"The intention of the report is to identify the causes of the reduction in opium poppy cultivation in Helmand between 2008 and 2011 and determine whether these reductions will be sustainable. In answering these two questions the report looks at livelihood diversification, what role both development assistance and the broader international effort have played in this process, and whether livelihoods have diversified as part of a coping strategy or as a way of securing income and accumulating assets. The report merges historical data from both fieldwork and remote sensing data from 23 different research sites across central Helmand covering the 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10 growing seasons as well as incorporating subsequent fieldwork in the 20010/11 growing season. It also offers some valuable insights into farmers perceptions of the distribution of development assistance and the changing security environment over a three year period, as well as provides supporting data on impact from remote sensing and fieldwork."--Carr Center website note