Case Study Done by Mahmood Elahi

How you mobilized farmers to make and use compost?

First step: Project announcement – for interception of the project interventions like; compost making – activist in the village is sought to lead us to the prominent place; like hujra, village council office or mosque in the village where people gather and discuss village problems, news, general discussion or bowing their prayers. The messages are conveyed on project interventions, and are announced together with schedule of awareness sessions / trainings of project micro-interventions like; compost making.

Second step: the farmers are invited to attend the sessions / trainings on the date and time as announced one or two days earlier. They are convinced through participatory approach and individual counselling to realize them updates on new techniques and methods going on in the changing world. During the training the Resource Person and RSP equipped with knowledge on the specific intervention draw attention of the farmers towards new techniques with exemplary illustrations and benefits on account of compost. The farmers are sensitized and argued for compost making. The most emotional / interested farmers are selected to establish compost making site in their land. Likewise, three compost making site supported and established in the lands of Babar Khan of Zaindi Kacchi, M Haroon of Cinjiala and M Irshad of Soha UC Beer and are open for display to the interested farmers. While other four farmers; namely Arshad, M. Afzal of Kacchi, M. Liaqat of Chinjiala and Rizwan Ali of Soha mobilized to establish compost sites on their own ends.   

What change did it bring in their agricultural produce?

Awareness has been created to the farmers of selected villages to recognize the compost making process in such a way in which the richness of nutrients and energy of the production of compost is maintained and no losses of fertility occur during its preparation as against traditional way of dumping the organic material in open fields or places in which the nitrogen loss in the presence of sunlight and rain result in fertility loss, which cause low production. Compost having rich nutrients, and energy of production ultimately, enhance the crop yield and productivity of the soil for longer time. The farmers have now recognized the benefits of the micro-intervention. Seven farmers have been mobilized and they are replicating to establish compost making sites for preparation of rich nutrients compost and are utilizing in their fields giving best possible results. Five awareness sessions conducted in the selected area of Beer U.C and 87 male and female farmers were sensitized about organic farming and compost making, likewise; 63 farmers trained in compost making through three trainings sessions, and 48 farmers of selected areas were mobilized through display and practical implication on compost making sites. So as 198 farmers directly and more than 1000 indirectly benefited by compost making process through dissemination activities. The change will reflect with the passage of time when they utilize the implementation of micro-intervention, and estimated 10 to 20 % increase in their agriculture produce.

Did any other farmer get mobilized by seeing the results of the compost?

Yes, the farmers (48) who participated in the practical display at project supported established compost sites in the lands of three farmers in three villages mobilized and they pledged to undertake the intervention very soon in their lands for healthy and rich food crops with low external input farming practices to overcome malnutrition and micro nutrients deficiencies and ensured inclusion of organic farming in their agriculture farming system and denying synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Farmers  now understand the importance of compost making and its utilization.

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