Improved maize production to help farmers in Batagram, Pakistan

Overview

Results

The team

Related information

So what's the problem?

The District of Batagram of the North West Frontier Province in northern Pakistan was badly affected by the devastating earthquake of October 2005. The average monthly household income here is only 1,500 Pakistani Rupees (about £11 or $20) and around three quarters of the population are living below the poverty line. Communities have been put under enormous strain as families struggle even to provide enough food for themselves.

Maize is the most common crop in Batagram but the traditional tools and techniques that many subsistence farmers use are preventing crops from reaching their potential. Many modern techniques are now available and easy to employ but there is a need to re-educate the farmers of Batagram.

What is this project doing?

CABI trained 40 farmers in Allai, a subdivision of Batagram, to become “master trainers”. These newly trained teachers are then each teaching farmers about the beneficial insects that can contribute to plant protection, how to use chemical fertilisers safely and efficiently and nutrient management such as the use of self-produced compost. Farmers will also be empowered to think for themselves and make their own decisions rather than follow generic instructions. Other learning points include new techniques such as line and ridge sowing, hoeing and weed management to improve crop production and many of these are taught through hands-on activities to demonstrate the techniques.

Results so far

This is the first time that this type of training has been made available in the Batagram district and there has been an extremely positive response from the farmers. The schools compared the traditional maize cultivation techniques with modern ones to highlight the differences and help prove to the farmers that they can achieve increased productivity.

In a germination test, local seeds had only 40-50% success compared to 88-90% success rate of new varieties. Traditionally, when planting, farmers had randomly scattered seeds. Compared to the new technique of regularly-spaced planting in ridged rows, the amount of seeds used reduced from 80-100kg/acre to 14kg/acre whilst increasing yields. It was also found that farmers were uninformed about the amount and type of fertilisers that were needed. Soil samples were taken and sent to a laboratory for analysis and by applying fertiliser as advised by the lab maize production was increased by nearly 50%.

The classes also covered how to protect maize from the most common pests such as cutworm, stem borer, aphid and jassid. Various techniques were taught including treating seeds with a pesticide before they are sown, releasing natural enemies of the damaging insects such as the predatory green lacewing and ladybirds and applying a simple, affordable home-made formula (made of clothes detergent, baking soda and mustard oil) to the growing crop to act as an insecticide. The farmers were taught to examine their crops to see which pests are present before deciding on which treatments are necessary, this is especially important for the choice of natural enemies as some are specific to certain species of pest.

After completing the classes farmers felt confident about using the new techniques to improve their maize crops and, in turn, increase their income. Field trials demonstrated that net profits of 23,858 Pakistani Rupees could be made in comparison to the current average farmer profits of 10,450 Rupees. The knowledge gained will empower the farmers and allow them to make their own decisions, and where necessary the regional teachers can also be used as a first point of contact. The strengthening of the community’s agricultural system will give added security long into the future.

Project reports

Final project report

Project Manager