PAKISSAN.com; Women and Organic Agriculture in Pakistan

Women and Organic Agriculture in Pakistan
Mrs. Farzan Panhwar
President, Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group,
157-C, Unit No.2, Latifabad, Hyderabad (Sindh),
PAKISTAN. Fax Nos : (9221) 5830826 and (92221) 860410.

Abstract

In the rural areas of Pakistan, agriculture land is owned by men and they use family labour including women for producing crops. Women are not paid but are fed, clothed and provided dowery by father at time of marriage, ornaments from cradle to grave and are not mourned as men are. Their mud covered graves are leveled up by occasional rain run off. In recent years some families educate them so that chances of marriage in well to do families are ensured.

Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group tried to help women by engaging a number of them between 10-15 on the farm under the guidance of women Farm Supervisors, paid same salaries as men and gave them similar hobs to perform. Their monthly out put of two groups of men and women were being compared. The women were the best in case of mowing, grasses for mulch, collecting fallen leaves, twigs, bark and etc.

Their full time employment in sustainable agriculture in the past 2 years, in preference to men has changed the life pattern of a group of 12 women consisting of one couple of parents, their daughters, daughter-in-laws and nieces. In two years since starting of operations house-hold life pattern of these families has changed.

In the beginning men took away all the salaries of women but gradually women have asserted and now they are better clothed a women have asserted and now they are better clothed and say that they will send their children to the school. Man's attitude toward the social set-up in the house has changed some what and are a little more considerate but, time may bring about further changes.

Women in Pakistan agriculture, can perform the following functions as good as men:

Transplanting of vegetables, rice, and bare root plants.
Intercultivation of vegetable of removal of weeds and unwanted growth.
Picking of cotton, small fruits, vegetables, berries of all types, harvesting of wheat, rice and other crops.
They however excel men in all those operations which require squatting to carryout operations near the ground and keep moving simultaneously.

This is because the pelvic bone of females has different angle with thigh bone and it makes women's movements easy in that pasture. This involves moving of grass, Intercultivation of weeds or picking of fruits.

We made a beginning two years ago and the results are astonishing.

Introduction

The province of Sindh in Pakistan lying between 23O-40' and 28O-30'N and 66O-40' and 71O-10'E for the year 1994-95, in Sindh the total cropping area was 3.50 million hectares, while the total country area under cropping was 22.14 million hectares. The conventional fruit crops raised in Sindh are manmillion hectares. The conventional fruit crops raised in Sindh are mangoes, guava, grapefruit, lemon, lime, sapodilla, cherimoya, coconut, lychee and zizyphus mauritiana.

Sindh region has a subtropical climate. It receives between 100-550 chill units and 3700-4500 heat units. Its climate gives it a great potential for new crops.

Control of Weeds

We have used sustainable of agriculture at Panhwar's Fruit Farm, which is located at 25O-30'N, 68O-30'E and revives an average 250+50 chill hours.

Presence of weeds in agricultural fields has lead to competition between weeds and the planted corps. In absence of weed control specially in perennial crops, yield in Pakistan are about 1/3rd to 1/4th of those in developed countries. We has used herbicides on our farm some years ago and our conclusion was that they promote hard to kill and perennial weeds by eliminating annual weeds. We therefore concentrated on alternative methods. In our case irrigation water from the river Indus brings new weed seeds every time water is applied. Inter-cultivation manually with hoe cutting 4-5 inches deep, is no solution and at the best it is preparation of good seed bed for new weeds. We finally found a solution that if weeds are allowed to grow between trees rows and are cut down and piled under the trees canopy, weeds do not grow under the pile or mulch.

This method has been practiced in the past 6 h. This method has been practiced in the past 6 years on newly planted fruit trees namely, lychee, longan, Tahhiti-lime, grapes, guava, mango, peach, plum, pear, apple, persimmon, pomegranate, zizyphus jujuba and dates.

Our experience of mulching in above fruit crops showed that the cost of bio-mass application, was extremely low and results were astonishing, but the methods depends on availability of free or very cheap bio-mass nearly and cheap labour. Machines can do the same job by blowing the mowed weeds in the tree rows, but placement of mulch in desired thickness uniformly around the tree is not as satisfactory as manually.

