is being pulled from the mountains, but the bill appears to be landing in the fields. Reports describe excavators working across the Shiwa area, with villagers warning of polluted rivers, damaged landscapes, and farmland lost to excavation.
Mining and farming have always had a tense relationship. One digs value out quickly; the other builds value slowly, season by season. When mining dust, sediment, or contamination reaches waterways and fields, the damage can outlast the boom. A miner may move on, but a farmer is left wondering what will grow in the soil next year.
For livestock keepers, the concerns multiply. Grazing areas can disappear, water sources can become unsafe, and herding routes can be cut apart by machinery and pits. In fragile mountain systems, where land is already limited, losing even modest areas of productive ground can hit food security hard.
The broader lesson is not that minerals do not matter. They do. But rural development that sacrifices farmland without safeguards is like selling the seed corn to buy a shiny shovel. Farmers need enforceable protections, water testing, land restoration requirements, and a real voice before the machines arrive. Gold may glitter, but good soil feeds people.
Original source
The Times of India - Read original articleMore from today's edition
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