April- June 2015FAO PAKISTANNewsletter

Training of Trainers on Agriculture Value Chain Financing

Trainings on Improved Food Stock Monitoring System

Advanced GIS Training Using ArcGIS (3rd Module)

Training on Food Security Cluster Information Management Tool

Pakistan qualifies for Stage II in Progressive Control Pathway of Foot and Mouth Disease

International Conference on the “Innovative Agricultural Financing'

UN Trust Fund for Human Security Mission Visited FAO Project Area in Sindh

Sindh joins FAO for the control of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases

Workshop on Forest above Ground Biomass estimation using Synthetic Aperture Radar and Optical Remote Sensing

FAO organized livestock trainings for field veterinary staff in Quetta, Balochistan

Workshop on balanced use of fertilizers towards food security

Workshop on Fertilizer Use Assessment at Farm-gate Level

FAO Handed-over Two Sheep Shearing Sheds to the Government of Balochistan

Strategic Planning 2015: Food Security in KP/FATAFirst Quarter – (January – March)Food Security and Livelihood Priorities for 2nd and 3rd Quarter

What’s inside

Mr. Nasar HayatAssistant FAO Representative (Programme)Tel: 92 51 9255452, 92 51 9255491-3, Ext. 202Fax: 92 51 9255454Email: Nasar.Hayat@fao.orgWeb: http://www.fao.org/pakistan/

Issue No. 07

A Quarterly Newsletter of FAO PakistanFor further information, contact:

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07 SUCCESS STORY: Farming without fear of diseases

Photo from the field09

From the barren land to the fields of gold08

Training of Trainers on Agriculture Value Chain Financing

FAO in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) organized a five days Training of Trainers (ToT) from 30 March to 3 April 2015 in Karachi. Two international Master Trainers, Mr. Calvin Miller from FAO, and Dr. Prasun Das from Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) presented global best practices of various value chain financing models.

The inaugural session was chaired by Mr. Syed Samar Hasnain, Executive Director, SBP. The session was attended by approx. 100 participants largely including senior executives of commercial banks, officials of SBP and FAO. Mr. Hasnain highlighted SBP's strategy of working closely with the banking and agriculture sectors for meeting the growing demand of agri-credit in the country. He appreciated the efforts of banks which have already achieved 58% of annual target of Rs. 500 billion for agri-credit disbursements in the first eight months of current fiscal year 2014-15. He mentioned about SBP's support to pilots of few banks in f inancing to value chains of

sugarcane, potato, and aqua-culture.Mr. Nasar Hayat, Assistant FAO Representat ive (Programme) h igh l ighted the ef for ts and assistance that FAO has been extending to the GoP in building and strengthening national agriculture infrastructure. He emphasized on the need of an inclusive and efficient agriculture and food systems. In particular, he shared FAO's initiatives to support smallholder farmers of

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Balochistan to improve their yield and market access. He also said that this training designed by FAO is an effective tool to improve financial services available to the agricultural value chains.

Representatives of Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Khushhali Bank and Engro Foods also shared their experiences of working with the emerging value chains in Pakistan.

Trainings on Improved Food Stock Monitoring System

avoid wheat shortage, ensuring food security in the area. More than 70 participants including Deputy Director, District Food Controllers, Food Inspectors, Depot in charge, computer operators and data entry clerks participated in these trainings.

FAO carried out seven trainings on improved food stock monitoring system in districts Mirpur, Kotli, Rawalakot and Muzaffarabad from 31 March to 4 April. The trainings emphasized on the need of effective monitoring and timely actions to

Advanced GIS Training Using ArcGIS (3rd Module)

module “Advanced GIS Training Using ArcGIS” was organized on 6 April in Islamabad. Approx. 15 representatives from NARC, PARC and NFDC received this training. The participants were also trained on developing Infrographics for effective presentation of data, using charts, graphs and texts.

