Building Prosperity
USAID is working with Pakistan to help it secure a self-sustaining future by increasing household incomes and employment, nurturing competitive enterprises, expanding trade and investment, building on-farm irrigation infrastructure, and creating more rewarding business opportunities especially for women. Economic growth projects in Pakistan focus on private sector development, especially in agriculture and related industries. Activities boost agricultural productivity by increasing irrigation, helping manage water supplies, and introducing improved technologies and management practices. Assistance also helps agribusinesses and small and medium-sized enterprises access ďŹ nancing, form institutional links, and tap into more lucrative markets. USAID's work with women micro-entrepreneurs emphasizes the development of sustainable home-based businesses, mainly in dairy, textiles, and horticulture. Training to employees in many other sectors, such as marble and tourism, and the public sector is also provided, and we partner with government and private-sector entities at all levels to improve the businessenabling environment. Activities also aim to improve Pakistan's trade relationship with its neighbors in the region. In this book you will be reading a few USAID success stories from the Economic Growth and Agriculture sector in Pakistan which demonstrate the positive impacts that projects have had on people's lives.
Agriculture Female Farmers Reaping BeneďŹ ts of Latest Technoloy Holding Sweet Promises Mobile Agriculture Solutions Getting Water Sources for Farmers Sheep Sharing Practices Dairy Dairy Farmer Brings Positive Change Rural Women Takes Charge Expanding Horizons Improving Milk Storage Network Micro-Enterprise Development From Heartbreak to Success Farmers Adopting Tunnel Technologies Women Take Pickling to the Next Level Honey Makes Money Empowering Women Entrepreneurs Supporting Private Enterprise Breaking Records Weaving Pathways to Success
Agriculture
Female Farmers Reaping Benefits of Latest Technology “I am so happy that my family has now finally recognized me as a 'Woman Farmer'”, says Shareefan Mai as she proudly surveys her bumper crop of wheat in the small village of Tehsil Muzaffargarh in Punjab. “Earlier, only the men in the family were called farmers, but now even the men in my family call me a farmer because my wheat crop is looking better than anyone else's,” she said. The wheat field that she is tending looks so promising that Shareefan is projecting she will harvest 25 bushels more compared to her 2013 wheat harvest. The improvement in Shareefan Mai's crop yield can be attributed to new techniques in wheat farming and seed preservation that she learned at a training program for women farmers run by the USAID Small Grants program in Muzaffargarh. Through the two-year “Women Farmer School”, which provides training in eight locations in Tehsil Muzzafargarh, more than 500 women have learned new and improved agricultural practices since October 2012. . This unique program is becoming a model for agricultural education due to its detailed training sessions in water conservation, tunnel farming, and soil testing methods in combination with providing women with basic literacy, financial literacy and citizenship rights.
Holding Sweet Promises Grape production is an emerging industry in the Potohar Region of Pakistan where USAID Pakistan is supporting grape farmers in using innovative technologies for getting improved varieties of grapes, improved cultivation, pruning and irrigation techniques. Azam Khan is one of the many project beneďŹ ciaries whose is now harvesting his ďŹ rst crop this year. Production will continue to increase each year. USAID's Agribusiness Project is also working with commercial grape growers to establish the Grape Farmers Association. Many of the grapes currently consumed in Pakistan are imported from Afghanistan, Iran, India and China. Growth of the emerging grape industry locally in Pakistan will not only provide a local alternative to those imports, but also can be a lucrative export opportunity. One grape grower from Attock has already successfully test-exported his grapes to the UK. In addition, the Middle Eastern market, which remains untapped, is a strong potential market for grapes from Islamabad and Potohar. Through this project, USAID has provided funds and technical support for establishing 291 acres of grape yards in Potohar, of which 91 acres were planted in 2013. Many of these grape yards will harvest and sell their ďŹ rst crop this year while production will continue to increase steadily over the next 15 years.
Mobile Agriculture Solutions For the first time in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, farmers have the ability to access information regarding their crops, market prices and weather information. USAID, in partnership with Telenor Pakistan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government, launched a pilot project to introduce mobile enabled advisory, financial services and other services for peach and potato farmers as well as trout farmers in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. As a result of this project, over 1,600 small and medium sized farms and 15,000 people in Swat have gained access to up to date mobile enabled information directly on their cellular phones. The information provided will allow farmers to learn better practices to increase their crop yields, gain increased access to markets, and conduct safe financial transactions. As a corollary to the project, mobile financial services, including remittances, mobile banking and value-added services like crop insurance are also being introduced. This will help boost food production, improve livelihoods and incomes and introduce technological solutions to improve efficiency in the agricultural supply chain.
