Saline agriculture and farmer development project in Pakistan

At 04:28 PM 17/09/2004 +0000, Dr Khalid Mahmood Shouq wrote:

Newsletter April 2003, Vol. 1: No. 2

EDITORIAL

As published in the first newsletter, this issue would publish all material relevant to salinity problem and associ­ated environmental concerns in Pakistan and elsewhere hav­ing similar problems. Particular emphasis would be given to the anecdotal accounts of successes achieved in Saline Agri­culture Research and Development work. All relevant scientists, development man­agers especially the Saline Agriculture project staff is welcome to forward their success stories along with pertinent photographs through e-mail or electronically stored in writable CDs. The next issue of the newsletter would appear in first week of July 2003. So your draft stories must be dis­patched before the last week of June 2003 to the Coordination Office (Punjab) of the "Saline Agriculture Farmer Participa­tory Development Project in Pakistan" located at NIAB, Faisalabad. Although, the current project has been launched on only 25000 acres of salt-affected soils in all four provinces of Pakistan, we aim at revegetation of all salt-affected soils in Pakistan in due course of time.

Thus the project would be serving farmers nation­wide, giving scientific backing to extentionists, cooperating with scientists in line departments and development managers in all Governmental and non-Governmental agencies in Paki­stan. Your feed back on the format and contents of newsletter is eagerly awaited so that we can make desirable improvements.

Dr. Zahoor Aslam


Message from an Eminent Scientist

Dr M. Mohsin Iqbal
Chief Scientist
Director NIAB, Faisalabad
President SSSP (2002-2003)

At present, about 6 million hectares of land are affected due to salinity/sodicity to varying degrees. The ill effects of salinity/sodicity include reduced seed germination, low water uptake by plants, salt toxicity leading to low plant productivity and in some cases death of plants. Several engineering solutions have been proposed but none has found favour with the resource poor farmers.

The concept of Biosaline Agriculture proposed by NIAB in early 70s envisages living with salinity rather than trying to eliminate it through expensive techniques. Under this concept, a succession of plants ranging from highly salt tolerant plants to salt tolerant annual crops is grown to rehabilitate the saline waste lands. NIAB has to its credit a record of extensive research work in this direction-on physiology of salt tolerance and screening of exotic and local germplasm for growing on salt affected lands. A number of national and international projects including an IAEA Interregional project have been successfully competed. Drawing on this experience, a Govt. of Pakistan funded national project has been initiated in 2002 to revegetate and utilize initially 25000 areas of salt-affected land irrigated by brackish water. The hallmark of this project is the participation of saline agriculture farmers in planning and execution of activities. With major technical back-up and some inputs made available through NIAB, the farming community is expected to be in the driver's seat to steer the project towards the cherished goal of self reliance. The farmers should avail this opportunity to show their mattle to rest of the world in sorting out their problems themselves.

News of the Past Quarter

The Next 5 Years Will Be Exciting Time For Saline Agriculture In Pakistan The Steering Committee of "Saline Agriculture Farmer Participatory Development Project in Pakistan" observed in its second meeting held at NIAB on January 13, 2003 that Saline Agriculture is the best option for rehabilitation of salt-affected soils in Pakistan. The committee hoped that through this project, all out efforts would be made for effectively combating the salinity problem in the project areas and ultimately in Pakistan as a whole. During the meeting the provincial coordinators orally presented the progress reports to the Steering Committee which thoroughly reviewed all aspects of the project and made useful suggestions. Overall the Steering Committee was pleased with the progress made so far and advised the provincial coordinators to further expedite the project activities. The Coordinator (Punjab) was advised that on his convenience he should visit all other project sites in Pakistan and assist the project staff if and where needed.

The Steering Committee concluded that "Saline Agriculture" is the most appropriate technology for combating the salinity problem in Pakistan in the present socio- economic circumstances in the country. The findings of the current project would be instructive so the next 5 years will be exciting time for Saline Agriculture in Pakistan, various agencies of Government of Pakistan and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which has been patronizing Saline Agriculture R & D programme of PAEC during the last two decades. During the last six years, through an Inter-Regional IAEA sponsored programme, PAEC has played a key role in introducing/sharing Saline Agriculture related technologies to scientists and technicians in 10 different Middle-Eastern and North African countries.

Social Mobilization, Community Development and Capacity Building for Saline Agriculture

Dr Zahoor Aslam NIAB, Faisalabad

Excessive salinity in soil/water systems was always an agricultural and socio-economic problem in Pakistan. The conventional approach for combating salinity problem involves use of excessive quantity of good quality water for leaching of salts. The last few years have been very difficultas far as irrigated agriculture in Pakistan is concerned. Rains in Pakistan and as a matter of fact in whole West and South Asia have been to its historic low due to the so-called El-Nino weather phenomenon. River water, the life line of agriculture in Pakistan has been terribly/painfully in short supply and farmers were forced to use poor quality groundwater to slake the thirst of their crops. Unfortunately farmers in Pakistan are not aware of on know-how for safely using saline water resources. A few irrigations, sometimes only two, by poor quality groundwater is sufficient for triggering land degradation and may lead to poor crop growth in many subsequent years.

