Wheels of Change : How Climate-smart mobile Training is reaching farmers in Pakistan 

By Muhammad Irfan, Manager Climate Smart Projects, WWF-Pakistan 

 

Farmers in Pakistan’s provinces of Punjab and Sindh  are embracing new techniques delivered by WWF and IKEA mobile training, leading to significant cuts in agriculture’s carbon footprint and fostering a powerful movement for sustainable farming.

Farmers engaged with climate-smart agricultural training via a mobile training unit’s digital screen. © Asad Bashir, WWF-Pakistan

Pakistan’s agriculture remains the backbone of its economy, with its roots deeply embedded in the rural landscape. Faced with growing challenges from climate change, limited water resources, soil degradation, and an increasing need for more sustainable farming practices, a significant transformation began to take shape in 2020 through the long-standing WWF-Pakistan and IKEA partnership, which spans over two decades. This partnership aims to strengthen the farming sector’s resilience to climate change by equipping farmers with climate-smart agricultural practices.

Under this partnership, Climate Smart Projects (2020-2025) are specifically aimed at improving agricultural practices, enhancing soil health, conserving water, and reducing the environmental impact of cotton farming. These climate-smart practices offer ‘multiple benefits,’ including contributing to livelihood improvement, enhancing agrobiodiversity, increasing crop productivity, lowering Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from crop production, and integrating trees into the cropping system. Through the adoption of these practices during the cotton cropping seasons between 2020 and 2024, farmers achieved a remarkable 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, significantly contributing to a lower carbon footprint in cotton farming.

 

Farmer inspecting cotton bolls. © Matthie Paley

 

The partnership is driven by a shared commitment to responsible use of natural resources. Led by WWF-Pakistan’s Food and Agriculture Programme, the core of this initiative was to work together with farmers to increase their knowledge on climate smart farming But this was no conventional programme. It was a thoughtful/intentional training effort designed to meet farmers where they are – both geographically and in terms of knowledge.

And so, the Surface Mount Device (SMD) vans (Mobile training units) came into the picture. These mobile training units, equipped with the latest digital tools, became the bridge between modern agricultural practices and the farmers in remote villages, battling the challenges of climate change and degradation. Instead of asking farmers to travel long distances to attend workshops or training sessions, the mobile training units brought the training to them, at their very doorstep, on their farms, and within their communities. As Muhammad Nawaz, a farmer from Shujabad, Punjab, shared, ‘Through WWF-Pakistan’s training, delivered through videos on the mobile training units, we learned climate smart techniques like laser land leveling and lining of water courses. These practices have made a huge difference.’ This immediate, on-site learning proved transformative for participants. 

Farmers attending a climate-smart agriculture training session delivered through a mobile unit (SMD van) in a rural setting.  © WWF-Pakistan

Climate-Smart Agriculture on Wheels

One of the destinations for the mobile training units was the rural villages of the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, where over 80,000 cotton farmers have benefitted from climate-smart agriculture practices between 2020-2025. These mobile units, equipped with digital resources such as videos demonstrating the use of advanced farm machinery tools, real time data from localized weather stations, and interactive tutorials on water conservation, brought hands-on learning to farmers on-site. The localized weather stations, for example, provided accurate, region-specific weather forecasts that helped farmers optimize irrigation schedules based on real-time data .In these trainings, which offered farmers a new way to learn on their own turn, they were able to access interactive modules, video tutorials, and expert-led e-learning sessions, all provided in local languages (Urdu), with real-time images, practical illustrations, and visual content that made complex concepts more accessible and engaging.

 

Farmers attending a climate-smart agriculture training session in a rural setup, emphasizing the direct engagement and on-site learning approach. © WWF-Pakistan

 

Close-up visuals of cotton pests, such as the Dusky Cotton Bug and whiteflies, demonstrating the detailed training content provided to farmers on pest identification and sustainable crop protection techniques. © WWF-Pakistan

 

The videos, specifically, featured step-by-step demonstrations and visually appealing graphics, helping farmers learn by watching and following along with practical examples of climate-smart farming techniques. The use of dynamic visuals made these sessions not only informative but also memorable, providing a clearer understanding of techniques like carbon-smart crop production, protection and water conservation methods.

