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F ood and Agriculture Organization liaison and operation head, Mrs. Ariella F. Glinni said that, The European Union (EU) is financing a project worth 40 million euro to combat

rising food prices in Pakistan, aiming to improve the food security for over 1 million of the most vul-nerable people in food-deficient areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan.

She was addressing a gathering of famers in Khai, a remote village District Chakwal of Punjab, Where she kicked off the distribution plan for Kharif 2010. During the ceremony she distributed wheat seeds, vegetable seeds, fertilizers and other Agriculture inputs among the farmers.

Mrs. Glinni said that “The assistance will play an important role towards enhancing agriculture productivity in the food deficient districts crucial for the sustainability of vulnerable rural households.” she explained that the project focuses on smallholder farmers who is receiving quality agriculture inputs and trained in improved agriculture technologies, thereby ensuring an increase in productivity and strengthen-ing of local capacities.

The project’s main activities are free distribution of agricul-tural inputs; improvement of irrigation channels and water harvesting systems; reduction of post harvest losses; and strengthening of local institutional capacity. WFP is provid-ing food for work assistance for approximately 83,000 house-holds in the most food vulnerable areas being targeted by FAO.

Project Manager Food Facility Dr. Faizul said that “The EU "Food Facility" is the European Union’s €1 billion (113 billion rupees) response to the food crisis, showing Europe’s firm commitment to help poor countries boost agricultural production, especially in a time that hunger is on the rise even more because of the global economic crisis,” He further said. “It will go a long way in improving the food security situation in Pakistan.” He informed that the EU is providing an additional € 10 million (1.1 billion rupees) in sup-port of national and international NGOs for working on similar goals.

Dr. Faizul Bari said that till date we have provided agriculture inputs to 189,000 Household and ma-chinery for 100 farmers association have been procured and contribution will complete at the end of June 2010. Likewise 255 irrigation channels and 200 water harvesting structures identified, surveyed and cost estimated and constructed work will be start in June. He further elaborated that7, 635 farmers have been trained including 2,134 women in improved agriculture practices out of 40, 000 farmers

He said that till date 1710 metric tons Wheat, DAP & Urea, 136.78 MTs Lentil and 34200 Packets Vege-table seeds have been distributed among the farmers

EU project starts distribution of agriculture inputs to farmers  

Special points of inter-

est:

• EU starts distribution

• Baluchi’s women in wool

marketing

• Backyard poultry

• Farmer field days in IPLM

• Women of courage

FAOPK

FAO-Pakistan Newsletter

May 2010 Issue 17

Mrs. Ariella F. Glinni is distributing agriculture inputs among farmers under EU-FF (European Union-Food Facility) project in Chakwal, Pakistan

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By the end 531 animals were sheared from the two COs of Chashma and Sara Ghurgai. 32 WCO members and 20 hired (by the sheep owners) from the neighborhood participated in the events.

W ith its vast rangelands Baluchistan has always nurtured the sheep, goat, camels and other domestic animals which have been a part of life of the natives, and so

these animals have provided their masters with their wool, hide and milk. But considering op-portunities besides live animals, the bi-products have been neglected by the farmers due to lack of awareness.

Baluchistan has 47 percent sheep of the country and every year tons of wool is sold in raw shape which doesn’t make much profit unless processed for quality and grading. In the sale of prod-ucts such as wool, hair, and hides/skins, the chain is somewhat similar except that the wool, that is finally sent outside the province either to the markets or agents in Punjab or Karachi. Wool is an important bi-product of sheep farming activity and basic input for warm cloth and carpet industry.

Wool shearing is performed twice a year i.e. once in spring or March-April and then in autumn or August/September. There are only a few major wool-trading centers in the entire country. Multan wool market is the largest wool market of Pakistan followed by Jhang, Mianwali, Bah-walnagar, Quetta and Sahiwal.

Wool marketing system in Baluchistan has remained un-changed since ages. The producer sells wool to the collector or wool merchants in the nearest urban center mostly Quetta. A wholesale trader then transports and resells the wool at the large wool markets, usually to a commission agent working on behalf of a processor or exporter. Export wool is handled through the grading centers in Karachi, Multan and Lahore and is sorted, washed and graded.

The price of wool is paid to the producers on weight basis. The white colored, clean wool fetches relatively higher price as compared with dirty and pale colored one. Similarly the mixed wool is also receiving low price.

