Two training workshops of ten days on Farm Water Management  and Food Processing Techniques for Baluchistan Farmer's commenced at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) here on January 17, 2014. Researchers, farmers, people from NGO, Agriculture Extension Departments, Education and Research organizations from Baluchistan are participating in these workshops.

The aim of Water Management workshop is to enhance capacity of the Baluchistan farmers & agriculture staff in water harvesting, conservation, management and efficient use. The workshop will also be helpful in providing them theoretical / practical knowledge about on-farm water management.  This workshop is organized by PMAS-AAUR in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations & Australian Assistance in Agriculture Boarder Areas of Baluchistan (ASABBA) and 40 participants are participating in the workshop.

Food processing training, in which 20 women from Baluchistan are participating, will get technical knowledge/skill about food processing and to guide women to set up small agro processing enterprises, to benefit from natural resources existing in their environment. This food processing training will also be helpful to the community members who want to take up value added food processing activities in their area. This workshop is organized by the PMAS-AAUR in collaboration with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations under Baluchistan Agriculture Project funded by USAID.

Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad, Vice Chancellor, PMAS-AAUR, in his address, highlighted  the need of water resource management and food processing training for Baluchistan peoples and assured full cooperation of PMAS-AAUR. He wished to strengthen this training program in future.

He recommended that it is time to increase investments in water reservoirs; improve water management, irrigation and crop cultivation; introduce rainwater harvesting and launch of mass awareness campaigns.

Prof. Dr. J. K.Sial, Incharge Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, while addressing on the occasion, stressed that there is a need of capacity building programmes to promote water management system and urged the young scientists to come up with innovative solutions to the issues being faced by nation in current scenario.

Addressing the gathering expert on Water Resource Management FAO-USAID, Aijaz Hussain Awan, explained the aims and objective of the training and said that this training will be helpful to strengthen the Baluchistan’s farmers technical capacity in on-farm water management and in Food Processing. He also thanked the University’s Vice Chancellor and faculty for their cooperation.