HYDERABAD, Nov 2: A recent study has revealed that cotton crop attracts a number of pests which create health hazards due to poisoning of the food chain.

According to latest figures, nearly 46,000 tones of pesticides were used in the year 2000, out of which about 60 per cent were used on cotton. As per the study, our ground water is contaminated up to the depth of 18 metres and a number of vegetables have residues beyond maximum limits. Not only this, the blood test of the field workers, including women, shows clear affects of pesticides. The alternative to this phenomenon lies in the integrated pest management (IPM).

According to the study, there has been a lot of research in this area and a lot of different methods have been tried. But the training of facilitators (TOF) and farmers field schools (FFS) approach, developed by the FAO and tested in various countries, has been found to be very successful.

Experience over the years has shown that the best way for the translation of knowledge is practice, through training of facilitator and farmers field schools activities. One of the main reason for the success of this approach is that the decisions are not pre-planned and are not dictated from a central command but are based on the analysis of agro-echo-system and site situation, and are made by the farmers with the help of facilitators.

Keeping in view the facts, the government has selected two TOF sites in Sindh — at Sakrand and Khairpur — where the activity was launched on April 14, 2001. Under this programme, 25 facilitators at each site have been trained, who belonged to agriculture extension wing, agriculture research wing, IPM and NGOs.

The first batch of the trainees passed out on Oct 24. The government expects that the trained facilitators will try to expand field farmers. The provincial agriculture extension wing is reported to have submitted some suggestions to the government in respect of the trained facilitators/agriculture officers, who have graduated from the TOF for the next cropping season.

The agriculture extension wing, with the collaboration of donors, is also planning to establish one more TOF in Mirpurkhas to train the extension officers/growers of the area.