Zero-tillage seminar in Pakistan: farmer-to-farmer advocacy to cut costs and save water

Abstract

Pakistan is working through a quiet crisis that has probably affected daily lives more than even the war on terrorism. Harvests of wheat-the country's main food crop-fell 10% in 2001 due to a prolonged drought. Rice output dropped 22%. Livestock and fruit trees were decimated. In a nation where nearly half the inhabitants are farmers and GDP growth hinges on crop performance, these figures were ruinous. Disaster was averted only through use of government grain stocks and drought relief programs. Farm output is also expected to rebound this year, but the future for farmers is highly uncertain. Projections foretell ess reliable rainfall in South Asia, and studies show that aquifers in many zones are being sucked dry, among other things from excessive pumping for irrigation.