Sustainable Cotton Production through Skill Development among Farmers: Evidence from Khairpur District of Sindh, Pakistan

This study on farmers’ training in environment friendly production practices for cotton crop was conducted in the Khairpur district of Sindh province. Data used in this study comprises baseline and post IPM Farmer Field School (FFS) impact surveys conducted during 2001 and 2003 respectively. The programme impacts were estimated on gross margins and changes in farmers’ attitude towards environment and biodiversity. The effect of training on social recognition of farmers, their experimentations abilities, and decision making skills were also examined. Beside single difference comparisons of change in production practices between trained and non-trained farmers, the difference in difference (DD) method was also used for comparisons among FFS farmers, exposed farmers and un-exposed farmers from control villages. The stochastic production frontier model incorporating inefficiency effects is also estimated to analyze the impact of farmers’ training (through FFS) on productivity and efficiency at cotton farms in the study area. Results show better cotton yield and reduction in cost of pesticides and fertilizer inputs enabled FFS farmers to fetch significantly higher gross margins (US$391/ha) than non-FFS (US$ 151/ha) and Control farms (US$ 25/ha). The total application of pesticide chemicals was largely reduced (44%) on FFS farms. The cost of inefficiency at FFS farms was lower (23.71%) as compared to those on non-FFS farms (30.50%) which implies that FFS farmers were able to maintain higher level of technical efficiency. It is concluded that the FFS approach is not only cost efficient but also improves farm level technical efficiency. Information generated through Agro-ecosystem analysis on pest and predator dynamics helps farmers to understand pest-predator interaction to allow nature to work with lesser or most appropriate interventions. A well-planned technical backup support mechanism is recommended to be evolved through integrating research system into farmer-led experimentation. The Programme achievements show that FFS approach in Pakistan has furthered from only crop management to systems management and community development approach and should be supported further to enter into mass scale expansion state.Cotton Production; Skill Development; Production Frontier; Efficiency; Pakistan

Adoption of Recommended Varieties: A Farm-level Analysis of Wheat Growers in Irrigated Punjab

This study uses farm level data to analyse the determinants of adoption of recommended wheat varieties in irrigated Punjab, Pakistan. A notable proportion of wheat acreage is sown to non-recommended wheat varieties in the province. These cultivars had either lost (overtime) or did not have resistance against yellow rust. Farm size, education, and size of wheat enterprise on the farm are the important determinants of adoption of recommended wheat varieties while tractor ownership and irrigation source play a positive but insignificant role in the adoption decisions. Age and tenure proved to be less of a constraint towards adoption of the recommended wheat varieties. The likelihood of the adoption of recommended wheat varieties varied among tehsils, with the highest probabilities of adoption in Melsi and Arifwala tehsils of cotton-wheat zones I and II respectively.

Adoption of Recommended Varieties: A Farm level Analysis of Wheat Growers in Irrigated Punjab

This study uses farm level data to analyse the determinants of adoption of recommended wheat varieties in irrigated Punjab, Pakistan. A notable proportion of wheat acreage is sown to non-recommended wheat varieties in the province. These cultivars had either lost (overtime) or did not have resistance against yellow rust. Farm size, education, and size of wheat enterprise on the farm are the important determinants of adoption of recommended wheat varieties while tractor ownership and irrigation source play a positive but insignificant role in the adoption decisions. Age and tenure proved to be less of a constraint towards adoption of the recommended wheat varieties. The likelihood of the adoption of recommended wheat varieties varied among tehsils, with the highest probabilities of adoption in Melsi and Arifwala tehsils of cotton-wheat zones I and II respectively.Adoption; wheat varieties; Punjab; Pakistan

Zero-tillage Technology and Farm Profits: A Case Study of Wheat Growers in the Rice Zone of Punjab

The rice-wheat cropping zone of Punjab is the main producer of high-valued and fine quality basmati rice in Pakistan. The rice produced in this area is famous for its grain length and aromatic characteristics. Being an important export item, rice contributes significantly to the national foreign exchange earnings. Wheat is the other major crop of the rice-wheat system and being the staple food is central to national agricultural policies. Rice is grown on a vast area in this zone during Kharif mostly followed by wheat in the Rabi season. Studies have shown that a large gap exists between the potential and yields actually realised by the wheat growers of the area [Byerlee, et al. (1984); Hobbs (1985) and Sheikh, et al. (2000)]. Farmers’ practices regarding land preparation for paddy, wheat planting time, and other conflicts endogenous to the rice-wheat based cropping system were identified as the major factors limiting wheat yield in the area. The flooded and puddled soils that are well suited for paddy production as compared to well-drained conditions required for wheat is such an example of the system conflicts. The farmers in the rice-wheat zone of the Punjab predominantly grow basmati varieties, which are late maturing as compared to coarse varieties of rice. Therefore, paddy harvest is generally delayed at most of the farms in this zone. The late paddy harvest coupled with poor soil structure and loose plant residues create problems for preparation of a good seedbed and planting of wheat often gets late [Byerlee, et al. (1984)]. The farmers also had to resort to the broadcast method for wheat sowing which results in poor and patchy plant stands.

