UN, US to help Pakistan improve soil quality in Balochistan

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.”