Now that we have a Democrat candidate, even though Shrillary doesn't seem to have noticed, I can't help but wonder what will happen to programs like this?

"Stevens credited 2nd BCT Soldiers with doing the hard work to get farms back on their feet. He relied on Soldiers patrolling the area to identify who the key figures in the area were and what they needed.

"They had everything to do with revitalization in the agricultural sector," Stevens said. "I can attend the farmer's union meetings, but I am not the guy out talking to the farmers ... They are the ones who identify all the crops being grown in the area. They are the ones who see that the seeds are getting distributed properly. They are the ones who are implementing the programs."

One reason for focusing on vegetable farming was that years of war had ravaged the once-vibrant farming sector, with decreased supply driving market prices up. Already a net importer of food products, Iraq relied on imports of produce to meet people's needs.

"It was horrible when I first got here," Stevens said. "Traveling through Amman, (Jordan) telling people what I do, they pleaded with me to do something about the food situation in Iraq, because prices had been through the roof," he said.

Reliance on produce imports had another negative aspect, Stevens said.

"We know arms get smuggled in with vegetables," he said. "The first concentrated effort was on vegetable production so we could slow down imports from other countries."

The Soldiers flooded the area with tomato, green pepper, eggplant and cucumber seeds. They also gave out plastic, used to make shelters which trap moisture in the warm, arid climate. The effort is already producing results.

"Just last week, I got a report from our agriculture office in Baghdad that tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers and green peppers have all seen a 25 percent decrease in price," Stevens said."

Too bad the anti-war groups don't/refuse to see what we're really doing in Iraq!