FAO is organizing a series of GPS/GIS trainings for the capacity building of various stakeholders in agriculture sector under its project “Soil Fertility Management for Sustainable Intensification in Pakistan: Baseline Input Atlas and Promotion of Soil Fertility with Private Sector".In this regard, training on third

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Training on Food Security Cluster Information Management Tool

A comprehensive seven-days training on the use of newly developed Global FSC Information Management (IM) tool for staff of Food Security Cluster and its member organizations was organized from 28 April to 3 May in Islamabad.

The tool facilities data collection, processing and response analysis by replacing the traditional 3/4W excel

matrixes. It aims standardized the FSC IM process on global level while being flexible enough to adapt to different country contexts. By producing operational reports and maps, the tool will give visibility to gaps and overlaps of partner responses. The reports and maps facilitate sharing information with partners, for instance at the coordination meetings and can be

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Pakistan qualifies for Stage II in Progressive Control Pathway of Foot and Mouth DiseaseThe hard work of FAO executed project “Progressive control of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Pakistan” was recognized by the Regional Advisory Group at the 6th Annual Meeting of the West Eurasia FMD Road Map held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 28 – 30 April, 2015; Pakistan's status was upgraded from Stage 1 to Stage 2 in the FMD-Progressive Control Pathway.

Risk-based control strategy of FMD of Pakistan was presented by the Project Coordinator in the meeting and was appreciated by the experts and the participants from 13 regional countries. It was considered as a model to be used by other regional countries for preparing their FMD risk reduction plan to qualify for the FMD-PCP Stage II. Progress towards the control of FMD in Pakistan was presented by Dr.

Muhammad Akram, Assistant Animal Husbandry Commissioner in the Ministry of National Food Security and Research. Pak istan was represented in the meeting with a strong delegation of five persons including Project Coordinator Dr. Muhammad Afzal, National Project Director Dr. Manzoor Hussain, National Field Officer Dr. Aftab Ahmad, Assistant Animal Husbandry

Commissioner Dr. Muhammad Akram and Dr. Rashad Munir Khawaja Additional Director FMD Research Centre. Project Coordinator stressed on the need to continue efforts to control FMD in Pakistan for improving profitability of the livestock farmers and increase milk and meat production to ensure food security and reduce poverty.

UN Trust Fund for Human Security Mission Visited FAO Project Area in Sindh

During these meeting, project activities, success factors and chanllenges were discussed.

The project aims to restore and protect the l i ve l ihoods and empowers vulnerable peasants (men, women, boys and girls) dependent on feudal and tribal landholding and farming systems and affected by droughts, floods and insecurity. This goal is at the core of human security, provision and development beyond emergency

A delegation from the UN Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS), headed by Mr. Huw Beynon, Programme Officer, Human Security Unit visited FAO project “Livelihood Restoration and Protection and Sustainable Empowernment of Vulnerable Peasant Communities” in district Mirpurkhas on 18 May. the delegation held meetings with c o m m u n i t i e s , i m p l e m e n t i n g partners at village levels as well as with the Government counterparts at district administration level.

and humanitarian assistance as it aims to improve the quality of life, disaster resilience and dignity of male and female peasants of districts Mirpurkhas and Dadu in Sindh.

used for cluster's advocacy efforts.

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International Conference on the “Innovative Agricultural Financing'

FAO in collaboration with SBP conducted a two days International Conference from 28 to 29 April 2015 in Islamabad. The Conference aimed to discuss innovative strategies and solutions to increase outreach of agriculture credit to small-scale fa r m e rs , a n d a l s o h i g h l i g ht opportunities at the high-end of the market focusing corporate farming and agriculture-food enterprise. The conference highlighted global experiences on agricultural financing through plenary discussions, breakout sessions, and “plug-and-play” sessions. Major topics include policy framework, value chains financing, warehouse receipts financing, risk management, and use of technologies.