During market visit arranged by FAO for community members, government officials and FAO staff, it came to be known that wool from Baluchistan is highly valued in various markets of Pakistan and the manufactures of various articles largely depend upon Baluchistan for provision of wool. Unfortunately the wool is sent as it is and not graded or spooled. Considering the po-tential in wool and the opportunity FAO, at first linked women from the communities with Ghazi Wool Industry in Multan during the Multan visit, then activities on wool shearing, grad-ing and spinning were initiated.

Each summer few shepherds from the villages of Chashma and Sara Ghurgai UC get together to shear the wool through the participatory manner helping each out in shearing the wool, which makes it a good collection point for the buyers. The project therefore organized two such events of wool shearing one each at Chashma and in Sara Ghurgai. During the events technical support was provided to them for the utilization of proper tools for shearing and during the process of prewashing and grading.

By the end 531 animals were sheared from the two COs of Chashma and Sara Ghurgai. 32 WCO members and 20 hired (by the sheep owners) from the neighborhood participated in the events. While training was given to 32 WCO members, 6 WCO members sent a shipment of 2124 kgs – 2.12 tons wool to the factory, graded wool acquired was White Wool 976 Kg, Black 710 Kg, Yel-low 438 Kg.

Before all the wool was sold raw at local market at Rs.950 (USD 11) per 40 kg, now after properly shearing, prewashing and grading the wool they are selling white wool at Rs. 1700 (USD 20), yellow wool at Rs. 1200 (USD 14) and black wool at Rs. 600 (USD 7) per 40 kg.

Balochistan’s women enter in wool marketing  at national level 

FAO-Pakistan Newsletter

Training was given to 32 WCO members, 6 WCO members sent a shipment of 2124 kgs – 2.12 tons wool to the factory, graded wool acquired was White Wool 976 Kg, Black 710 Kg, Yellow 438 Kg

Trail shipment of wool

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FAO is providing technical assistance to International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) sponsored AJK Community Development Program (CDP) being executed in the entire State of AJK. Realizing that keeping the backyard poultry could increase both the income and the nutritional level of rural poor house-holds, the project took the initiative to build the capacity of rural poor in poultry keeping and organized training events attended mainly by widows and poor women.

The project provided 25 pullets of 10-12 weeks age to each participant at the end of a course. Experiencing the success of the activity, the department of Animal Husbandry took over the distribution of chicks, whereas the project provided the training prior to that. In the meantime, a large number of women are rear-ing poultry and some of them have even increased the size of their flock out of their savings with the assis-tance of the department.

Ms Tahzeeb Akhtar of community organization Thera, tehsil Charhoi of district Kotli, also at-tended a poultry keeping course and got a poultry package of 25 birds. It has been encouraging to observe during a recent follow up visit that she used to collect 15-18 eggs per day from this flock during winter. Her gross income per day was calculated to be Rs.200. During May, she sold 10 birds for Rs. 4000. From the remaining flock, she makes Rs. 35 per day by selling 7 eggs @ Rs. 5 per egg because the egg laying is de-creased in summer. One layer lays 280-300 eggs in its life time. Department of Animal Husbandry provides the technical assistance to her to get the molting done of her flock when the layers stop laying eggs. After molting, flock rejuvenates and comes into lying again. It is profitable to retain flocks as long as there is 70 percent egg lying.

A consistent follow up by the department and a proper guidance has motivated Ms Akhtar to expand her poultry farming activities. She bought 500 day old chicks on 28 April 2010 and is rearing them in a well ventilated shed prepared exclusively for them. Until the 13th day she bought the flock, 3 chicks died due to physical injuries. However, flock is free from any disease infection. She intends to rear the flock and sell at the age of 10 weeks; the price per bird of this age ranges between Rs. 100 and 120.

F or sharing rural women experience and problems, Three Field days were arranged and organized in

Bahawalpur, Chakwal and Haripur districts by district women facilitator, Integrated Poultry and Live-

stock Management (IPLM) Project, FAO & Society of Facilitators & Trainers (SOFT) Pakistan. Field days

were organized at village Dolmial UC Dolmial district Chakwal Punjab province, village Allole UC Jatee

Pind district Haripur, Khyber Pakhtonkhwa and Village 12BC district Bahawalpur Punjab province.

Mr. Zabeeh Ahmad Office-In-Charge FAOR FAO Office Pakistan and Dr. Saima Zafar Veterinary Officer, Dr.