Ge ng Water Sources for the Farmers Water scarcity is a problem faced by all in the province of Balochistan. USAID through its Balochistan Agriculture Project has reached out to the rural population of the province and has worked with the villagers to build a water pipeline from the nearby mountain. While the project provided technical assistance and funding for equipment, the villagers contributed the physical labor to build the system. “Before, it used to take us at least four hours to water our fields. Now, we are able water our fields in minutes.” says Mohammad Yousuf, a farmer from Kili Ali Mohammad Village in Quetta District in Balochistan. There were several phases to the project that made it possible for the farmers to improve their productivity and incomes which included: leveling fields, bringing in new varieties of seeds and fruit trees, and teaching new farming methods. The farmers were also taken to various markets across the country to learn what the buyers want. This kind of learning was important for the farmers in order to get an understanding of the market demand in terms of crop variety and also to know the importance of packaging fruits and vegetables. As a result, farmers started planting new varieties of crops, began using cardboard boxes to package fruits and using smaller bags for vegetables. Immediately, revenues went up.
Sheep Sheering Practices
Balochistan Agriculture project has introduced new sheep shearing practices to modernize the wool industry in the remote areas of the province. With the introduction of these practices along with new equipment, shearing time has been reduced six-fold and produces more even length fiber which has a higher commercial value. Using new, innovative techniques is the key to increasing productivity, incomes, and economic growth in Balochistan. To promote the use of this technology in Pakistan, the project has provided support to private sector manufacturers to produce a mobile shearing station. The station is a tractor-pulled folding platform with four shearing stations, handheld electric shears, and a sharpener. The shed can be operated by a team of seven men: four shearers, two roustabouts and operates the generator) and a maintenance mechanic. The shed can be easily moved from one farm to another. Abdul Khaliq's, a shearer that has been using the mobile stations, can speak first hand to the benefits of the improved practices and equipment. “The whole process has become so simple now I can shear more than 50 sheep in one day. In the past, I use to shear with a scissors and was hardly able to sheer 10 to 12 sheep in the same amount of time,” he said. The project is also putting a lot of effort into helping farmers in remote communities of Balochistan to adopt modern wool production practices which will also increase the quality of the wool. It is estimated that these improved practices can increase the current $5 million in annual revenue to $20 million.
Dairy
Dairy Farmer Brings Posi ve Change Adopting new techniques or improving on the techniques you are currently using can make all the difference in dairy farming. After participating in the training offered through the USAID Dairy Project, Muhammad Zubair witnessed what improved farming techniques can do to improve production. “I now realize the importance of animal feeding and with assistance from the Dairy Project's follow up team, I was able to cultivate maize for silage from my own resources.” By growing his own cattle feed, Muhammad Zubair can keep feeding his herd nearly the same amounts during the green fodder shortage period, keeping his daily milk output high. By adopting some basic improvements to his farming practices, Muhammad Zubair's milk production has increased by two liters per day. That translates to an increase in income of Rs. 7,000 monthly from his three milking cows. From a poor farmer barely able to make ends, to a man with a successful future, Muhammad Zubair has transformed himself to a much confident person today. The Project has increased milk yield and incomes for small dairy farmers, women extension workers, and artificial insemination technicians in Punjab by providing basic equipment and training in best dairy farming techniques.
Rural Women Takes Charge
As part of the training, Rahat was given a cellular phone, so she can liaise with Vanda suppliers in the market. Aside from training, the project wanted to give the women the tools necessary to do the job. Without the phone, Rahat would not have been nearly as successful in her job. With the profit she earned, they are able to have two proper meals at home and has been able to purchase her father's medications. More importantly, the family owns a small piece of land and she has bought some water for her crops. After the harvest, she will reinvest her profits into the Vanda business and purchase more bags of the valuable seed to sell.
USAID is providing training to women from the rural communities in Punjab to become livestock extension workers through its Dairy Project. “I was lucky to participate in the training which has entirely changed my life. Today, I am a successful Vanda-seller in my district”, says Rahat Perveen, from Toba Tek Singh in Punjab. “I was selected by the project to sell Vanda, a top quality feed which contains the vital ingredients necessary for the well-being of animals, especially those which are young and producing milk,” she explains.
