David is widely recognized as the preeminent expert on the role of opium in rural livelihoods in Afghanistan. He has been conducting fieldwork in rural Afghanistan since 1997. His work explores the different and wide ranging factors that influence opium production and the impact shocks and counter narcotics interventions have on the welfare of households and their decision to cultivate. David has worked in overseas development since 1991 and has worked in each of the major drug producing regions of the South and South East Asia and Latin America. He has worked for a variety of different organizations in Afghanistan over an extended period of time including AREU, Department for International Development (DFID), UK Afghan Drugs and Justice Unit (ADJU), and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). He has also supported the World Bank, Asia Development Bank, and the European Commission in integrating the drugs issue into their rural development programs in Afghanistan. David’s published work has sought to contextualize drugs as a development issue and he is actively engaged with the wider debates on drugs and rural livelihoods in other source countries, acting as an adviser on international conferences, thematic groups, and has chaired a UN international experts group on rural development in drugs producing areas.
Email: davidmfld@aol.com