A large number of representatives from the Government of Pakistan, the State Bank of Pakistan, senior policy makers, leading commercial Banks of Pakistan, donor agencies, private sector leaders, development partners, civil society, academia and FAO participated in the conference. Fifteen international experts from DFID, As ia-Paci f ic Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA), Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, Policies, Markets and ICTs-CTA, FAO Rome and FAO Thailand also participated as key speakers or panelists.

The inaugural session was chaired by the Honourable Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister, Revenue, Statistics, Economic Affairs and Privatization and was co-chaired by H.E. Mr. Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research. Mr. Patrick T. Evans, FAO Representative in Pakistan; Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra, Governor, State Bank of Pakistan; Mr. Saeed Ahmad, Deputy Governor, the State Bank of Pakistan; Mr. Ashraf Mahmood Wathra, Governor SBP and Mr. Chamnong Siriwongyotha, General Secretary, APRACA spoke on the occasion.

The Honorable Senator Mr. Dar said that “the government is taking measures to increase agriculture production and infrastructure, ensure food security, and promote pro-poor agricultural growth. These measures will help to improve production yields, introduce modern farm-mechanization, increase better market access, and integrate farming with diverse markets through value chains to ensure that the benefits are passed down to farmers”. Mr. Dar appreciated FAO collaboration with SBP for promoting agricultural value chain financing in Pakistan.

The Honourable Minister for National Food Security and Research

sa id that “compared to the developed and many developing countries with similar resource base, the productivity of Pakistan's agriculture sector today is low. The government will consider the re co m m e n d at i o n s f ro m t h i s conference for inclusion in the forthcoming finance bill”.Mr. Patrick T. Evans said that the “agriculture financing in Pakistan is limited with low percentage of finance going to the sector in relation to the needs and to its contribution to the country's GDP. Many arming households are excluded from adequate financing due to the bankers' reliance on of-land titles for securing loans. Hence, it is vital to introduce agriculture value chain finance and other innovations into banking sector and in building technical capacity to scale up its use and implement across the country”.

Additional features of the conference include stalls to by different agri-a l l ied stakeholders including financial institutions, development finance institutions, and agri-t e c h n o l o g y p r o m o t e r s . [http://www.fao.org/pakistan/news/detail-events/en/c/285061/].

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Sindh joins FAO for the control of Trans-boundary Animal Diseases

Control of PPR” conducted a training workshop on 19 May 2015 in Hyderabad. About 20 staff members from Safari Park Karachi (3), Karachi Zoo (4), Hyderabad Zoo (3) and Wildlife Department - Sindh (10) part ic ipated in th is t ra in ing workshop. The inaugural session was chaired by Mr. Francisco Gamarro, Deputy FAO Representative. Dr.

Minimal information has been documented on the role of wildlife in m a i n t a i n i n g a n d s p r e a d i n g Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) including Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) as well as Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in Pakistan. To bring Wildlife Department- Sindh on board, FAO projects “Progressive Control of FMD” and “Progressive

Ghulam Sarwar, Project Coordinator JICA/Ex-Director General Livestock Department, Sindh distributed the sample collection kits to al l participants. During the workshop, a strategy was also developed on how to collect samples to determine the prevalence of FMD and PPR in wildlife.

Workshop on Forest above Ground Biomass estimation using Synthetic Aperture Radar and Optical Remote Sensing

Education Research Lab, Islamabad on 13-14 May. The workshop aimed to present and compare the findings of forest above ground biomass estimation using Radar and Optical Remote Sensing, GIS and Ground

T h e t wo d ays wo r ks h o p o n estimation of “Forest above ground biomass using Radar Remote Sensing in synergy with other methods” was organized by Institute of Space Technology (IST) at the Geospatial

based forest inventories. FAO GIS Assistant, Ms. Mahwish Ali received this training with other participants f ro m W W F Pa k i s ta n , Fo re st Departments of Punjab, KP and Sindh, and academic institutes.

