Farmers see cactus as a versatile, income-generating crop – Desertification

Pakistani farmers now use cactus as a multi-purpose, income-generating crop to reduce risks associated with climate change

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Today, the reality is very different. Not only have farmers changed their perceptions and beliefs about prickly pear, they have actually increased the demand for it.

Cactus fruit is adapted to extreme environments and can grow and survive in severely degraded soils and areas where other plants can barely grow. Cactus fruit has high water use efficiency and water content, allowing livestock to survive the driest seasons. Compared to many other common crops and forages, cactus fruit is easy to grow, maintain and use. Its well-developed root system protects against wind and rain erosion, making it an ideal forage crop under climate change conditions.

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International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas and International Livestock Research Institute Scientists and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council and Pakistan National Agricultural Research Center, by the CGIAR Research Program on Dryland Systems and you sayThe Pakistan Agricultural Innovation Program, funded by the Pakistan Agricultural Innovation Program, has conducted a series of farm demonstrations and farmer field activities at the Chakwal Research Action Base in Punjab to showcase the multiple uses of cactus crops, including feeding livestock with chopped cactus mats.

Soon after, farmers began asking to grow cactus in their fields. The farmers’ change to cactus created a new problem. The supply of cactus could not keep up with the demand.