From 1997 to 2001, ESCAP, through its Fertilizer Advisory, Development and Information Network for Asia and the Pacific, assisted five of its members (Pakistan, Philippines, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Viet Nam) in the introduction of Integrated Plant Nutrition Systems in their farming sectors.

Twenty or more years of intensive, green-revolution-type agriculture with emphasis on chemical farm inputs did little to reduce the poverty of small and landless farmers. On the contrary, dependence on commercial plant nutrition and protection often increased poverty. Even farmers who had benefited from the green revolution because of land size and soil productivity noticed undesirable changes in soil structure and water-retention capacity, resulting in declining yields, despite increased application of chemical fertilizers.

To reverse this trend, the programme aimed at introducing the use of on-farm-produced organic material (e.g., compost, farmyard and green manure and other low cost elements) to improve soil structure and sustainable production capacity. The programme had a noticeable impact on poor farmers, particularly in Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The use of compost proved especially effective in high-value vegetable farming, an activity predominantly carried out by rural women. The simple techniques that were taught to selected farmers in the participating villages were adopted and replicated by other farmers, using their own funds and labour to prepare the basic installations for compost production.