FAO organized livestock trainings for field veterinary staff in Quetta, Balochistan

M r. M u h a m m a d S i d d i q u e Mandokhel, Secretary, Livestock and Dairy Development Department (L&DD), Government of Balochistan distributed sample collection kits among all participants. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Mandokhel acknowledged FAO for its efforts to control FMD in Balochistan.

Dr. Muhammad Alam, focal person for Livestock Ministry of Balochistan; Mr. Farooq Watinshad, Political Advisor for Livestock Ministry of

FAO project 'Progressive Control of the Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in Pakistan' organized two one-day trainings on “Control and Handling of the FMD Outbreak” on 26 and 27 May in Quetta. 65 veterinarians and veterinary assistants from districts Quetta, Qil la Saiful lah, Qil la Abdullah, Loralai and Khuzda were trained on FDM clinical diagnosis, e p i d e m i o l o g y , t r e a t m e n t , vaccination and sample collection and submission to diagnostic laboratories.

Balochistan; Dr. Khalid Mehmood, Disease Investigation Officer, Quetta and Dr. Baig Muhammad Kakar, Deputy Director, L&DD Balochistan were also present at the concluding sessions of these trainings.

Dr. Muhammad Alam, focal person for Livestock Ministry of Balochistan; Mr. Farooq Watinshad, Political Advisor for Livestock Ministry of Balochistan; Dr. Khalid Mehmood, Disease Investigation Officer, Quetta and Dr. Baig Muhammad Kakar,

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Workshop on balanced use of fertilizers towards food security

emphasized on the significance of 4R Nutrient Stewardship for sustainable agricultural intensification with spec ia l reference to Mango production. Dr. Mubarak Ahmed, Director General Southern-zone Agriculture Research Centre, PARC sa id that the promot ion of s u s t a i n a b l e s o i l a n d l a n d management is central to ensuring soil and crop for sustainable agricultural development and environment. The public and private sectors should join hands in resolving the export issues related to Mangos. He emphasized on good agricultural practices, processing and packaging to ensure value addition and earning foreign exchange.

On this occasion, Assistant FAO Representative (Programme), Mr. Nasar Hayat shared that “FAO is working on a baseline atlas of current soil fertility practices, disaggregated by farm size and cropping systems in

FAO in partnership with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFR), the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) and the U.S. Department for Agriculture (USDA) convened a workshop on “Contribution of Balanced Use of Fertilizers towards Food Security” on 26 May in Karachi. The workshop promoted the use of appropriate balanced inputs and 4Rs -Right fertilizer at the Right rate at the Right time in the Right place Nutrient Stewardship in partnership with the private sector, including fertilizer companies (Fauji Fertilizer Company, Engro and Fatima Fertilizer Company Limited), wholesalers/retailers and farmer associations. The participants also assessed use of fertilizer management practices at farm-gate level with special focus on Mango plantation.

Dr. Nisar Ahmad- Former Chief NFDC, Planning Commission of Pakistan

Pakistan. The atlas will help to understand required soil fertility m a n a g e m e n t c h a n g e s f o r s u s t a i n a b l e i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n . Consequently, appropriate balanced inputs and 4Rs would be promoted.”He further said that “it is imperative to include farmer's experiences in devising fertilizer management strategy for sustainable crop production”. Dr. Waqar Ahmad, FAO Soil Expert highlighted the significance of fertilizer use assessment at farmer gate level, and role of public private sectors to enhance quality produce. The experts from the public and private sectors also emphasized on having comprehensive information on 4Rs for dissemination to farming communities. In the end, FAO's role in bringing together farmers and commodity experts was well appreciated by the participants.

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Deputy Director, L&DD Balochistan were also present at the concluding sessions of these trainings.

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Workshop on Fertilizer Use Assessment at Farm-gate Level

Planning Commission of Pakistan. In his address to the participants he emphasized on the significance of 4Rs - Right fertilizer at the Right rate at the Right time in the Right place for sustainable quality production of rice in the country.

