Afghanistan is gradually rebuilding; and the key will be improving the livelihoods of the rural poor, who form the majority of the population. The approach? Crops that are adapted to local conditions and can be grown on small areas using family labor, with minimal investment. Ideally, the crop must be marketable, and easy to process into value-added products. And given the lack of infrastructure and security, growers must target domestic markets rather than exports. That sounds like a tall order – but ICARDA and its partners are showing how mint can fit the bill. A DfID-funded project has designed and delivered a comprehensive package for mint production, processing and sale that is changing the lives of hundreds of families in three provinces in Afghanistan.