Expanding Horizons USAID through its Dairy project has supported dairy farmers in Punjab under the capacity-building initiative. Through the training all registered farmers learnt best practices such as de-worming, vaccination, feeding, free access to water, silage making, etc. “It was very beneficial to learn about the advantages of breed improvement through artificial insemination as it is an inexpensive way to build a herd of high milk-yielding animals,” says Muhammad Naeem Akhtar, a dairy farmer from District Khanewal. Soon after Naeem received the training, he adopted the practices he had learnt. He used the services of the project's Artificial Insemination Technicians to inseminate the 10 cows he owned. He also started de-worming and vaccinating his animals and now provides them free access to water. By implementing these practices, the daily average milk yield per animal has increased from 8 liters to 13 liters a day. This results in an additional profit of Rs 35,000 per month for him. “I am proud of my growing dairy business. In the future I will continue to modernize my dairy farm to ensure that my animals are healthier and more productive,” says Naeem.
Improving Milk Storage Network In Pakistan, only a small proportion of milk is handled through a proper cold chain which maintains its quality. The lack of milk collection systems that chills milk shortly after it is collected and then keeps it refrigerated until it reaches a processing plant can lead to rapid spoilage. The unavailability of cooling tanks at the local level handicaps the process as unhygienic practices are used instead of proper refrigeration. Anwer Mai, a trained Village Milk Collector from a small village in District Bahawalpur of Punjab, collects milk from the farmers in her village. A milk chiller has been provided to her village where she sells the milk. ”In the past, some of the collected milk would go to waste each day. Because of the milk chillers, I can now sell all of the collected milk without any waste.” In order to increase market access to fresh milk and allow the farmer the chance to sell their milk at a better price while eliminating or at least reducing the level of adulteration, USAID through its Entrepreneurs project has installed 95 milk chillers with the capacity of 500 and 1000 liters. The chillers are helping dairy farmers in remote areas in Sindh and Punjab to earn a higher wage by ensuring proper milk storage. An estimated 20% of total milk collected was wasted earlier. Storing milk in chillers is now ensuring preservation of quality and minimizing losses which provide higher returns to farmers. “The milk chillers have made my life easier. Now I don't need to travel long distances in order to sell my milk every day. I am supervising a milk collection center in my own village which can preserve not only the milk collected for my own village but also is benefiting dairy farmers from neighboring villages who bring their milk and sell it at reasonable price”, says Saleh Khaskheli who is in charge of a milk collection center in a small town in District Larakana in Sindh.
Microenterprise Development
From Heartbreak to Success USAID, through its Entrepreneurs Project, has supported 26,000 embellishers across Pakistan strengthen their skills and business capacities in order to help them increase their earning potential. The project is helping women embellishers to identify products they either already make or can learn to make that are relevant to the market, how to access better markets and business service providers and to create new value added products. Additionally, the project helps the women meet with local financial institutions to access loans which will allow them to grow their businesses. “Nobody had ever thought of helping women embellishers beyond the provision of needles and threads. USAID taught us different types of stitch-work and color combinations. Now we are able to make improved designs which are in high demand in the new markets they introduced us to and can earn much more”, says Farida Yasmeen, a female embellisher from Swat.
Farmers Adopting Tunnel Technology To Improve Productivity Tunnel farming is a great and simple way to increase crop yield to grow vegetables. It allows for the production of off-season vegetable farming by providing more favorable growing conditions, much like a green house. Use of the tunnels has led to a significant increase in yield . “Through the USAID-funded trainings I realized that tunnel farming can be a very promising business in my community. This addition to my farming techniques has reduced my work, and increased my harvest, resulting in higher income that I never thought of earning before,” said Zohaib Shoukat, a young farmer from Nankana Sahab, Punjab. Through its Agribusiness Project, USAID is helping many farmers like Zoheb to increase their yield and improve their earning potential. The first in his town to venture into tunnel farming, the results that Zoheb has had has motivated many others to adopt the new technique. Significant economic growth is expected in the town due to this advance in agricultural technology. The goal of the Agribusiness Project is to create 3,600 new jobs and provide training to 2,000 farmers. With an increase in production volume, 5,400 rural households will benefit from this intervention. The project also offered training in enterprise development as well as the use of commercial-scale tunnel technology which can offer five times more profit and productivity compared to traditional methods of farming, improves the economic standing of local communities which, ultimately, will result in ensuring food security in the country.
Helping Farmers Help Themselves
Women Take Pickling to the Next Level With approximately $5,000 in grant support from USAID, a group of 32 women entrepreneurs from three villages in the suburbs of Islamabad have learned how to start their own pickling business. USAID, through its Agribusiness project, provided training and tools to the group to improve their techniques, ensure consistency and quality of the product, and tailor it to the market needs. The support consisted of three parts. First, the women were taught basic business skills such as bookkeeping and market analysis. The USAID project took the women to local markets to determine supply, demand, and pricing for various types of pickles. Next, experts in the technical process of pickling demonstrated to the women how to use standardized recipes and packaging so that pickles from the three villages can be sold under the same brand. Finally, the women were trained in marketing and distribution. As part of the ďŹ nal step, they received equipment and materials to get their business off the ground.
Honey Makes Money Beekeeping is the oldest and most lucrative business for farmer communities in Swat. This indigenous means of livelihoods is also a micro-level enterprise for women who play a pivotal role in beekeeping and harvesting of honey. Through USAID's Entrepreneurs Project, Beekeepers are now well informed about the latest technology for hive management to increase their incomes. More than 3000 Beekeepers have been trained on harvesting techniques and honey processing among which 125 Lead Entrepreneurs have received further training on advance beekeeping and marketing skills. The project has also worked on strengthening partnerships between honey producing communities and the buyers throughout Pakistan by organizing exposure visits and setting up buying centers to allow buyers and sellers to interact in the most convenient and efďŹ cient manner possible. Before, we used to keep honey bees in mud hives, now USAID has provided us the alternative transitional hives which actually is effective during snowfall as we can cover them to protect it from extreme cold conditionâ€?, says Fazal Wahid, a project beneďŹ ciary from village Shahona in District Swat.
Helping Farmers Help Themselves
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
Pakistan is fast achieving the reputation as one of the primary manufacturers and suppliers of unique hand-embellished textiles and garments to international markets. USAID, through its Entrepreneurs project has supported this important industry by developing the skills and market access of women entrepreneurs in rural areas throughout Pakistan.
To promote the economic development of women micro-entrepreneurs, the project has supported 26000 female embellishers through several trainings, out of which over 800 Lead-entrepreneurs were further strengthened their skills and business capacities in order to help them increase their earning potential. Naila Junejo is one of the lead-entreprenurs who now is successfully running her own business in Karachi. Today Naila is working with more than 1500 women embellishers from Badin, Larkana and Thatta in Sindh to produce high quality hand-emballished products which can attract the high end urban market. She is now managing 40 Female Sales Agents and is successfully running an outlet of her own in Karachi.
SUPPORTING PRIVATE ENTERPRISE
Garment Sales Break Records United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is helping the knitted garment sector in Pakistan by assisting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the export of goods to international markets. Recently, two among the group of twenty SMEs receiving support exported goods worth $3.3 million to retailers in the U.S. The knitted tops and bottoms, T-shirts, pullovers, and polo shirts were selected on the basis of their compliance with international quality and environmental standards and included. USAID has helped these SMEs to build up their production base and to cater to the demands of mid-tier international buyers in the knitted garment sector. Sajid Iqbal Sheikh, owner of ASAS Apparel and one of the beneficiaries said, “Previously, we earned less as we had to export our products through intermediaries since we didn't have international certifications. Thanks to USAID's support, we now have international certifications. We are now sending our garments directly to the international markets." USAID assistance to Pakistan's knitted garments sector has resulted in record sales of over $100,000 for ASAS Apparel.
Weaving Pathways to Success The village of Islampur in District Swat is the hub of high quality handmade woolen shawls, which are quite popular world-wide. What makes these shawls unique lies in their traditional method of manufacturing. Around 2000-2500 small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) produce traditional handmade shawls using wooden looms of a local design, known as 'Khaddi'. The sector employs 2500 full-time and 4000 part-time laborers and produces approximately 100,000 shawls per month from April to August each year. The cottage industry was facing several challenges like obsolete weaving techniques, limited direct market access and market linkages which were putting the Islampur weavers at a great financial disadvantage. They had to be content with lower local prices compared to what they could charge in the markets of Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. Given the rich cultural heritage associated with traditional handloom weaving and the sector's vast potential, USAID, through its Firms Project, partnered with 44 weaving SMEs for workforce development through training and provided support to create business-to-business (B2B) links. With the project's assistance, these SMEs were trained on business to business marketing and production techniques. The SMEs have also participated in the local trade shows to showcase their products in exhibitions in the major markets of Pakistan. As a follow-up to the exhibitions, meetings with potential large buyers are organized to help complete sales orders. “My participation in the USAID Firms exhibition has resulted in orders worth $24,000 and I am excited to meet this demand. I am very happy that USAID's intervention has provided access to a whole new market for Islampur's weaving sector. It has given us exposure and a greater sense of ambition to take our products to new avenues. Next year, I expect to double these sales figures,” said Ataullah Khan, Suvastu Gallery, Mingora.
Helping Farmers Help Themselves