M r. N a s a r H ay a t , A s s i s t a n t Representative (Programmne) highlighted the pivotal role of agriculture to national economy. He also briefed the participants on the role of FAO programmes in improving livelihoods of farmers and national food security.

Mr. Riaz Ahmad Dayo, Director Agriculture Extension, Sindh said that the promotion of sustainable soil management is pivotal to ensure sustainable agriculture development He also said that the public and private sectors including farmer associations should join hands in resolving the rice export issues.

FAO in partnership with the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council and the U.S. D e p a r t m e n t fo r A g r i c u l t u r e convened a commodity based workshop on “Balanced Use of Fertilizers and Food Security, with special focus on Rice crop” on 15 June in Lahore.

More than 80 participants from PARC, Farmer Associates of Pakistan, Basmati Growers Associations, Sindh Abadgar Board, National Fertilizer Development Center (NFDC), academia, fert i l izer industry, provincial research, agricultural information, extension institutes across Punjab and Sindh, and FAO participated in the workshop and shared their experiences, case studies and initiatives.

The inaugural session was chaired by Dr. Nisar Ahmad, Former Chief NFDC,

Dr. Waqar Ahmad, FAO Soil Expert also highlighted the pivotal role of public private sectors to enhance quality produce using 4Rs.

The invited speakers from the public and private sectors talked about fertilizer use practices, impact on crop productivity and environment. It was noted that gap exists between the recommendations given by different institutions as well as those practiced by the farms. The r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f f a r m e r s associations across Punjab and Sindh shared their concerns over the input as well as commodity prices to ensure viable economic returns. This will largely be dictated by the appropriate government policies.

The participants agreed that the information on 4Rs should be c o m p i l e d s y n t h e s i z e d , a n d disseminated to farmer communities and other stakeholders.

FAO Handed-over Two Sheep Shearing Sheds to the Government of Balochistan

livelihoods in Balochistan, which generates an estimated USD 5 million in annual revenues from wool clip. However, about 50% of Pakistan's livestock remains underprivileged from basic wool shearing mechanics.

Mr. Siddique said that “FAO's sheep shearing sheds are the most advanced and mechanized ways of shearing wool that not only cuts down shearing time but also produce

“Sheep Shearing ushers significant hope for the resource poor farmers in Balochistan”, said Mr. Muhammad Siddique, Secretary Livestock, Government of Balochistan during a ceremony organized by FAO to hand-over two sheep shearing sheds to the Government of Balochistan, in Quetta.

Mr. Siddique said that wool industry is an important source of income and

better quality wool. The technology will enable local farmers to generate decent incomes for their families.”He further said that the “supplementary machines should be provided to the farmers to ensure better incomes, livelihoods and food security at the local level. He also lauded the initiatives taken by FAO for local farmers.

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The Food Security Cluster has prepared the Strategic Response Plan 2015 for efficient and effective food security and livelihood response to support displaced and returnee families of FATA and hosting families of KP. First quarter Strategic Response Plan was compiled with the following details:

First Quarter – (January – March)Ÿ Food ration were provided on monthly basis from January – March.Ÿ Overall more than 1.83 million people were in need.Ÿ Around 1.63 million people were targeted caseload.Ÿ Almost 1.55 million people in need were reached.Ÿ Around 55,170 people were assisted with cash based programme

(around 70% females and 30% were male headed households among them).

Food Security and Livelihood Priorities for 2nd and 3rd Quarter

Food Security Cluster has prioritized to target the return caseloads for improving their household food security and nutrition level through; Ÿ Provision of nutritious food. Ÿ Agriculture Inputs.Ÿ Livestock and Poultry Support.Ÿ Cash based programming for improving the depleting purchasing

power and rehabilitation of community infrastructure and means of livelihoods.

