Sustainable Livelihood and Agriculture

Installations of the community tube-wells and forming their networks for better advocacy against adverse national and international policies, SYCOP is actively contributing to uplift the downtrodden people of Muzaffargarh, one of the most deprived areas of Pakistan. Our basic approach is to help the people while imparting awareness and skills for the collective struggle for the rights.

HAND MADE PAPER MAKING WORKSHOP
Hand made paper making techniques are new in Pakistan developed and introduced by Mr. Shinji Tajima Ex. Advisor Pakistan Literacy Commission. Nine participants from SYCOP participated in one-day hand made paper workshop at Islamabad. In this way SYCOP got the technique and increased capacity.

SKILL TRAINING WORKSHOPS:
In this regards, we organized 3 workshops of 3/3 days for our teachers training regarding awareness to village women about kitchen gardening, flower making, Jam Jelly Makings, Shampoo, Mat, Washing Powder, Farming of Poultry, Dairy, Goat, Bee and their marketing. The role of Female Entrepreneurs by the female teachers is also successful in the SYCOP program.

Formation of farmers groups:
SYCOP form 20 farmer groups in three districts of Punjab, Muzaffargarh, Layyah and Bhakkar. Capacity building and networking of these groups is also the part of our strategy. Now these groups are sustained and working well. All these farmers are producing typically cotton, wheat and fodder. 

Cooperative Irrigation Water System (CIWS)
This was SAP-PK funded project, launched in May 2002 in 2 Districts of Punjab Muzaffargarh and Layyah. SYCOP was assigned to implement the project and Pakistan Welfare Society Layyah was also our partner in implementation. In this project 3 tube wells were installed in each district with the consultation of active kissan committees. The project beneficiaries are more than 1025.

Women’s Programs
The main thrust of the enterprise development program is to promote the diversification of the local economy. Characterized as subsistence-oriented agriculture and remittance-based, the economy of the program area has great potential for small and diverse enterprise development, which has not been fully exploited. Focusing on the storage of fresh fruit, promotion of dried fruit like dates, development of local handicrafts, one opening marketing channels through wholesale markets, and providing training in enterprise development are the major activities of this section.

The product development activity of this program aims at transforming selected agricultural commodities into value-added marketable products.  Training activities centered on enterprise courses for female entrepreneurs and courses for the Micro Enterprise Credit Program farm products.  Enterprise Development staff from SYCOP attended a training course for enterprise support in Lahore for six months at Academy Female Community Workers, Islam Pura Lahore.

Livestock Management:
Livestock is the main asset of our farmer. They are spending their lives on some different crops and livestock, so it was essential to trained on livestock management. Three trainings on management, vaccination and their diseases were conducted. Resource person from livestock department was hired to facilitate the participants.

FORESTRY
In this sector SYCOP has performed services with the Forest Department under the title of “Plantation Project”.  Every year SYCOP distributes plants of Eucalyptus to every child of our Basic Education schools to plant, water and daily look after.  In this way SYCOP is trying to prepare the children mentally that plantation is good hobby and trees are our friends.
We have succeeded to plant “Neem” which is much beneficial for us and best environmental pesticide against diseases of cotton and mangoes.    
Many of our CBOs have maintained their own farmer’s nurseries of Eucalyptus.  Eucalyptus growing has proved it self good and active cure of water logging, it is also helpful to absorb different gases of the Thermal Power Stations of District Muzaffargarh which are much harmful to human beings.