In 1970, only an estimated 7,000 hectares of Yemeni land were devoted to qat farming. But with the introduction of new irrigation technologies to Yemen in the 1970s, qat production exploded. Official figures from 2009 estimated that qat farming took place on 153,000 hectares, or 12 percent of Yemen's agricultural land, but many researchers believe the actual figure may be around double that.
In most other Arab countries, as well as in much of the West, qat is considered a drug, but in Yemen there are effectively no qat-control laws. Since the 1970s, the tree's vague legal status has been part of the bargain struck between the ruling regime and the restive highland tribes that produce most of the country's qat, and they would fiercely resist any measures to cut back production. Today, the state still engages in the occasional anti-qat campaign, but mainly for show -- a demonstration for fellow Arab countries and the aid community that is seldom of any real consequence.
Above, qat trees cover the hillside in the village of al-Mudmar in the Haraz Mountains.
Peer Gatter/The Politics of Qat