Strategic Planning 2015: Food Security in KP/FATA

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The workshop was held on 15 April in Lahore. The aim was to present role, mission, programmes and initiatives of UN in Pakistan. The mission was led by Vittorio Cammarota, Director United Nations Information Center (UNIC). Also present were the United Nations Communication Group (UNCG) members from six UN agencies and RC Office, Mahira Afzal, Communication Officer – FAO; Lucie Kabova, Communication Officer– W F P ; M i d h a t A l i Z a i d a , Communication Officer – UNICEF; Riaz Karim Khan, Communication and Programme Officer– UNESCO; Aktar Uddin, Programme Officer/ Officer in charge –UNV and Sara Noori – RC Office.

The workshop was attended by over 250 faculty members and students of t h e m a s s c o m m u n i c a t i o n departments of eight leading universities. Prior meetings were held with Professor Dr. Muhammad

Zafarullah and Pro-Rector and Professor Dr. Mughees-uddin Sheikh, D e a n , M a s s C o m m u n i cat i o n Department (UCP).

Acknowledging the role of UN, Professor Dr. Muhammad Zafarullah said that “it is a commendable initiative by the UN to reach out to faculty and students of mass communication departments in Lahore. There is a dire need to create awareness on the working of UN as these students are the future journalists and can contribute to promote UN and its initiatives”.

Speaking on the occasion Vittorio Cammarota said that UN supports the Government and People of Pakistan in achieving long term nat ional development goals , national priorities, humanitarian and early recovery work, in times of crises. The formal presentations on working of all 19 UN Agencies in the

country commenced. The work of FAO, IFAD,UNOPS, UN-HABITAT and UNFPA were explained by Ms. Mahira Afzal- FAO is the first UN agency that Pakistan became a member of after independence. Representatives from WFP, UNICEF, UNESCO and UNV presented work of their respective agencies. Students were interested to know more about the work of FAO and its current projects in the country and its role in supporting the resource-poor small-holder farmers.

Workshop in Lahore University of the Management Sciences (LUMS) - 16 April

After the successful communication workshop at the University of the Central Punjab participants from LUMS requested UN Communication Group to hold a similar workshop at LUMS. LUMS has a Model United Nations Society which is a student-

ONE UN Communication Workshop

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run organization established in 2002. It introduced the concept of Model United Nations (MUN) simulation in Pakistan and hence prides itself in being the pioneer of the MUN culture.

Meeting with Lahore-based media/ Journalists- 15 April

A formal meeting with approx. 25 Lahore-based journalists was held at the Lahore Press Club to share how UN’s role in the development of the people of Pakistan. The possible measures to improve coordination of UN agencies with local media. J o u r n a l i s t s w e r e e s p e c i a l l y interested in the work of FAO in Pakistan. They were interested to know how FAO contributes in ensuring the poor farmers receive good cost of their produce once sold in the market. Ms. Mahira Afzal (FAO) and Mr. Riaz Karim Khan (UNESCO) were UNCG focal points.

Opening ceremony of UN Photo Exhibition

Ms. Jacqui Badcock, UN Resident Coordinator inaugurated UN Photo Exhibition at the Lahore City Heritage Museum. She appreciated the active participation of UNCG including FAO in promoting UN in Pakistan. FAO photos from the field were used on all visibility materials and were well appreciated by the visitors.

Mr. Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, Minister for School Education, Higher Education, Youth Affairs,

Sports, Archaeology and Tourism, Government of Punjab was the chief guest at the occasion. Also spoke on the occasion was Mr. Quddus Mirza, Head of the Fine Arts Department, National Council of Arts (NCA), Lahore.It was interesting to note the visibility and appreciation received by FAO photos; in below photo (Left) a fine arts teacher from National Colleague

of Arts (NCA) is analyzing the colours and various dimensions of a farmer's photo from KP. The other photo shows the coverage received by electronic media; a number of students including from the Aligarh School, Gulberg Lahore visiting the exhibition used FAO photos as background while talking with the media.

