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Farming Systems Mapping for Sustainable Mountain Agriculture

A farming system is defined as a population of individual farm systems that may have widely differing resource bases, enterprise patterns, household livelihoods and constraints. With the ECI lens, farm mapping allows farmers to create detailed maps of their agricultural land. The maps usually contain land boundaries, locations of buildings, fences, gateways, and water pipes located on a farm. A farming systems map will identify areas where manure-contaminated runoff water from the livestock operation, barnyard, or manure storage comes into contact with clean water. The map may also reveal if manure is spread too close to a stream or wetland.

For farmer to take consideration of various facets of landforms like altitude, relief, slope, the direction of slope, and the drainage. For this, contour maps help the farmers to understand the above characteristics of the landforms. These maps prove to be of great use in the planning for a region too. Soil mapping involves locating and identifying the different soils that occur, collecting information about their location, nature, properties and potential use, and recording this information on maps and in supporting documents to show the spatial distribution of every soil.

Farming systems mapping through GIS can substantially help in effective crop yield estimates, soil amendment analyses, erosion identification and remediation. More accurate and reliable crop estimates help reduce uncertainty.

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April 7, 2019

Facilitating our stakeholders for #JustEnergyTransition to happen

Just Energy transition can happen smoothly when we gradually start withdrawing our reliance on coal and gas-based resource

Farming communities in Pakistan are fast transitioning to #CleanEnergy after skyrocketing price hike of oil-based electricity bills. To begin with, solar-based water pumps are being widely used amidst heatwave scenario in south Asia and decreasing freshwater resources. However, as noticed recently, ground water table has started to lower sharply in many areas, particularly in south Punjab and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan due to sudden increase of solar water pumps to extract ground water. Eco-Conservation Initiatives (ECI) is helping farmers adopt a range of water recharge approaches to address this challenge. In addition to this, the organization had already tested a pilot project in northern Punjab (salt range area) with sponsorship by Pakistan Water Partnership (PWP) building nexus of energy-water-food through the use of biomass energy.

Being influenced by the Just Energy Transition Framework developed by the Council for Inclusive Capitalism @InclusiveCap, ECI has started to raise awareness in some target areas to promote #JustEnergyTransition where social and environmental risks related to labor force, tourism, one-health, cost of energy supply, air & water pollution and solid waste disposal will have to be seriously taken into account.

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April 7, 2019

Creating an Enabling Environment for One

The One-Health approach prevents outbreaks of diseases in humans, animals and plants improving food safety and security and reducing antibiotic-resistant infections.

#OneHealth is a collaborative, multi-sectoral, and interdisciplinary approach, with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes by means of recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. The One-Health approach supports global health security by improving coordination, collaboration and communication at the human-animal-environment interface to address shared health threats such as zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and others. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) first introduced the term “One World-One Health” in 2007 along with 12 recommendations (the Manhattan Principles) that focused on establishing a more holistic approach to preventing epidemic disease and maintaining ecosystem integrity.

ECI is tremendously concerned with the public health issues in an era where our land, air and water resources are getting polluted indiscriminately with hazardous chemicals, untreated municipal waste and smoke emitted out of the transport sector, industrial units, real estate activities constantly hampering ecosystem services because of rapid deforestation, melting of glaciers and unplanned urbanization. As a result, global warming and climate change have become a challenge to be resolved by the humanity. Amidst of these challenges, public health both in our rural and urban settings has started to deteriorate at an unprecedented level. Because of this, a great proportion of the income earned by the people has to be spent on maintaining their health which is closely linked with the health of plants, animals and our shared environment that are already affected due to negative impacts of global warming and climate change.

To contribute meaningfully in maintaining public health as a framework of human and plant life, ECI is raising coordinated efforts to promote the approach of One-Health in collaboration with both the public and private sector organizations. Following are the main activities that are being undertaken to create an enabling environment for One-Health:

Linking our efforts across multiple sectors and disciplines to coordinate the interdependence of human existence with nonhuman animals and within ecosystems. Leading our efforts to an ecological approach to the prevention and control of infectious diseases, especially those which are zoonotic, meaning that they can be transmitted from non-human animals to humans. Integrating One-Health research and practice keeping in view environmental anthropology, medical anthropology and science and technology studies (STS) as being highlighted by World Health Organization (WHO) and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). Taking initiatives to incorporate One-Health approach in our national health policy. Organizing youth and community led knowledge based events to promote the One-Health Concept in Pakistan.

Rainwater Harvesting for Efficient Irrigation System

Rainwater harvesting dates back to some 6,000 years ago in China. Evidence is available for rainwater collection at least to 4,000 years ago. Water harvesting was used in China from the 3rd millennium BC. The same practices may also be found with the traces in Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa civilizations in Pakistan.Rainwater is captured through the drain pipes on a building’s roofs or elsewhere. The stored rainwater is then passed through a filter to make it clean for consumption. The harvested rainwater can be stored in a single or multiple tanks that are connected, either under or above the ground. The main purpose of rainwater harvesting is to save and conserve water for future use.

Following are the major advantages of rainwater harvesting:

• Cheap system with lesser cost.• Helps in reducing the water bill.• Decreases the demand for water.• Reduces the need for imported water.• Promotes both water and energy conservation.• Improves the quality and quantity of groundwater.• Does not require a filtration system for landscape irrigation.

In our different projects related to water conservation and efficient use both for households and farming, rainwater harvesting has been an important component. With professional support from our partners such as GWP /PWP, we are further promoting this system at scale based on availability of funded projects or support by the relevant stakeholders.

Blog

Farming Systems Mapping for Sustainable Mountain Agriculture

Facilitating our stakeholders for #JustEnergyTransition to happen

Creating an Enabling Environment for One

Rainwater Harvesting for Efficient Irrigation System