Wheat Campaign.

FAISALABAD Oct 26: In a major outreach initiative to take agricultural research from classrooms to farmers’ fields and safeguard food security, the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), in collaboration with the Punjab Agriculture Extension Department, will mobilise around 30,000 students in a 10-day farm fields visit under wheat campaign from Oct 30 to Nov 8 in the six division of the province to promote timely sowing, efficient use of farm inputs, climate-smart agriculture and modern cultivation practices aimed at boosting wheat productivity. They will visit the six division of the Punjab including Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lahore, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Faisalabad. The initiative will also provide students with practical exposure to field-level challenges and help strengthen links between agricultural research and farming practices. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali said increasing wheat production was essential to ensuring national food security and meeting the country’s growing food requirements. He said direct engagement with farmers would help bridge the gap between research and its practical application by taking scientific knowledge to the grassroots level. He added that the university was committed to supporting farmers through scientific guidance, sustainable technologies and collaborative initiatives. The partnership with the Punjab Agriculture Extension Department would expand outreach to farming communities and facilitate the adoption of modern wheat production techniques, he said. Dean Agriculture Prof Dr Ghulam Murtaza said the campaign would familiarise students with practical challenges in wheat cultivation, including seed selection, timely sowing, efficient irrigation, fertiliser management and pest control. He said the field visits would equip students with practical experience and enable them to contribute more effectively to agricultural sector.