ISLAMABAD, Aug 28: Agriculture scientists should develop methodologies consistent with the socio-economic situation in various communities to improve the quality of female farm- workers’ life.

This was stated by the chairman of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), Dr Badaruddin Soomro, who inaugurated a five-day workshop on “Developing training methodologies to reduce pesticide risks for women” here on Wednesday. The Workshop has been organized jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), PARC/NARC and AGFUND.

The workshop was attended by farmers, non-governmental organizations, officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, senior officials of PARC/NARC including member (finance) Dr Aleem Mahmud, member (administration) Mian Khuda Yar Khan, in-charge crops sciences Dr Mohammad Ashraf, Dr N. I. Hashmat, DDGs and senior officials of the FAO in Pakistan.

The FAO is currently implementing a programme for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in cotton crops in Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Philippines, Vietnam and India.

Farmers are using increasingly toxic chemicals to control pests and increase cotton production. The FAO in collaboration with experts and scientists of various organizations is trying to educate the farmers specially the women to enable them to make wiser decisions about crop management, particularly in the application of toxic pesticides.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Soomro urged the scientists to develop more resistant varieties to reduce pesticide use in cotton crops. He said it is high time that awareness should be created among rural women about the risks to their own as well as their family’s health with special reference to pesticides being used on crops.

He said it had been realised across the globe that although pesticides did have a certain role in crop production, these chemicals were causing more damage than benefit.

Unplanned application of dangerous chemicals has resulted in environmental pollution and uneconomical returns, he added.