So what's the problem?
The Pakistani earthquake of October 2005 laid bare the instabilities and insecurities of the rural communities of north-east Pakistan. Tens of thousands of people were killed and millions of those who survived suffered losses to their homes and businesses. 60% of the buildings here collapsed and in some areas the infrastructure of basic amenities such as roads, water and electricity were completely wiped out.
What is this project doing?
CABI is working with CNFA on a project in the earthquake areas to improve livelihoods and develop enterprise in the region. The main aims of this USDA (United States Agency for International Development) sponsored project are to improve farmer income by establishing stronger relationships between the farmer and market. It was clear that one of the key things that farmers in this area required was training, and this is where CABI comes in. CABI staff are highly experienced in putting together and running training programmes for farmers where they can learn good agricultural practices. Here, the training involved apple farmers in the district of Bagh. Bagh is located in the state of Azad Kashmir, very close to the earthquake’s epicentre.
Results so far
35 farmers were selected to be trained up as trainers and their farms have been used to demonstrate the new techniques. One of the first steps was to investigate the ecosystem in the farmers' fields. This involved trapping and identifying insects and then screening for diseases and weeds that are known to harm crop production in the local area.
Project Executive
Ashraf Poswal
Address: Opposite 1-A, Data Gunj Baksh Road, Satellite Town, P.O. Box 8, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Tel: +92 51 9290 137
Email: a.poswal@cabi.org
Project Manager
Qamar Zia
Tel: +92 (0)51 9290 332
Email: q.zia@cabi.org
Project Team
Shakeel Ahmad
Tel: +92 (0)51 9292330
Email: s.ahmad@cabi.org
Senior Supplier
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