The Government of Punjab has announced a climate-resilient agriculture project of £300,000 (12months) for dry desert areas of Cholistan and Thal that will foster climate change adaptation among farmers.
The pilot project is designed to insulate farming communities from climate shocks and reduce their exposure to climate extremes and help build forward-looking farmer resilience in Pakistan’s vulnerable desert ecosystems.
Principal Aspects of the Venture
Project Scope & Duration: A 12 month targeted pilot project for climate adaptation in desert agriculture.
Provides proposed approaches to crop insurance and financial resilience to support farmers through crop losses and shocks that will result from climate change.
Core Framework: Merges methods for crop adaptation, digital farming advisory systems, early warning systems, up-to-date market access, and an integrated set of insurance systems.
Collaborative Stakeholders & Implementation
The multi-sectoral project engages the major government agencies, technical experts and private partners:
Lead Government Partners: Planning & Development Department Punjab, Agriculture Department, and Environment Department, Punjab.
Implementation Agency: Punjab Agriculture Department.
Technical Lead: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).
Farmers and other actors from the beginning will be involved in a practical approach of field demonstrations on best practices of climate-smart farming.
Private Sector & Civil Society: Private businesses will be responsible for market access, value chain strengthening and value addition, while civil society and research organizations will lead community mobilization and evidence development.
Project Roadmap
The 1-year project timeline includes clear milestones, including the last two months for validation, institutional engagement, and the development of a scaling-up plan for multiple rollouts across arid areas in Punjab.