For Fozia Bano, farming is not only about producing vegetables. It is also about working together with other farmers to improve livelihoods, protect the environment, and build a stronger farmers’ organization.
Fozia is the president of the Five Star Farmers Cooperative Society in Sultanabad, Pakistan. Established in 2021–2022, the cooperative has grown to around 250 farmer members, who are now working collectively to improve their production and strengthen their agricultural enterprise.
With support from the Agribusiness Support Fund (ASF), the cooperative developed and implemented a business plan and received training on climate-friendly farming practices. These interventions helped farmers explore new ways of increasing productivity while reducing their dependence on chemical inputs.
One of the major changes introduced by the farmers is the shift from open-field cultivation to tunnel farming.
Before the tunnels were established, farmers commonly used pesticides to protect their vegetable crops from insects and diseases. While these inputs helped farmers manage crop losses, Fozia recalls that they also affected the environment and farmers’ health.
“Earlier, we cultivated vegetables in open fields and used various pesticides to protect them from diseases and insects,” she says.
Through tunnel farming, farmers have been able to reduce the need for pesticide applications. The protected growing environment helps safeguard crops from pests while allowing farmers to maintain good production.
The farmers have also started using organic fertilizers as part of their efforts to reduce chemical use.
“Earlier, we used chemical fertilizers. Because of this, our environment was polluted and our health was also affected. Now we use organic fertilizer instead. Our environment is clean and our health is also good,” Fozia shares.
Across the cooperative, farmers are growing vegetables such as tomatoes and cucumbers in their tunnels. The availability of a nearby market also provides farmers with an opportunity to sell their produce and generate income from their production.
For Five Star Farmers Cooperative Society, organizing farmers does not end with production. The cooperative is also developing mechanisms for collective marketing and organizational sustainability.
With the farmers producing vegetables in their individual tunnels, the cooperative helps facilitate collective marketing. Around 2 percent of the farmers’ production is collected as a commission to support the cooperative’s operations and contribute to its revolving fund.
The cooperative has also established relationships with companies that provide agricultural inputs. Seeds are sourced from these companies and distributed to farmers, while a small commission is collected to support the cooperative.
The cooperative also works with the government agriculture department, which provides seeds, training, technical advice and other forms of support to its members.
For Fozia, these different forms of support have helped the cooperative develop its capacity and strengthen the services it provides to farmers. But equally important is the willingness of farmers to work collectively.
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