The training for the returnees in SWA-FATA
Agricultural is the main source of livelihood in rural Pakistan. According to Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), approximately 65% population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods. Keeping on eyes the urgency and importance of agriculture inputs for returnees in South Waziristan (SWA), JEN is working with 1,850 families in 2016.
One of the important components of our support is training sessions on improved crop and vegetable management. The training sessions are divided into two categories. Training sessions to male household heads on agriculture farming and to female beneficiaries of the same families on kitchen gardening. JEN will conduct 148 training sessions for the male and the female beneficiaries with support from the government agriculture department staff.
【The male farmers participating a session】
【The training holding another area】
Duration of each training session is approx. 90 minutes. Several topics are taught to the beneficiaries in a training session followed by questions and answers. The participants are in need of help, an agriculture officer visits their farm to inject knowledge of the sessions into them. The topics of the agriculture farming training include: reclamation and preparation of the land for crops; methods for irrigated/rainy lands; sowing method and required seeds per acre, selection of best seeds; safe use of toxic seeds; use of different fertilizers, removing herbs from the field; protection from insects/diseases, and harvesting crops and its management.
【The lecturer’s session】
The topics for the female beneficiaries in the training sessions consist of nutritional importance of vegetables; preparation of land for sowing vegetables; use of productive seeds; calendar for sowing different vegetable seeds in a year; watering methods; removing herbs/sages; knowledge about hazardous insects and protection of vegetables from them, and effective use of toxic seeds.
The training sessions are meant to equip the beneficiaries with modern techniques and knowledge of improved crops and effective vegetable management. Another important aspect of the project is that the beneficiaries are linked with the government agriculture department by sharing contact numbers. In this way, the beneficiaries will keep in touch with the department staff even after JEN’s support in the area and it will help enable a sustainable livelihood development process.
【The male participants】
【The male participants】