From the Barren Land to the Fields of GoldThe FAO Emergency Support to the Restoration of Agricultural-Based Livelihoods of Returned Families in Kurram Agency of FATA Project helped thousands of farmers start cultivating their fields again

Like many other residents of Kurram

Agency in the FATA, Shaukat Iqbal of Muzafar Kot Village, Lower Kurram Tehsil, used to earn his living by growing wheat and rice. His 2.5 acres of land provided food and income for the entire family of five including his mother, wife and two sons.

Their lives were disrupted in 2008 when a protracted conflict and sectarian violence in the area forced Iqbal and his family to leave their home. “Suddenly, our lives took a U-turn. We had no idea what the future held for us,” said Iqbal. At first, the family sought refuge at a relative’s

SUCCESS STORY

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home in another village. However, it was hard to earn living there, and the family relocated to Peshawar.

Before too long, Iqbal realized that Peshawar just as hard a place to make living. His lengthy search for employment was unsuccessful. “All my life, I had only worked on my land; all I could do in Peshawar to make ends meet was to become a labourer,” said Mr. Iqbal. “For five years, we lived hand-to-mouth.”

As soon as Iqbal heard that the Government of Pakistan has allowed displaced persons to return to their homes, the farmer began planning to return to his land. The first wave of joy soon turned into worry as Iqbal realized that houses, schools, roads, hospitals and agricultural lands were all destroyed in his home area, and the family had no savings to rebuild their lives.

For once, luck was on Iqbal’s side. “My neighbour told me that an NGO was visiting our village to collect information on returnee farmers who need agricultural assistance,”

said Iqbal. “I hurried to meet the visitors and shared all required information with them.”The visiting NGO represented an FAO project funded by the Kingdom of Belgium to assist families affected by the conflict in Kurram agency to restore their livelihoods. Iqbal met the project criteria for a project benef ic iary and received 50 kilograms of wheat seed, 50 kilograms of fertilizer and 0.5 kilograms of vegetable seed. The wheat seed was estimated to be sufficient for one acre of land, while the vegetable seeds were to be used to grow food until the wheat harvest.

The next few months flew by with the family ploughing the fields and sowing wheat, learning from FAO how to grow a kitchen garden and how to receive better yields. Before they knew it, the summer was in, and with it, the harvesting time for wheat.

Iqbal harvested 1.7 tons of wheat from the FAO seed, over three times more than he had ever done before. He plans to keep approximately 1.4

tons for home consumption, while another 160 kilograms have been set aside for the net year’s planting. “I will sell the remaining wheat and hopefully will earn 8,000-11,000 Rupees (USD 80-110) to buy medicines for my mother and other necessities for the family,” he said.

Mr. Iqbal also produced 300 kilograms of wheat straw, which is worth approximately 16,000 Rupees (US$160) in the market. He will use the straw as fodder for the livestock that the family plans to buy. “My barren field has turned into a field of gold,” said Iqbal, his voice full of pride for this land and gratitude for the support he had received.

PHOTO FROM THE FIELD

Photo Credit: Malik Bilal KP/FATA, FAO Pakistan

Mr. Shaukat Iqbal of Muzafar Kot Village, Lower Kurram Tehsil, harvested 1.7 tons of Wheat from FAO seed.

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa55-c/2, Gul Mohar LaneUniversity Town PeshawarPhone:92 91 5852292-3

SindhHouse 43/142 Defence Officers Housing SocietyHyderabadPhone:92 22 2108168-9

Marine Fisheries DepartmentKarachi Fish HarbourWest WharfKarachiPhone:92 21 32314417

Bureau of Statistics Building13,Block 8, Chaudhry Khalique- uz- Zaman Road,Clifton, Karachi Phone:92 21- 99205862

BaluchistanHouse 27-a, Chamman Housing SocietyAirport RoadQuettaPhone:92 81 2864068

FAO RepresentationNARC PremisesPark Road, Chak ShahzadIslamabadPhone:92 51 9255491-3

FAO OFFICES PAKISTAN

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FAO Field Offices: