Pak German Polytechnic Institute for Agriculture Technology

Pak German polytechnic institute for agriculture technology situated at Chak 5-Faiz, Multan was established under the agreement between the Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1959 with the following objectives:

- To establish agricultural Demonstration and Model Farms.- To extend training facilities in respect of Tractor operations, Tractor Mechanic

and Carpenters to agriculture trainees.- To advise farmers in questions related to agricultural crops and related skills.

The institute is situated on the Multan-Bahawalpur Road about 40 Km south of Multan. Its total area is 82—_Acres, out of which 40-acres consist of buildings and 42- acres are under use of demonstration and experimental farm. The Institute consists of following major sections:

- Agriculture Section. - Mechanical Section. - Wood Working Section.- Tractor Operator School. - Agriculture Extension Service.- Women Training Scheme.

Background:21st Century Challenges:

The four-fold jeopardy that the Pakistani farmer is facing has to be tackled in a cost effective manner in order to bring our Agriculture back on-track as a profit making venture. The major problems confronting us are:

Problems:

Solutions:

Climate Change.

Soaring Energy/ Input Cost - Low Profit.

Scant Water Resources. Depleted Soil Fertility.

Environment Protection.

Alternate Energy/ Complete Plant Nutrition.

Conservation Irrigation. Organic Soil Management.

ITEMIZED BRIEF:

These problems give rise to requirements that impact each other to varying extents. The overall bleak picture needs to be tackled with innovation at low cost to the farmer in order to result in profitable farming.

1. Climate Change.Increased heat in summers, increased cold in winters, irregular and torrential

rainfall pattern are contributing to increase stress factors and reduce yields.

1.1 Environment Protection.To overcome these problems the farmers, especially small and medium

landholders need to be equipped with the requisite skills to deal with these problems. Increased evapotranspiration leads to increased water use and water retention capacity of the soil needs to be increased.

2. Scant Water Resources.Drought resistant crops and crops that require less water or are salinity tolerant

will be of increasing importance.

2.1 Conservation Irrigation.Wasteful flood irrigation will have to be discontinued and precision conservation

irrigation will have to be widely adopted.

3. Depleted Soil Fertility.Nutrient mining; non-return of organic content to the soil and death/ reduction of

soil biota has led to depleted nutrient reserves and curtailed recycling.

3.1 Organic Soil Management.This is most important both for soil fertility and water retention capacity.

4. Soaring Energy/ Input Cost - Low Profit.Cost of water and high priced, inappropriate inputs has resulted in low

profitability due to insufficient yields and improper pricing/ distribution mechanism.

4.1 Alternate Energy/ Complete Plant Nutrition.Alternate energy pumping, low-till farming, high yielding and alternate crops as well as off-farm supplementation of income will have to be pursued vigorously.

Proposed Additions to Action Plan:It is proposed that the Institute be converted to a self support and revenue

generating Unit through the following Interventions in addition to those proposed by Planning Directorate.

1. Livestock Section:

i. Large Scale Waste Disposal System to be fed to Bio-reactor.

2. Crops Section:

i. Small Scale Kitchen Gardening through Environment/ Predator Protected Dome Structures.

3. Bioremediation:

i. Construction of Bioreactor for generating Methane for electricity generation.ii. Bioaugmented Rapid Composting.

The soil web is a truly crucial aspect of human and animal life today. The food chain has been destroyed leading to loss of biota that needs healthy soils and healthy waters for nourishment. In our profit-dominated and subsistence agriculture the natural biological quality is of less importance. The poor farmers fear loosing the crop, which leads to too many pesticides being used. Research shows that essential vitamins are increasingly lacking, health in the general population is deteriorating rapidly with a percentage of severe diseases steadily growing.

4. Gender and Social Development:

i. Cottage Industry Training & Marketing Section. To establish locally identified Cottage Industry for Sponsored Development from Training – Raw Material Supply – Processing/ Manufacture/ Made-ups – Marketing Support. All through local network of Female and Male Home based producers.ii. Training for Container based Small Manufacturing Plants for rapid Small and Medium Enterprises.

5. Workshops Section.

i. Fabrication of Container Based Manufacturing Units on Site.CONTAINERIZED FACTORY:Configured & Pre-Installed:

Marmalade; Tomato Paste; Ketchup; Fruit Pulp; Pure Juices; Nectars; Concentrates & Baby Food.

Edible Oil Processing Plants. Potato/ Onion Processing. Milling Plants. Milk Products. Fodder Pellets. Slaughtering/ Rendering Plants. Green Beans & Berries Processing/ Freezing/ Packing. Ice Blocks/ Flakes Plant. Mineral Water & Honey Plants.

Pilot Community Based Production Project:Projects for Wool Spinning, Shawl and Carpet Weaving, Bed Linen and Quilt

Production, Bridal Dresses, etc. through Provision of Training/ Equipment/ Raw material and Collective Marketing.

ii. Poultry Development and Parent Breed Reproduction.

6. Irrigation/ Water Resources Section:

i. Sprinkle/ Mist/ Drip/ Sub-Soil (Reticulation)/ Subterranean Plant Supply (SPS) System Irrigation. Compost tea: With SPS it is possible to administer a ‘cocktail’ of soil bacteria to boost the regeneration of the soil food web, which insures that healthy root system is maintained.

Schematic representation of complete SPS system installed on a field of 1 HA (can be replicated on fields 2,3,4)High quantity and high quality food production both in fertile and semi-arid areas can be stimulated by the SPS system. Water and biological nutrition use efficiency are the main drivers of this possibility

ii. Soil Moisture, Fertilizer and Salinity Management. Products that continuously tracks fertilizer and salinity and monitors soil moisture at multiple depths in the soil profile. Comprehensive irrigation and fertigation management tool Continuous soil moisture and salinity monitoring Continuously logging, irrigation management tool Portable soil water monitoring solution.

iii. Software program that converts sensor information into a user friendly graphical format to provide users with a better understanding of profile soil water dynamics.

iv. Rain Water Harvesting.

v. Aquaponics.

Conclusion: The Center should operate In-House and Out-Reach Activities in order to generate revenue; stimulate economic activity and demonstrate Local Self-Reliance. Attainment of Household nutritional Food Security and economically viable Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises should be the Goal.