Cheap labour has helped to control weeds to some extent in Sindh, but in the long urn increasing labour costs will raise the question of economy.

Mulching to Control Weeds
Our practice at the farm is as under:

We mow weeds which grow profusely under high summer temperatures and very mild winter on 25O-30'N and 68O-35'E, in the desert area of Sindh (Pakistan). Weeds are cut five times a year and are thrown under trees as mulch. A layer 25 cms thick of this material keeps down weeds, lowers soil temperatures in summer, raises temperatures in winter, retains moisture, is digested by soil fauna within about 2 1/2 months in summer and 4 months in mild winter. Fresh material is added when mulch layer reduces to about 7 cmesh material is added when mulch layer reduces to about 7 cms. It is done year around.

Layer of mulch preserves moisture under trees, irrigation frequency is reduced and water is saved.

To reduce irrigation water damage to roots, tree replanted on ridges about 2 meters wide and 25 cms high and 2-3 meter wide furrows are retained for flood irrigation.]

Water applied in the furrows is quickly absorbed by ridges and balance is evapotranspired by weeds growing in the furrows. About 10% seeps down to leach down salts as water has 350 ppm salts.

Irrigation water comes from Indus river canals. River brings different weed seeds from its catchment through out the year. Some 20-30 months each.

Weeds are mowed every two months. Their roots decay and make soil porous. Annual weeds have suppressed perennial weeds, which are pulled out rather than mowed.

Weeds do emerge under mulch but cutting them down twice a year is enough.

Soil under mulch is has became porous due to bio-activity of soil fauna, insects, their predators and soil worms. It has also become rich in nutrients.

Mulch material is enough provide NPK Ca, Mg, S and micro nutrient requirement of trees. Tree leaves had shown deficiency of Zn, Cu, Mn, Mo B and Fe. These are applied by foliar sprays. The deficiencies are reducing year after year.

Day temperature in summer is lowered in the root zone and increased in wither nights, enduring root growth inspite of then wither nights, enduring root growth inspite of the adverse atmospheric temperatures maintenance of pH around 7.0. This is ideal.

Mulch improve the earthworm activity, which help in reducing the alkalinity in the soil by producing the humus and hunic acid, and increase the soil porosity. Earthworms destroy about 70% as soil and root nematodes by preying upon them.

Organic mulch help in reduction of pathogenic root fungi, nematodes population increased many folds, as well as plant parasites like saprophytes are predators and beneficial mycorrhizal fungi have grate help in fixing the nitrogen to the soil.

Mulch is help in soil protozoa, fungi bacteria, nematodes, springtails, small arthropods, enchytracid works, earthworms, and small beetles. This way our soil become highly fertile and having more than 5% organic matter content and more than 5% is the cation exchange capacity, and the availability of the various fertilizer like nitrogen 140 pound per acre, phosphorus available to the plants is 50ppm, while reserve phosphorus is 90ppm and potassium is 200-300ppm, which is an ideal soil for improving the soil ecology, soil structure.

Mulching helps in all kind of soil micro-organisms and insect like sprintails, beetles, ants, bees, mites, flatworms, nematodes, slugs, earthworms, crintipendes, millipedes, snails, bacterial, fungi, actonomycetes all are helpful in to the conversion of organic matter in to nutrients and energy, wh organic matter in to nutrients and energy, which is releasing the nutrients to the plants, so it optimizes the soil health in an ecologically and economically sound manner, and maintaining the log-term biological and ecological integrity of natural resources.

Mulch improves the biological activity and favour the wildlife population, and produce better economic returns to individual and this population, and produce better economic returns to individual and this way is helpful in maintaining the genetic diversity of the agriculture.

Women and Organic Farming

Female labour force participation is found in agriculture and in animal husbandry in Pakistan. According to the statistical compendium on Women in Asia and the Pacific in 1981 the country total ittiteracy rate was 84.8%, while urban area have 65.3% and illiteracy rate in rural area was 92.7%.

In the rural areas of Pakistan, agriculture land owned by men and they use family labour including women for producing crops. Women are not paid but are fed, clothes and provided dowery shelter by sons. They usually transact no cash from cradle to gave and are not mourned as men are. Their mud covered graves are leveled up by occasional rains run-off. In recent years some families educate them so that chances of marriage in well to do families are ensured.