Zero-tillage Technology and Farm Profits: A Case Study of Wheat Growers in the Rice Zone of Punjab

This study presents the results from a field survey of the wheat growers in the rice-wheat zone of Punjab. The late maturing basmati rice varieties and the post paddy-harvest conventional tillage practices to prepare seedbed for wheat sowing often result in delayed planting of the crop. The late sowing is a major factor responsible for low wheat yields obtained by the farmers of the area. Introduction of the new zero-tillage seed drill in the area during early 1980s made it possible to sow wheat in freshly harvested untilled paddy fields utilizing residual moister. Presently, more than eighty thousand hectares of wheat are sown with zero-tillage drill technology. The partial budget analysis showed that zero-tillage is more profitable than conventional wheat sowing methods of ‘wadwatter’ or ‘rauni’. The new technology saves tillage and irrigation costs, results in yield gains through a possible improvement in sowing time and enhanced fertilizer and water use efficiencies. The results showed that the zero-tillage adopters earn an extra income of 253 and 2278 rupees per acre of wheat over that earned from wheat sown with rauni and wadwattar methods respectively. The results of multiple regression analysis confirmed that the zero-tillage technology enhances water and fertilizer use efficiency. However, sufficient evidence was not present to prove any positive or adverse affect of the technology on the incidence of weeds in wheat crop. It is suggested that this aspect of zero-tillage technology be focused more in future research.wheat; Zero-tillage; technology; irrigated Punjab; rice-wheat zone; Pakistan

Economic Evaluation of Pesticide Use Externalities in the Cotton Zones of Punjab, Pakistan

The crop protection strategy in Pakistan is almost entirely based on pesticide use whereas development of integrated pest management (IPM) based technologies is in its initial phases of scrutiny as well as implementation. The inefficient use of chemicals has resulted in environmental pollution and sub-optimal returns to the society on the costly investments. This study estimates the social cost of pesticide use and suggests appropriate guidelines for regulating the safe use of pesticides. An overall economic evaluation of the externalities for the current pesticide use levels shows that external costs are quite higher than the currently paid price at the farm gate level. The environmental degradation and public health costs inflicted on the society due to the inefficient chemical use on cotton crop amounts to twelve thousand million rupees. The reduced reliance on crop protection through chemical methods seems inevitable for a sustainable and healthy crop production.economic evaluation; externalities; pesticide use; social cost; crop protection; Punjab; Pakistan

Environment-Friendly Cotton Production through Implementing Integrated Pest Management Approach

Tremendous increases in pesticide use in cotton growing areas have severely affected the health of peoples and degraded environment [Poswal and Williamson (1998); Ahmad and Poswal (2000); Orphal 2001 and Khan (2000)]. Farmer Field School (FFS) based IPM implemented in the world to reduce dependence on pesticides and promote environmentally safe plant protection practices. An FFS-led Integrated Pest Management (IMP) model implemented in Pakistan during 1996—popularly known as “Vehari Model”, clearly demonstrated that IPM could be implemented on a large scale at the farm level. UNDP-FAO Policy Reform Project provided required policy level support to scale up the Farmer-led IPM in the country. Implementation of pesticide policy project in Pakistan highlighted that pesticide consumption increased from 665 metric tons in 1980 to 78,132 metric tons in 2003-4. The role of private sector in promoting the production and use of pesticides was found tremendously high. The private sector also took full advantage of government’s pesticide import liberalisation policies. One of the key components of dramatic increase in pesticide use in Pakistan is related to very soft import and registration at that time, which allowed the generic compounds registered elsewhere, to be imported without fieldtesting

Determinants of Higher Wheat Productivity in Irrigated Pakistan

While agriculture plays a vital role in overall performance of the economy of Pakistan, its crop sub-sector contributes the major portion to total value added in the sector. Wheat constitutes the most important crop that contributed 12.1 percent towards value added in agriculture and accounted for 37.18 percent of the total cropped area in the country during 1999-2000 [Pakistan (2001)]. The performance of wheat crop affects the overall growth rate, import bill, and nutritional standard of our people especially, the urban poor. It occupies a pivotal position for attaining national food-security goals. Wheat management in complex farming systems is influenced by time conflicts in the harvesting of preceding crops and the sowing of wheat, and interactions due to residual effects on succeeding crops [Byerlee, et al. (1986]. Conventionally, less dynamism is found in wheat management practices, especially when it is grown after cash crops like cotton, rice and sugarcane. The rabi 1999-2000 was an exceptional season for wheat as rice, cotton, and sugarcane crops succumbed to market forces which ultimately resulted into heavy economic losses to the farming community. Timely announcement of a quantum increase in the support price of wheat is assumed to induce the farmers to deviate from usual wheat management practices for better production. The payback to the presumed transition in conventional wheat production practices was unprecedented

Adoption of Recommended Varieties: A Farm level Analysis of Wheat Growers in Irrigated Punjab

This study uses farm level data to analyse the determinants of adoption of recommended wheat varieties in irrigated Punjab, Pakistan. A notable proportion of wheat acreage is sown to non-recommended wheat varieties in the province. These cultivars had either lost (overtime) or did not have resistance against yellow rust. Farm size, education, and size of wheat enterprise on the farm are the important determinants of adoption of recommended wheat varieties while tractor ownership and irrigation source play a positive but insignificant role in the adoption decisions. Age and tenure proved to be less of a constraint towards adoption of the recommended wheat varieties. The likelihood of the adoption of recommended wheat varieties varied among tehsils, with the highest probabilities of adoption in Melsi and Arifwala tehsils of cotton-wheat zones I and II respectively