Progress in Pakistan – a 40-year partnership with ACIAR

Date released

02 October 2024

Over the past 40 years, ACIAR has committed to long-term research initiatives in Pakistan, with projects in several agricultural sectors spanning more than a decade.

Building trust and relationships over time has helped ACIAR-supported initiatives to bridge many of the challenges Pakistan faces in reducing poverty, strengthening food security, and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.

Pakistan is the fifth most populated country in the world; its current population is estimated at 241 million. The country’s food security and its agricultural export sector rely heavily on the efforts of its 7 million smallholder farmers, who typically farm less than 5 hectares. They make up 90% of all farmers in the country and are among some of the world’s poorest people.

In this context, ACIAR has worked with partners in Pakistan to build trust and research capacity through shared expertise and long-term relationships.

This, in turn, has helped ACIAR-supported projects to effectively navigate the country’s complex social and cultural structures and develop inclusive approaches to share knowledge to improve farm practices.

By working directly with farming families, new farming methods and market approaches have allowed farmers to lift productivity and incomes.

Bilateral relations

Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan Mr Neil Hawkins said the goodwill generated from ACIAR engagement in Pakistan over 40 years contributed to Australia’s positive reputation in the country and strong bilateral relations between the countries.

‘When it comes to sharing knowledge and expertise, Australia, through ACIAR, is seen as a leader,’ said Mr Hawkins. ‘It’s not just about money we can bring to projects. It’s about the transfer of knowledge and expertise and the credibility of the people involved in ACIAR projects.

‘They’re out there, in the fields, providing practical benefits to farmers.’

Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins (second from left) visits greenhouse trials being conducted as part of an ACIAR-supported project. Photo: ACIAR — Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins (second from left) visits greenhouse trials being conducted as part of an ACIAR-supported project.

Mr Hawkins pointed to the role of ACIAR in advancing Australia’s goals as a global citizen to help alleviate poverty. The long-term outcomes of its work stand to help Pakistan improve its food and water security and adapt to climate change – all of which are essential to maintain geopolitical stability across the region, said Mr Hawkins.

Since 1984, ACIAR has partnered with Pakistan to commission 83 projects to reduce poverty, strengthen food security and improve livelihoods. These projects, some of which are collaborations with other partner countries in the Indo–Pacific region, have totalled more than A$75 million worth of ACIAR investment.

Expertise driving investment

ACIAR Pakistan Country Manager Dr Munawar Kazmi highlighted the ACIAR commitment to long-term projects that have focused on Australia’s research strengths.

‘Over time, and in consultation with the Government of Pakistan and other stakeholders, we have focused our research to areas where our expertise can make the greatest impact,’ explained Dr Kazmi.

Water-use efficiency and conservation agriculture, pulses and dairy productivity are all areas of targeted ACIAR investment with research often extending a decade or more through phased projects.

This has allowed ACIAR-supported researchers to push boundaries in the selected niches, helping Pakistani partners to build their own expertise as they go, said Dr Kazmi.

‘Our partnerships with local stakeholders are so deep-rooted that they look beyond the monetary investment. They value the technical knowledge and expertise we bring, and people want to work with ACIAR.’
Dr Munawar Kazmi, ACIAR Pakistan Country Manager

This often resulted in local organisations contributing more funding to a project than ACIAR, with local involvement and ownership providing a greater likelihood of long- term success.

Water-use efficiency

For more than 20 years, ACIAR has supported research on water-use efficiency and conservation agriculture in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, including Pakistan. This has involved regional projects on permanent raised-bed farming for irrigated wheat–rice systems and Pakistan-specific studies focusing on wheat–maize systems.

These projects consistently demonstrated the benefits of switching from flood irrigation to furrow irrigation, resulting in both water savings and soil improvements. Dr Ghani Akbar, from the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in Islamabad, Pakistan, was part of the team involved in a 9-year wheat–maize experiment.

‘One of the main advantages of permanent raised beds is water conservation,’ said Dr Akbar. ‘Since the soil is not disturbed, water remains in the root zone, reducing evaporation compared to tilled soil. We observed water savings of up to 30% with raised beds compared to traditional flooding systems, along with yield increases of 5 to 10% for wheat and 10 to 30% for maize. Reduced tillage also improved soil health, while labour and energy inputs were minimised.’

Challenges and opportunities

The research also explored the use of minimum/zero-till equipment, based on Australian designs, to sow crops directly into stubble retained on raised beds, which were either 130cm or 65cm wide. However, the lack of expertise in Pakistan’s agricultural machinery manufacturing industry and high cost of producing the required machinery has been a barrier to the widespread adoption of permanent raised beds.

Despite this challenge, many farmers have shifted from flood to furrow irrigation, achieving some water savings. They have adopted the row widths recommended by the ACIAR-supported research, and some local machinery manufacturers have incorporated these specifications into their equipment.