Tahira Yasmin Secretary Women Wing SOFT Pakistan, Social Mobilize & four FFS Facilitators and more than

130 FFS participants from six FFS at UC Dolmial were present at the occasion. The participants shared some

disease problems with Veterinary Officer. The majority of the participants was very confident and shared

their ideas that FFS on IPLM improved their knowledge and awareness about livestock and poultry. Few

participants shared their experiments about livestock and poultry and shared the output. The participants

shared their experiments as well as disease problems about livestock and poultry. A quiz was also organized

where the participants were asked some common issues and problems related to IPLM and the winning

participants were given prizes

Backyard poultry in a transition to enterprise development 

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Issue 17

She intends to rear the flock and sell at the age of 10 weeks; the price per bird of this age ranges between Rs. 100 and 120.

Women in farmer field day

participants shared their experiments about livestock and poultry and shared the output

Farmer Field days :Integrated Poultry and Livestock Management (IPLM) Project  

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Mukham Jan: a women of courage

FOOD AND AGRICLUTURE ORGANIZATION OF UNITED NATIONS NARC Premises, Park Road, Chak Shahzad, P.O Box 1476, Islamabad Phone: 0092-51-9255491/3 Fax: 0092-51-9255454

M ukham Jan, a widow, who is also head of her seven members family, is residing in outskirts of Balakot town. She lost her husband in year 2004, while she experi-enced tragic loss of her eldest daughter along with her home. She was left with six children; shelter less and no source of income after 2005 earthquake.

She along with her family has been experiencing harsh times since then though, but she and hers eldest son (aged 19) managed to run family by working as labor. According to her, “The time I had been going through till now is a pain itself; I had no other option, but to work. I was left with no shelter, no food and circumstances driven me to only option, I had to work. I worked as maid, while my eldest son (14 at that time) had to work as labor in nearby market for hours in a day. We (she & his son) earned very little, which did not meet our food and health requirements. However, we are thankful to many organizations, for their cooperation.”

Mukham Jan is one example amongst vulnerable women in town, who head their families and left with economic and social prob-lems due to death of their husband in earthquake. It should be noted that usually head of family is the only person who earns here and other family is dependent upon him. Almost every other such women in harshly hit Balakot has similar story, left these women working and their children growing up in appalling conditions with no proper food, education and health provided.

CLRP (Community Livelihood Rehabilitation Plan )Project Intervention: While counseling, Mukham Jan responded about this pro-ject as, “I never had thought to rear poultry, I used to work as maid and earned very little as compared to this. I cannot read or write, but I was persuaded by my son to sit in 3 days training about household poultry farming. It was hard to learn at first but later when I managed the poultry birds at my own, this seemed to be very easy, it’s easier then to be a maid though. I am earning about Rs. 1500/- a month, it has helped me to pay for my children’s food and their education.”

Mukham Jan still works as a maid, but she has got an additional opportunity to earn for her family. Now she has got savings to spend on feeding, education and provision of better health facilities to her family. She is one of those forty five (45) most vulnerable women, selected by village organization for domestic poultry farming intervention. Project comprised of three days basic poultry management training followed by provision of poultry inputs like poultry birds (RIR/Fayumi), equipments, wire gauge (for coop) and technical assistance through Sarhad Rural Support Programme – SRSP (Partner Organization) and Governmental veterinary department.

This project was focused on supporting vulnerable families in earning through local resources with which they can improve their livelihoods. Product (eggs) was supposed to be sold in nearby local market in town of Balakot, and some of it was meant for family’s utilization to improve nutritional intake.

Mukham Jan has got very interesting story regarding utilization of product. She says, I am happy that I can feed eggs to my children, which are rich in nutrition. My son sells most of eggs in nearby market, though I think they (shopkeepers) do not pay reasonable price for these eggs but even then I am happy; these earnings are making difference in our lives

FAO-Pakistan Newsletter, May 2010

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations leads

international efforts to reduce hunger and malnutrition. Serving developed

and developing countries, as well as countries in transition, FAO helps to im-

prove agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition

for all. Founded in 1945, FAO is governed by a Conference of Member Nations

that meets every two years to review the work carried out by the Organiza-

tion and approve a Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium.

FAO maintains five regional, five sub regional and five liaison offices, and over

74 country offices in addition to its headquarters in Rome.

Turing the tide of rising hunger

Www.fao.org.pk

“My husband died in 2004, later I lost my eldest daughter and home in earthquake. I was left with small children, no food, no shelter and I didn’t know how I would tackle all this. I was really in a chaos” – Mukham Jan

A women of courage