PAEC in collaboration with NRSP and line departments like PARC, On- Farm Water Management and Agriculture is working on a Saline Agriculture Development project in participation of farming communities in these areas. This project is providing technical support to Saline Agriculture Farmers in conjunction with social mobilization for community development and capacity building for saline agriculture development. The facilities for vocational/technical training/information are being provided in miscellaneous ways. The farming communities would also be facilitated in their access to micro-credit from Agriculture Development Bank or Khushhali Bank in Pakistan.

Social dimensions in Saline Agriculture The project staff organized farmers into community organizations for Saline Agriculture Farmers Participatory Development Project. In-deed it is an innovative development. Following points highlights the conceptual underpinning of this component of the project.

1. Harnessing Peoples' Potential: Social Mobilization for the development work is based on the assumption that the farmers, even the most disadvantaged ones are willing to improve their land and incomes and have the potential to do so, untapped hitherto. To unleash the potential they need technical guidance and social mobilization for community development to maximize their potential.

2. No pre-conceived package: The project is a bottom-up approach. The initial dialogue with the communities has to be without a preconceived package to ascertain their own perceptions and opportunities. In this case communities identify the problem and the opportunity with reference to their experience and knowledge. Project staff tries to see it in the light of scientific knowledge. It is a problem solving approach rather than imposing the departmental package formulated at a distant place by "Naukari Pesha" people. One good example is from Toba-Shorkot site where some farmers grew wheat and used saline ground water for irrigation which degraded their soils and as a consequence wheat plants remained stunted without tillering and developed chlorosis. When they asked us for the advice, we found a high RSC in the groundwater as the main culprit. High RSC was neutralized with judicious addition of acids in tube well water. The soils became porous, wheat plants resumed normal growth and farmers had unprecedented harvests for their land this year.

3. Community organizations undertaking commercial ventures: Co-undertaking cottage agro-industry venture/corporate venture for value addition to agricultural produce in days to come by pooling poor farmers' resources is a vision of this project. In the process graduating from subsistence to commercial level. Linking up with Governmental or simply themselves becoming an alternative to much talked about "Corporate Agriculture". In this case the today community organizations would act as fore-runners of such a possibility

4. Grass root Institutions: Community organizations supported by local science teachers/students can ultimately become grass root institutions with their own "ready-to-operate" laborato­ries/equipment for their soil and water analyses, identify the problem and provide initial technical support to fallow farmers. For the benefit of these "would be institutions" and saline agriculture farmers a series of training courses has been initiated which includes practical demonstration.

Revegetation campaign in Project Areas inaugurated/ Commenced

Dr. Mohsin Iqbal, Director NIAB was first to plant first tree on 5th February in Toba-Shorkot for inaugurating planting campaign for the pro­ject sites in Punjab. The planted tree Acacia ampliceps is a highly salt toler­ant multi­purpose plant, so ideal for revegetation of waste land. It is a source of forage for goats and harbours honey bee colonies in a big way because of profused flowering by this plant species. To celebrate this occasion, community members were present in a large num­ber. Drums were beaten in a state of ecstasy and flower petals were showered on the chief guest (Dr. Mohsin Iqbal, Di­rector NIAB). In the end, a local Aalim led the prayers for the success of the Project in Pakistan.

Principles Of Using Salt-Affected Land and Brackish Groundwater

Dr Zahoor Aslam NIAB, Faisalabad

Farmers in Pakistan are not aware of safely using their saline land/water resources. The main objective of the project is dissemination of principles/technologies for sustainable use of saline land and/or water resources among farming communities and development of indigenous capacity in the project areas. While these technologies would be explained in detail in future issues of the newsletter, suffice here to narrate the following points as a rule of thumb.

1) Salt tolerant plant species (trees, shrubs, grasses) and salt tolerant varieties/cultivars of crops should be grown in saline environments. Nature has bestowed the plant kingdom a high level of genetic diversity for salt tolerance among and within species, and man can also do so to some extent, employing modern techniques. Exploiting this character the scientists have identified several such species/cultivars which remain productive at high salinities.

2) During reclamation of salt-affected soils, soil amendments must be used, if indicated by soil analysis and one must plant salt tolerant crops during this process. The cultivation of rice does help because of its ability to grow under submerged soil conditions but a better choice could be kallar grass which combines the merits of salt- tolerant plants and salt-sensitive rice.

3) The principle of using good quality water for good land and bad quality water for bad land may be strictly followed. Unfortunately, the farmers in Pakistan tend to use good quality water (if available) even on bad land and do not hesitate to use bad water on good land if good water is not available. If suitable amendments are not used, both these practices lead to soil degradation and increased sodicity hazard, soil dispersion, loss of soil structure. Soil thus may turn to be impermeable to water and air, difficult for seed bed preparation and other tillage operations. In most of the cases seeds either do not germinate or shoot does not emerge out of such soils.

4) The reclamation of salt-affected soils may take years and there are no short cuts. Use of mineral acids for dramatic reclamatory effects has its own pitfalls and demerits if not used under expert advice.

5) The principles of salt-land agronomy must be strictly observed while working in saline environments.

6) Appropriate leaching/drainage from root zone is a pre-requisite for all agricultural projects and saline agriculture is no exception.



*******************

Join Sindh WebSite e-lists to contribute your opinion on this blog.
Visit http://www.sindh.ws/lists.htm for details.

*******************