"Improved living conditions, including greater security and rule of law, should be encouraged in Helmand and nationwide if we are to help poor farming communities to support themselves, " said UNODC's director Yury Fedotov.

BBC: Afghanistan opium harvest drops by a third - UN

The Zapatista uprising began in January 1994, when the rebel Zapatista National Liberation Army, led by a man known only as "Subcommandante Marcos" declared war on the central government in an effort to gain improved living conditions and better rights for indigenous Indian peasants in the southern Chiapas region.

BBC: Mexico urged to stop Chiapas patrols