The idea was that we were going to find nuggets or gems of technology that come from other industries like medical imaging, the video game space, and re appropriate them.

And yet we still lack the basic skills of reflecting on such information, of sifting through the dirt to find the worthy nuggets.

More easily obtained nuggets of the country's vast natural wealth can be found in bazaars across the country. Afghanistan s Kandahar province has some of the most delicious pomegranates in the world, Bamyan has world class potatoes, and Kunduz is renowned across the region for its incredible melons.