Sahar began her journey as a farmer by cultivating the maize crop. She used seeds from different companies, but always went back to the Pioneer® seed (Corteva Agriscience). According to her, the crop produced was more than any other seed and she credits her hardworking team behind the same.
The pandemic and lockdown in Pakistan made Sahar realize that it was going to impact the agriculture sector as well as her community. Fear of contracting the virus and practicing the new measures disrupted their wheat harvesting period.
The migrants who came back from different parts were struggling with financial resources. Sahar and her husband decided to come forward and help them settle in their community. Keeping in mind the standard operating procedures, the couple started educating the community about practicing social distancing, use of masks, hand sanitization, and personal hygiene.
During the lockdown, internet was the only source of information and medium of communication for Sahar and her husband. They started conducting online lectures about sowing, producing Pedi-rice and maize on drip irrigation, activities that required fewer number of people in the field. This also helped them clear their water-saving agenda.
They trained people on Biofloc fish farming and taught them about making vermicompost out of biogas slurry which is used in organic farming.
They also conducted sessions on farming silage that provided fodder for the animals during the lockdown period and saved the dairy farms in their vicinity. Sahar and her husband also explored new opportunities for employment via the internet, not just for themselves but for the overall community.
Sahar says that the pandemic has taught them to fight the battle collectively because that is the only way one can beat it. In her words, “Let's try to tune ourselves to see light in the darkest period of our lives.”