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Field
Abstract
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Before
The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in Pakistan's economy, contributing significantly to the country's GDP. However, it faces several challenges, including low productivity, outdated technology, and slow growth. Additionally, climate change and unpredictable weather patterns exacerbate these issues. While there is substantial evidence that adopting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) can boost farm income, particularly in developing countries, the implementation of CSA practices in Pakistan has been minimal. This project aims to implement a CSA package to improve agricultural productivity and income for small farmers in Pakistan. The focus will be on Bhera, a region in the province of Punjab, which experiences lower agricultural productivity compared to the provincial average. The CSA package for one pilot farm in this pilot intervention will include practices such as crop diversification, balanced fertilizer use, water conservation techniques, and the adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties. Additionally, advanced technologies like drone technology and integrated pest management will be incorporated. The project will evaluate the impact of these CSA practices on farm productivity, income, and sustainability throughout a typical cropping year. It will also explore whether informational, financial, or technical constraints are limiting the adoption of sustainable farming practices among small farmers in Pakistan. The project will include an informational intervention with nearby farmers in which information about CSA practices will be shared with farmers and these farmers will be surveyed to determine their knowledge and adoption of CSA practices before and after the intervention on the pilot farm. The results will be shared with policymakers and can be extended to small, rural farmers across Pakistan.
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After
The agricultural sector plays a crucial role in Pakistan's economy, contributing significantly to the country's GDP. However, it faces several challenges, including low productivity, outdated technology, and slow growth. Additionally, climate change and unpredictable weather patterns exacerbate these issues. While there is substantial evidence that adopting Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) can boost farm income, particularly in developing countries, the implementation of CSA practices in Pakistan has been minimal. This project aims to implement a CSA package to improve agricultural productivity and income for small farmers in Pakistan. The focus will be on Bhera, a region in the province of Punjab, which experiences lower agricultural productivity compared to the provincial average. The CSA package for one pilot farm in this pilot intervention will include practices such as crop diversification, balanced fertilizer use, water conservation techniques, and the adoption of climate-resilient crop varieties. Additionally, advanced technologies like biogas, tunnel farming, and integrated pest management will be incorporated. The project will evaluate the impact of these CSA practices on farm productivity, income, and sustainability throughout a typical cropping year. It will also explore whether informational, financial, or technical constraints are limiting the adoption of sustainable farming practices among small farmers in Pakistan. The project will include an informational intervention with nearby farmers in which information about CSA practices will be shared with farmers and these farmers will be surveyed to determine their knowledge and adoption of CSA practices before and after the intervention on the pilot farm. The results will be shared with policymakers and can be extended to small, rural farmers across Pakistan.
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Field
Intervention (Public)
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Before
Small farmers will either i) receive an invitation (T1) or ii) receive an invitation and nudge to visit a demonstration farm currently implementing a variety of climate-smart agricultural practices.
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After
Control farms recevied no intervention. Treated farmers received either i) T1: an invitation to visit a demonstration farm currently implementing a variety of climate-smart agricultural practices or ii) T2: an invitation to the demonstration farm and, for those who visited the demonstration farm, a visit by the demonstration farm's manager with specific advice toward implementing CSA practices.
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