During 2009, the plan is to disseminate BMPs among 24,000 farmers over 230,000 acres (93,000 hectares) of cotton cultivation in Bahawalpur, Lodhran, Rahim Yar Khan, Muzafar Garh, Toba Tek Singh districts in the Punjab, and in Sukkur and Ghotki in Sindh district. This is on track.
A BMP verification system has been put in place to trace level of BMP implementation by these farmers. Linkages are being developed to bring different stakeholders in cotton supply chain to procure and process BMP seed cotton as an efficient marketing mechanism.
WWF Pakistan is working closely with the Government (eg Punjab Agriculture Extension Department) and with industry (eg All Pakistan Textile Mills Association) and supply chain actors, which is creating great enthusiasm and interest from the cotton farmers. Field staff have also generated enthusiasm amongst the farmers. The Agriculture Extension Department Punjab invited WWF Pakistan to participate in their cotton production planning meeting for 2009-10 and they have incorporated a few proven BMPs developed under this project into their plans.
Large farmers that WWF Pakistan have engaged are now making crop management decisions after contacting the project field staff, and as a result of continuous technical support in terms of BMP implementation, savings of around 40% and 50% of the phosphatic and nitrogenous fertilizers respectively have occurred.
Pakistan Sustainable Cotton Initiative
Cotton is an important cash crop and lifeline of the textile industry in Pakistan. The country is listed as the 5th largest producer in the world and 4th largest consumer of cotton. In Pakistan, cotton is mainly grown on irrigated land and about 75% of imported pesticides have been used on cotton crops.
WWF Pakistan and IKEA have been collaborating in a project since 2005. The major focus was on the development and promotion of Better Management Practices (BMPs) in the district of Bahawalpur in Pakistan, thereby improving farmer livelihoods and reducing the use of water, pesticides and fertilisers. This project has been implemented in collaboration with several NGOs (eg. Kissan Welfare Association, Kissan Dost Organization, Kashtkar Development Organization, etc), Government departments (Department of Agriculture, Punjab province), Central Cotton Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Centre and the corporate sector (All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA)).This project showed that by using Better Management Practices, developed by the project in conjunction with farmers and research bodies, farmers can reduce their water use by an average of 29%, reduce their pesticide use by an average of 60%, reduce their fertiliser use by an average of 38%. The farmers who use BMPs also receive a higher gross margin, on average, than conventional farmers, with the reduced expenditure on pesticides contributing significantly to this.
Since January 2008, WWF and IKEA have been collaborating in a second phase of this project, expanding on the first phase. This project is now being implemented with farmers (both small-scale and large-scale farmers) and partners over a wider area: all the Union Councils and villages in two sub-districts (Tehsils) in Bahawalpur district, to actively and widely promote the use of better management practices (BMPs) amongst cotton farmers.
The overall objective is to improve farmer livelihoods through the introduction of Better Management Practices (BMPs) in one district of Pakistan, ensuring sustainable improvement in the natural, financial, social and human capital available to the cotton farmers, and promote its adoption throughout Pakistan and Internationally.
The results of the project should contribute to reducing the supply chain risks of international buyers of cotton from Pakistan, including IKEA; over the longer term this could lead to cost saving as well.
The project's specific objectives are to:
• By 2011, around twenty thousand small and 150 large-scale farmers involved in project activities apply BMPs
• By 2011, a sustainable mechanism is in place to facilitate and encourage the uptake and widespread dissemination of BMPs.
• By 2011, an effective system is in place for the procurement of BMP cotton supported by creating local, national and international enabling environment through private/public partnership.
This project is implemented in collaboration with the Better Cotton Initiative, several NGOs and the corporate sector.
