CABI’s expertise on sustainable crop pest management has been highlighted at the 2nd International Conference on Plant Protection Sciences (ICPPS-2025), hosted by Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, in Pakistan.
The event sought to foster and enhance scientific and technological collaboration between Pakistan and the global community, with a particular focus on partnerships with technologically advanced nations such as China who provided a host of keynote speakers.
A booth was staffed by CABI scientists to highlight its work in Pakistan and abstracts were also shared on the management of whitefly and pink bollworm in cotton through hybrid traps as well as the impact of synthetic insecticides on fall armyworm on maize and tuta absoluta on tomato in laboratory conditions.
These abstracts were presented by field facilitators Muhammad Hamza Iftikhar and Yahya Khan Mari.
Cotton is Pakistan’s largest industrial sector. However, the industry is losing around 10-15% of its value due to the pests and poor traditional agricultural practices that affect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and their communities.
Better production practices using the Better Cotton Standard System
Colleagues also demonstrated the value of their involvement in the Better Cotton GIF project in Sindh which is also benefiting smallholder farmers in the Punjab region with better production practices using the Better Cotton Standard System.
Using the Better Cotton Standard System, CABI is encouraging farmers to implement better cotton production principles and criteria and Good Agricultural Practices by providing participatory training to thousands of small, medium, and large-sized farmers and their farm workers.
This has included ways to integrate soil management, adopt modern water conservation technologies and practices, and manage natural habitats through training, resources, and environmentally friendly methods.
The project has also encouraged proper cotton-picking methods to avoid contamination, as well as better storage and transportation to markets and ginning mills where they process it.
Women have also been empowered
Many women took the opportunity to visit the CABI booth.
Women have also been empowered through training and the development of female entrepreneurship for sustainable income generation through kitchen gardening, goat farming and tailoring centres.
Furthermore, a Shield of Appreciation was presented to Dr Habat Ullah Asad, CABI’s project manager of the Better Cotton Initiative project, for his “outstanding contributions to agricultural development and collaborative efforts.”
This has included overseeing the Better Cotton project’s recent successes that have included, in Sindh, training over 31,500 farmers to implement the Better Cotton Standard System. Meanwhile, successes in Punjab have included training over 18,000 farmers on Better Cotton principles.
In both Sindh and Punjab, women workers have received specialist training on proper cotton-picking techniques, health and safety measures, female empowerment, and prevention of child labour.
To help empower women through leadership, three sewing centres have been established, allowing more than 25 women the opportunity to enhance their sewing skills and generate an income.
Valuable platform for knowledge exchange and global partnerships
Dr Habat Ullah Asad said, “CABI’s involvement aligned with key conference themes, including pest management, plant disease control, and environmental protection, offering a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and global partnerships.
“We had the privilege of welcoming esteemed visitors to our booth and took the opportunity to engage with respected professors, stakeholders, farmers, and an enthusiastic group of students – each contributing their insights and energy to the success of the event.”
Visitors to the booth included Prof Dr Altaf Ali Sial, Vice Chancellor, Sindh Agriculture University, Prof Dr Manzoor Ali Abro, Dean, Faculty of Crop Protection, Sindh Agriculture University International delegates including Prof. Dr. Zhou Zongshan – China, Dr Anis Syahirah – Malaysia, Dr Aynura Pashayeva – Azerbaijan.
The conference organisers said the collaborative effort is not only crucial for advancing sustainable agriculture in Pakistan but also serves as a platform for long-term interactions that will enable continuous exchange of innovative knowledge and capacity-building initiatives among scientists in the field of plant protection.
They further stressed that the ultimate objective is to “establish enduring partnerships that contribute to the global scientific community while directly benefiting the agricultural sector of Pakistan through enhanced expertise and innovative solutions.”
Additional information
Main image: CABI’s attendance at the 2nd International Conference on Plant Protection Sciences (ICPPS-2025) was an opportunity to share its expertise in sustainable crop pest management.
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