These shifts marked the beginning of more water-efficient agricultural practices. Dr Akbar remained optimistic that further advancements will continue to improve both water savings and crop yields.

Dr Akbar’s involvement in the raised-bed project allowed him to collaborate closely with Australian experts, enhancing his technical skills. He was also awarded the ACIAR-supported John Allwright Fellowship, enabling him to complete his PhD at the University of Southern Queensland.

Upon his return to Pakistan in 2013, Dr Akbar continued working on ACIAR-supported water management projects, transitioning from research roles to project leadership positions at the National Agricultural Research Centre. He now serves as Principal Scientific Officer at the Climate, Energy and Water Research Institute (CEWRI) of NARC, where he oversees major projects supported by various national and international funding agencies.

Dr Akbar emphasised that Pakistan faces significant challenges in managing its water resources. Population growth is driving up demand while shifting rainfall patterns, declining groundwater levels and glacier loss are making water supply increasingly uncertain.

Currently, around 80% of Pakistan’s farmland relies on irrigation, yet 40 to 70% of water is lost through the supply system. For Dr Akbar, this presents a critical opportunity to improve water management for increasing productivity leading to food security.

‘While upgrading infrastructure can offer part of the solution, it is crucial to adopt an integrated water resource management approach at all stages including household, farm, catchment, watershed and basin levels for sustainable water resources. Small-scale interventions, such as raised-bed farming, can play a pivotal role in improving traditional practices and enabling us to adapt to changing environmental conditions,’ said Dr Akbar.

Pulse improvements

Pakistan pulses — ACIAR has worked with smallholder farmers to trial improved pulse varieties. Photo: University of Western Australia

National priorities to improve water use and adapt to climate change also underpin ACIAR-supported research to improve the productivity and profitability of pulse crops.

However, the key driver is the need to meet the rising domestic demand for pulses by improving crop productivity and profitability.

ACIAR has supported pulse research in Pakistan since 2016, with projects to improve crops and market opportunities, identify policy barriers and develop competitive and inclusive supply chains.

A 7-year ACIAR-supported project launched in 2016 introduced new, high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties of lentils, chickpeas and groundnuts (peanuts). The project included on-farm trials and demonstrations of improved varieties, agronomic practices, post-harvest technologies, value addition and village-based seed production.

In conjunction with this farm-focused research, ACIAR also supported policy research and another 7-year value-chain project.

Dr Liz Petersen at the University of Western Australia led the policy project and is also a team member of the value-chain project, which will wind up in 2025.

She said there is strong potential to increase pulse production in Pakistan, which is supported by the Pakistani government.

‘The government has made a significant investment in pulse research at least partly due to ACIAR investment,’ said Dr Petersen. ‘I think that’s one of the real benefits of the ACIAR–Pakistan collaboration – it has led to further research in Pakistan that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.'

She said the latest value-chain project has already delivered a national industry development strategy, which has been signed off by government.

‘The collaboration in developing the strategy was brilliant. We had government, universities and the private sector, including farmers and all parts of the value chain involved,’ said Dr Petersen.

She also highlighted capacity building among Pakistani researchers as a standout of the pulse projects, with many researchers involved in consecutive projects, and presenting their findings in national and international forums.

Improving dairy yields

Since 2007, ACIAR has been supporting research to improve the productivity and profitability of Pakistan’s smallholder dairy farms. About 95% of milk in Pakistan comes from small-scale and peri-urban farmers who milk fewer than five animals.

The initial project introduced smallholder dairy farmers to simple, practical and affordable changes that could improve the health and milk yields of the animals.

These included allowing animals to wander freely and access feed and water throughout the day, rather than the traditional practice of tying animals in one spot, without either feed or water. Farmers were encouraged to ensure calves received colostrum within 24 hours of birth, and to build shelters for their animals, where possible.

In 83D Village most families only receive electricity for a few hours each day. For Sarwar Bibi one of the most important tasks to do during this time is chopping fodder for her animals.

Dairy farmer Sarwar Bibi participated in an ACIAR-funded research effort that improved the productivity and profitability of smallholder dairy farms.

Dairy farmer Sarwar Bibi participated in an ACIAR-funded project to improve the productivity and profitability of smallholder dairy farms.

In 83D Village, located in Pakistan's Pakpattan district, most families only receive electricity for a few hours each day. For Sarwar Bibi one of the most important tasks to do during this time is chopping fodder for her animals.

Dairy production in Pakistan increased, with women playing an important role in managing animal health.

Dairy farmer Sarwar Bibi milks her cow as part of ACIAR-funded research that improved the productivity and profitability of smallholder dairy farms.

Farmer Sarwar Bibi (centre with red head scarf) from village 83D sits with her fellow female farmers and talks to Punjab Province area adviser Anam Afzal (orange head scarf) as part of ACIAR-funded efforts to transform Pakistan's dairy sector.

