Islamabad : WWF-Pakistan, with catalytic funding from the Laudes Foundation, launched the Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative (RPLC) Pakistan to promote new business models and agricultural practices that holistically address the current challenges faced by smallholder farmers and address environmental issues resulting from unsustainable practices.
Speaking at the launch event, Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan, said the initiative addresses long-standing issues of unsustainable agricultural practices in Pakistan. He stressed that agriculture faced major challenges of excessive use of water, chemicals and pesticides affecting crops and soil productivity, which is further exacerbated by climate change, noting that this has led to increased vulnerability of local communities and smallholder farmers.
Speaking virtually at the workshop, Anita Chester, Head of Fashion Program at Laudes Foundation, shared that “Laudes Foundation is incredibly pleased to see the launch of RPLC in Pakistan, supporting the local ecosystem towards sustainable and regenerative practices. We are confident in WWF-Pakistan’s leadership in driving the collaboration forward, fostering collaboration with regional players, supporting local farmers and communities to become self-sufficient and financially independent, and encouraging communities to adopt better practices that enable businesses to responsibly source 1 million hectares and more than 300,000 farmers specifically in Pakistan it will cover more than 100,000 hectares and benefit more than 50,000 farmers. access.”
Speaking at the workshop, Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chief Guest and Chairman Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) said the project will help smallholder farmers and crop growers to improve crop productivity and income generation capacity. He further noted that it will benefit them that the use of fertilizers and pesticides will be significantly reduced due to the adaptation of sustainable agricultural practices. He added that key problems in crop productivity stem from the widespread use of chemicals that damage the ecosystem and soil fertility. He also emphasized the need to promote nature-based solutions to help reduce the negative impacts of climate change and improve sustainable agricultural practices. He expressed appreciation for the combined efforts of project sponsors, implementers and partners in this initiative.
The need to address these events in Pakistan is urgent and requires governance and policy changes that address specific challenges affecting various sectors.
Qadir Baksh Pirkani, Special Secretary for Agriculture, Government of Balochistan said that despite the challenges of climate change, water scarcity, poor infrastructure and limited market access, Balochistan has great potential to contribute to the agricultural sector, adding that the province has 3.47 million hectares arable land. He emphasized the need to invest in agriculture and build the capacity of vulnerable farmers on sustainable farming practices to mitigate supply chain risks from climate change. He also noted the appreciation for the project’s interventions and pledged to promote sustainable agricultural practices.
Asad Imran, Director of Foods and Markets, WWF-Pakistan gave an overview of the project and said that this five-year initiative requires systematic changes towards a landscape-based approach that can further halt and reverse productivity losses due to land degradation and climate change. . This project will restore and revitalize soil health and improve water resource management and conservation. At the social and economic level, it would strengthen the capacity of smallholder farmers to generate income and empower local women farmers by involving them in various interventions.