Sindh Rural Women's Uplift Group tried to help women by engaging 1Rural Women's Uplift Group tried to help women by engaging 10-15 on the farm under the guidance of women Farm supervisors, paid same salaries as men and gave them similar jobs to perform. Their out put was more than men, when both parties knew that daily, weekly and monthly out put of two groups of men and women were being compared. The women were the best in case of mowing, Grasses for mulch, collecting fallen leaves, twigs, bark and etc.

Their full time employment in sustainable agriculture in the past 2 years, in preference to men has changed the life pattern of a group of 12 women consisting of one couple of parents, their daughters, daughter-in-laws and nieces. In two years since starting of operations house-hold life pattern of these families has changed. In the beginning men took away all the salaries of women but gradually women have asserted and now they are better clothed and say that they will send their children to the school. Man's attitude toward the social setup in the house has changed some what and are a little more considerate but, time may bring about further changes.
Women in Pakistan agriculture, can perform the following functions as good as men:

Transplanting of vegetables, rice, and bare root plants.

Intercultivation of vegetable for removal of weed and unwanted growth.

Picking of cotton, small fruits, vegetables, berries of all types, harvesting of wheat, rice and other crops. They however excel men in all those operations which require squatting to carryout operations near the ground and keep moving simultaneously.

This is because the pelvic bone of females has different angle with thigh bone and it makes women's movements easy in that posture. This involves mowing of grass, Intercultivation of weeds or picking of fruits.

We made a beginning two years ago and the results are astonishing.

Future

Future work should add a resource conservation and environment friendly objective to all ongoing and anticipated agricultural research and development projects.

New technologies and approaches are needed for the fragile environment.

Research is needed to analyse and guide on the long-term sustainability agro-ecosystem its ecological, economic and social impact on the rural society.

New research must be based on all possible informations through soil ecologist, economist, agronomists, extension and guidance about the organic farming and its effect on soil, micro-organism, various diseases and performance on crops, yields and guide the farmers to adjust the copping pattern to the new changing environment.

New research and information required to provide assistance to the farmers, so they are able to make decision on alternative management practices, which include the elimination the usive management practices, which include the elimination the use of synthetic insecticide, pesticide, and fungicides. The information contains various learning methods of organic farming and its impact on the natural system and possibility of more profits.

Research is needed to analyse the organic compounds derived from the decomposition of organic mater.

To study the physical environmental variables and its effect on communities and ecosystem.

Research is needed to study ecological beneficial procedure, groups, association and their role should be strengthening.
To study various biotic and biotic factors influence, disturbing and changing the ecosystem.

Research is required to analyse and quantify the complex environmental and economic consequences of the transition from conventional to low input and organic farming systems, and to evaluate the long term environmental and economic viability of such systems.

Study the environmental diminution to agricultural development program by enhancing education work.

Applicationram by enhancing education work.

Application of post-harvest fungicide and waxes is becoming less acceptable as handling treatment. The use of hot water and hot air treatment results in to easy control and not effect on the environment.

Diversification in to other crops and extension of the harvest season with new cultivators may be beneficial.

Research is needed to develop new training material to save the environment and based on new scientific analysis design and approach.

New project must study the economic measure, environmental degration and other factors.

The future goal of agriculture in the baradest sense has been efficiency in production, more food with less expenses.

Promote gender coresponsibility with respt of agricultural production health and environment.

Conclusion

In brief by mulch provides macro and micro-nutrient in quantities large enough to meet the needs of most plants. By reducing pH and also by breaking up micronutrients in the mulch material it provides Copper, Zn, Mn, Bo, Mn, Fe. Vermicost excreted by earthworm cotain antibiotics, growth regulators, hormones, vitamins and etc.

Mulch regulate soil temperature eliminates use of herbicide, reduces cost of intercultiviation, and thereby reduce compaction and root dame caused by tractors and their implements.

Vermicost are also slow release fertilizers. Antibiotic kill patrmicost are also slow release fertilizers. Antibiotic kill pathogens and earthworms kill nematodes. Useful bacteria level increases many time that in non-mulch soil. Soil aeration is improved, infiltration rate increased, water holding capacity of soil increased and finally plant growth rate becomes 3 times and the first fruiting take place in less than 3 years due to improve health of the plant.

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