Project researcher, Anam Afzal (right) with a female farmer examining fodder used to feed livestock.

Hassan Warriach (left) sharing his insight on shed design with Punjab Province area advisers Khizer Hayat and Anam Afzal.

ACIAR-funded research, Dr Hassan Warriach (right) from University of Veterinary and Animal Science, shares his insight on livestock shed design with Punjab Province area advisers Khizer Hayat and Anam Afzal.

Female dairy farmers involved in ACIAR-funded research churning milk.

Benefits from changed practices include additional milk yields of up to 2 litres a day, improved cow health, a dramatic drop in calf mortality rates and a doubling of the rate at which calves grow, improving returns for farmers.

However, the adoption of improved practices proved challenging, and cultural factors made it difficult to engage with women, who are largely responsible for the animals’ daily care.

This led the project team to develop the Whole Family Extension Approach (WFEA), recruiting women to the project team and hosting separate information sessions for men and women.

A follow-up project, which began in 2017, used a value-chain analysis and the whole family approach to help improve returns from both milk and dairy beef.

Project leader Ms Humera Iqbal said gender equity was a major consideration in the project.

‘We trained female farm advisers working with our extension partners. We developed simple messages to show how the new practices could help farmers – and particularly women – to save time. We also developed some extension and training materials for the whole family who are engaged in looking after animals at some level.’

Group of women in saris in an outdoor classroom environment — Dr Shumaila Arif (l) and Humera Iqbal (r) undertaking field work with Pakistani women farmers. Credit: supplied by Dr Shumaila Arif

The success of the whole family approach developed and tested in the dairy projects has led ACIAR to adopt it in many other projects, including work with horticultural value chains in Pakistan, and a Family Farm Teams project in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Ms Iqbal said the approach had also been adopted by other agencies working in agricultural extension in Pakistan.

Given her commitment to improve engagement and empowerment for women in agriculture, ACIAR also supported Ms Iqbal’s selection for the 12-month Homeward Bound global leadership program for women in STEMM.

‘The program has significantly improved my leadership and decision-making skills, and how I engage collectively with many different stakeholders,’ said Ms Iqbal, who is now Project Manager in Pakistan–Netherlands Dairy Development Centre of FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan.

Capacity development

Capacity development is a key component of the ACIAR approach to research and development, from farmers in the field to project partners and extension workers, to the research team members themselves.

The John Allwright Fellowship program is the leading ACIAR capacity development program for researchers. It sponsors higher education degrees in Australia for outstanding researchers working on ACIAR-supported collaborative research projects.

Over the years, ACIAR has awarded 21 fellowships to Pakistani researchers. Many have continued to be involved in ACIAR projects and extend the influence of ACIAR with new roles in related areas of interest.

researchers and farmers inspect livestock fodder — ACIAR Alumni and John Dillion Fellow, Dr Hassan Warriach (left) from University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences talks with farmers about improving fodder crops for livestock.

Among these is Dr Sajida Taj, who completed her PhD at the University of Canberra in 2018.

As a social scientist with the National Rural Agricultural Research Centre, Dr Taj was working with an ACIAR-supported pro-poor value-chain project as part of the Agriculture Sector Linkages Program (ASLP) when she was selected for a fellowship.

Dr Taj said that without the support of ACIAR, she would never have imagined studying overseas. Since completing her PhD, she has continued to work on ACIAR projects, including mid-term reviews of ongoing projects, to identify where improvements in gender access and engagement can be made.

She noted that while ACIAR-supported projects have evolved to incorporate equity of access to information and training for women and marginalised groups, this was not the case in the broader Pakistan society.

Based at the National Rural Agricultura Research Centre, Dr Taj continues to expand on her efforts to improve engagement through ACIAR-supported projects, and as a trainer on community and gender engagement to diverse organisations involved in national research and extension.

Grateful for the support of ACIAR in helping to further her career, Dr Taj said Australia’s investment of time, resources and expertise was improving the lives of many poor people in Pakistan and not just farmers.

‘Each project is planting seeds for future development, and then there is growth in that research area, with ongoing projects and often very long collaborations. When these approaches are replicated and scaled up, it is very beneficial for national growth, and for Pakistan as a whole,’ said Dr Taj.
Dr Sajida Taj, John Allwright Fellow

The growing group of ACIAR alumni, which includes Dr Taj and Dr Akbar, is part of an even larger pool of people in research, government and other stakeholder agencies who carry forward their positive experiences working with ACIAR.

As the ACIAR Pakistan Country Manager, Dr Kazmi said where ACIAR continues to lead in targeted areas of research, he sees other donors of aid following with their own investment.

This will continue to amplify the impact of ACIAR-supported efforts, working with smallholder farmers to improve productivity and with market chains and policy frameworks to help farmers – and Pakistan more broadly, said Dr Kazmi.

Learn more about the ACIAR research program in Pakistan.

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