“Better Management Practices (BMPs)for Water Thirsty Crops Project”
Funded by the European Commission

WWF- Pakistan initiated this 4 Year Project in 2006 with a purpose to create a mechanism
for increasing water availability and reducing pollution by decreasing the amount ofwater
and agrochemicals use in sugarcane and cotton production.

Objectives of the Project are:

Project Achievements Download 94 KB

Specific Objective 1:

By 2010 small and large scale Sugar & Cotton Farmers apply Better Management Practices (BMPs).

Specific Objective 2:

A Local, National and International enabling environment is in place by 2010.

Target beneficiaries:

Small and large-scale sugarcane & cotton farmers in Faisalabad and Bahawalpur.

Achievements:

• Mechanism to promote sustainable cotton & sugarcane production with long term benefits for water resources & farming communities.

• A remarkable increase in water efficiency up to 40 % was observed and recorded through bed & furrow and alternate row Irrigation techniques in cotton.

• Significant reductions in pesticide and fertilizer use.

• Close relation built with key stakeholders in agriculture in Punjab.

• Awareness raising material- brochures, pamphlets, manuals, leaflets and calendars depicting promising BMPs in Cotton & Sugarcane with illustrations were developed and disseminated extensively among farmers, project stakeholders.

• Experience was gained with the complexities of water saving in the socio- economic context of farming in Pakistan.

• A website has been developed(www.wwfpak.org/bmp/fw_bmps.php) And is regularly updated

• Farmer Organisations strengthened through activities such as FFS, CCB and Consensus Building Workshops

• Initiating review of Agriculture and Water policies. International mechanisms support wide-scale uptake of BMPs

Partners:
• Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MinFAL)
• CARITAS- Pakistan
• Punjab Agriculture Department (PAD)
• National Agriculture Research Center (NARC)
• Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC)
• University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF)
• Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA),
• All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA)
•Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA)
• Kissan Welfare Association (KWA)
• Kissan Development Organization (KDO)
• Khawateen Welfare Council (KWC)
• Lahore Compost
• IKEA