A key focus of these sessions was carbon-smart crop production. Farmers learned innovative methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through sustainable crop protection techniques. Muhammad Nawaz further highlighted the direct benefits: ‘The videos also introduced us to using animal dung, which has significantly reduced our dependency on inorganic fertilizers. As a result, our expenses have gone down, and our income has increased.’ He also noted, ‘The video tutorials also emphasized not burning crop residues and now we’re seeing the benefits of incorporating them back into the soil. This has led to better land preparation and healthier crops.“ As climate change increasingly impacts agriculture, these practices not only aimed to improve crop yields but also helped protect the environment for future generations. In fact, through the adoption of these practices during the cotton cropping season, farmers were able to achieve a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions between the period of 2020 and 2024, contributing significantly to reducing the carbon footprint of cotton farming.

Another pressing concern is water scarcity. With Pakistan’s rapidly depleting water resources, reducing water use in farming has become essential. The mobile training units has introduced practical solutions on water conservation, for example, through improving the organic matter in the soil to enhance its water-holding capacity, helping farmers to adopt advanced techniques and technologies, improve irrigation systems, and implement water-saving technologies. These techniques aims to reduce water wastage while boosting crop productivity, addressing both immediate and long-term agricultural challenges. Muhammad Nawaz’s experience underscores this impact: ‘These practices [laser land leveling and lining of water courses] have made a huge difference.’ Such practical solutions enable farmers to conserve precious resources effectively.”   

Building Resilience and sustainability

As the mobile training units traveled from village to village, the impact began to ripple across the community. The farmers weren’t just learning new techniques—they were becoming part of a movement to reduce Pakistan’s agriculture carbon footprint and promote responsible agriculture. The knowledge they gain isn’t just about improving their own livelihoods—it is about contributing to a larger cause: protecting the environment and ensuring that farming can continue for future generations.

With their newfound skills, farmers began to adopt climate-smart practices that made them more resilient to the changing climate. Efficient water management has helped them conserve precious resources during droughts, while better soil health practices have led to increased crop yields. The training through these mobile training units has given them more than just knowledge—they had gain hope and the agency to take control of their circumstances.

Gradually, in communities where the vans had reached, biodiversity has begun to thrive. Farmers planted trees alongside their crops, creating natural habitats for wildlife, and began to see the positive effects of agroforestry. It isn’t just the land that has been regenerated—entire ecosystem has been enhanced. Expanding on these integrated practices, Muhammad Nawaz shared, ‘We’ve also planted trees and constructed bio-digesters. The most rewarding part of adopting these practices is the yields we’re now getting. With less fertilizer and more sustainable practices, we’re experiencing better results than ever before.” 

 

A vibrant green field with integrated trees, showcasing climate-smart agricultural practices and enhanced biodiversity. © Asad Bashir, WWF-Pakistan

Stronger Communities

What made the SMD van initiative truly special wasn’t just the technology—it was the sense of community it fostered. For the first time, farmers felt heard, and their experiences, like those shared by Muhammad Nawaz, resonated throughout the communities, fostering a sense of shared purpose and success. The vans created a space for dialogue, helping farmers build connections with each other and with the broader environmental conservation movement.  

 

A WWF-Pakistan field representative and a farmer collaborate in the field, examining the pheromone traps and recording the data. © WWF-Pakistan

These community engagements were a key component of the Climate Smart Projects. By involving farmers in the training process and gathering their feedback, the project has ensured that the solutions were tailored to their specific needs. This approach fostered a sense of ownership and responsibility among the farmers, who now saw themselves not only as beneficiaries of the project but also as active contributors to a larger environmental cause. 

The Future of Farming

As the years go by, the impact of the initiative continues to grow. From a total of 80,000 farmers, over 20,000 farming families have been trained through these trainings conducted through mobile training units and the remaining are trained through regular training sessions conducted by the field staff. and the knowledge and skills derived are becoming embedded in the farming culture across the country. With every passing year, more and more farmers are adopting climate-smart practices, improving their soil health, conserving water, and promoting biodiversity.

 

A cotton picker, picking cotton in a field. © WWF-Pakistan

The success of this training initiative through mobile training units has set the stage for even greater innovations in agricultural training, community engagement, and environmental conservation. What started as a simple idea—bringing training to farmers through mobile vans—has now become a powerful tool for transformation in Pakistan’s agricultural sector. 

Through the tireless efforts of farmers, supported by the mobile training units and the Climate Smart Projects, WWF-Pakistan’s Food and Agriculture Programme is helping Pakistan move towards a future where the agriculture footprint is not only reduced, but the whole sector is more resilient to the challenges of climate change. 

Read a summary of this story on panda.org here