WWF-Pakistan, with funding from the Laudes Foundation, has unveiled a promising regenerative agriculture initiative in Pakistan to promote sustainable farming practices in Pakistan.
The Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative (RPLC) Pakistan is aimed at promoting new business models and agricultural practices that address the pressing challenges faced by smallholder farmers while mitigating environmental impacts from unsustainable practices.
RPLC Pakistan will be implemented in the Jhang and Sahiwal districts of Punjab and Barkhan and Lasbela districts of Balochistan. The initiative offers a demonstrable approach to landscapes that has already seen success in India, Brazil, and Tanzania.
What is Regenerative Agriculture?
Regenerative agriculture prioritizes soil health, aiming to boost soil health, enhance food production, improve farmers’ incomes and help cut emissions. With concerns about soil depletion within 50 years, regenerative agriculture emerges as a crucial solution.
- It focuses on improving soil health, which has been degraded by intensive farming practices like heavy machinery, fertilizers, and pesticides.
- Regenerative agriculture is farming and ranching in harmony with nature.
- It advocates for policies supporting small and mid-sized farms and socially disadvantaged farmers. It promotes financial and technical resources to foster sustainable farming practices in harmony with nature.
Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative
The Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative (RPLC) Pakistan initiative, launched at a workshop in Islamabad, seeks to champion regenerative agriculture practices to enhance agricultural productivity while addressing climate change concerns. Key issues such as water security, biodiversity conservation, and local livelihoods were highlighted during the workshop, emphasizing the urgency of adopting sustainable farming methods.
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General of WWF-Pakistan, emphasized the initiative aims to address the long-term challenges posed by unsustainable agricultural practices in Pakistan, which have led to decreased productivity and increased vulnerabilities among local communities and smallholder farmers.
“To address these challenges, this initiative will enhance collaborative actions and develop innovative strategies which help farmers to develop climate resilience and improve the agricultural yield”, he added.
Addressing the workshop virtually, Anita Chester, Head of the Fashion Program at Laudes Foundation, expressed confidence in WWF-Pakistan’s leadership in driving the collaboration forward, emphasizing its potential to benefit over 50,000 farmers across Pakistan.
“Today the RPLC is planned to cover globally, over 1 million hectares and over 300,000 farmers. In Pakistan specifically, this will cover over 100,000 hectares and benefit over 50,000 farmers. The approach has already made significant strides in many regions including India, Brazil, and Tanzania, demonstrating the scalability of this approach,” Chester said.
New collaborative project launched in Pakistan to address climate impact & boost agricultural productivity. Click to read more about the Regenerative Production Landscape Collaborative-Pakistan (RPLC-Pakistan) & its innovative strategies:
— WWF-Pakistan (@WWFPak) May 2, 2024
https://t.co/BhAihBXNd0
Speaking at the workshop, Ghulam Muhammad Ali, the Chairman of Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), underscored the project’s potential to enhance crop productivity and income generation for smallholder farmers, while reducing reliance on harmful chemicals. Ali emphasized the need to promote nature-based solutions to reduce the negative impacts of climate change and improve sustainable farming practices, noting that the key problems in crop productivity result from the extensive use of chemicals that harm the ecosystem and soil fertility.
Qadir Baksh Pirkani, Special Secretary Agriculture of the Government of Balochistan, highlighted the province’s agricultural potential and 3.47 million hectares of cultivable land as he stressed the importance of investing in sustainable agricultural practices to mitigate climate-related risks. He committed to supporting sustainable agricultural practices in Balochistan province, which is currently facing several farming challenges emerging from climate change, water scarcity, poor infrastructure, and limited market access.
Asad Imran, Director of Foods and Markets at WWF-Pakistan, outlined the project’s objectives, emphasizing its landscape-based approach to halt and reverse productivity losses caused by land degradation and climate change.
The initiative aims to empower local farmers, particularly women, by engaging them in various interventions and enhancing their income-generating capacity.