Pakistan is facing daunting challenges of land degradation, desertification and climate change. The agriculture sector being the mainstay of the economy is the most vulnerable sector being impacted by land degradation and climate change developments.
This has necessitated a critical review of sectoral policies like agriculture, water & forests to ensure that the principles and practices of sustainable land management are integrated into policies, development plans and budgetary processes to address these challenges.
The Sustainable Land Management Project of the Ministry of Environment (MoE) is holding a one day National Consultative Workshop on "Review of National Agriculture Policy documents in the context of land degradation, sustainable land management and UNCCD in Pakistan" on June 27, at Margalla Hotel, Islamabad.
The main objective of this workshop is to share findings of the review of National Agriculture Policy documents and recommendations with the key stakeholders. National and provincial level policy makers, planners and experts will participate and share their views on the study conducted under the SLMP.
Dr. Muhammad Afzal, Chairman, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), will be the Chief Guest to inaugurate the workshop. Syed Mahmood Nasir, IGF/UNCCD National Focal Point, Dr. Abdul Salam, Ex-Chairman Pakistan Prices Commission, Dr. M. Mohsin Iqbal, GCISC, Abdul Qadir Rafiq, Assistant Country Director, UNDP and Dr. Amjad Tahir Virk, National Project Co-ordinator, SLMP would be the key speakers at the inaugural session.
It would be followed by a presentation on the findings of the study by Dr. Masood A. Rana and working group discussions for validation of gaps and further refinement of the recommendations. The workshop recommendations related to SLM, NAP & UNCCD will be forwarded to the Ministry of Food & Agriculture and the provinces for integration into their respective policy frameworks.