KARACHI: The United Nations and the US have joined hands with Pakistan to improve soil fertility in the Balochistan province where scarcity of rains has created a drought like situation over the past couple of years, officials said on Tuesday.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province, spread across 347,190 square kilometers, constituting 39.36 percent of the country’s land area.
Mina’ Dowlatchahi, an official at the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Islamabad, said that the project — which is aimed at educating the farmers on how to identify soil fertility levels — is an initiative of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).
“Information provided will not only benefit the private sector but also facilitate public institutions in order to help farmers increase their yields in a sustainable manner,” Dowlatchahi told Arab News.
Dr. Waqar Ahmed, an official from PARC, said that the project will cover the entire Balochistan province, with farmers from the area expected to benefit from the initiative. The Soil Fertility Atlas for Balochistan was launched at a ceremony in Islamabad on Monday, Dowlatchahi said
“The US’ 50-year commitment to collaborate with Pakistan to strengthen its agricultural sector and rural communities continue to benefit the farming community of Pakistan,” a statement released after the ceremony, and shared with Arab News, read.
The atlas is part of an ongoing effort to manage soil fertility and promote sustainable agricultural intensification, in addition to providing a comprehensive account of soil types and their current fertility status, native best management practices, and fertilizer use trends to help Pakistan’s farmers and fertilizer producers implement best practices for increased crop productivity, Dowlatchahi added.
In her welcome address at the event, Dowlatchahi, the FAO representative in Pakistan said: “The atlas is an important addition to the series of soil fertility atlases which will be instrumental in addressing the lack of data in managing soil fertility in Pakistan. Soil maps based on agro-ecological zones have been made part of the Balochistan atlas. There is a need for raising awareness and increasing knowledge of farmers in addition to engaging with the public and private sector to ensure sustainable agriculture development in Pakistan.”
UN, US to help Pakistan improve soil quality in Balochistan
UN, US to help Pakistan improve soil quality in Balochistan
- To share expertise and technology in order to improve economic opportunities for farmers
- Province covers 39.36% of the country’s land area but very little of it is fertile
Pakistan to launch last 2025 anti-polio nationwide drive targeting 45 million children next week
- Over 400,000 frontline health workers will participate in Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, say authorities
- Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, the other being Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic
KARACHI: Pakistan will kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025 targeting 45 million children next week, the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday, urging parents to coordinate with health workers during the drive.
The campaign takes place days after Pakistan launched a nationwide vaccination drive from Nov. 17-29 against measles, rubella and polio. Pakistan said it had targeted 22.9 million children across 89 high-risk districts in the country with oral polio vaccination drops during the drive.
Over 400,000 health workers will perform their duties during the upcoming Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, the NEOC said in a statement.
“Parents are urged to cooperate with polio workers and ensure their children are vaccinated,” the NEOC said. “Complete the routine immunization schedule for all children up to 15 months of age on time.”
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 23 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, over 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 2.6 million in Balochistan, more than 460,000 in Islamabad, over 228,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan and more than 760,000 children in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during the seven-day campaign, it added.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
Islamabad’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.
