A three-day (October 24-26, 2023) awareness workshop on “Sustainable Farm Production & its Value Addition in Pothwar” was held at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR).

The workshop was organized by the Department of Plant Pathology & Agronomy, Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization and Outreach Program Teams of PMAS-AAUR with the objectives to promote sustainability and self-sufficiency in agriculture by equipping participants with practical skills, knowledge, and value addition.

The three day workshop theme was to interlink academia, research and industry to generate steady income from farms by multi pronged strategies, effective communication for the better use of local resources.

The major areas which were highlighted and discussed in the workshop were crop production, plant protection, natural farming, Bio-fertilizer and its applications, kitchen gardening, mushroom farming and value addition in different nutrient rich vegetables.

The University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naeem was the chief guest and Agriculture Faculty Dean Prof. Dr. Tariq Mukhtar delivered a welcome address.

While addressing Dr. Naeem said that agriculture is a sector that is influenced by numerous variables and this workshop will help to develop a cohesive approach for the betterment of the farming community of Pothwar by taking different stakeholders on board.

Speakers delivered lecturers including Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ansar, Mr. Asif Sharif, Dr. Iftikhar Ahmed, Mr. Muhammad Usman Raja, Dr. Munir Ahmed, Dr. Asif Aziz and Dr. Umer Habib.

The last day of the workshop Anjum Asad Amin shared a triumphant story of natural farming. Dr. Farah Naz discussed agricultural home-based entrepreneurship ideas for poverty alleviation and Dr. Gulshan Irshad elaborated on sustainable mushroom cultivation. A detailed presentation on the topic “From Farm to Market with Natural Agricultural Practices” was delivered by Anjum Assad Amin.

A brief history of the PMAS-AAUR was shared with participants by the Ex-Vice Chancellor/ Ex-Chairman Department of Agronomy, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Azeem.

The workshop concluded with the emphasis on promoting sustainable farming practices, wheat campaign activities, and exploring alternative sources of income for rural communities in the Pothwar region. Participants gained valuable insights into sustainable agriculture, crop production, plant protection, and income diversification strategies.