Farmer-Led Initiatives for Rehabilitation of Degraded

Lands in Arid and Semi-arid Region of Indus River Basin

in Southern Pakistan

Adaptation policies and actions towards enhanced climate resilience of

affected populations in Asian River Basins
Bogor, Indonesia (April 29-30, 2015)

Sahibzada Irfanullah Khan

Sustainable Land Management Programme (SLMP)
Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan
 Drylands Ecosystem and Services

The Ecosystem

• Sub-tropical Arid and semi-arid climatic condition

(aridity index between 0.05 & 0.65)
• Scanty / uncertain rainfall (<350 mm annual)
• High temperature (46 C), strong winds
• High Poverty rate with high dependence on
natural resources

Services

• Food and products – Farmlands (19%))

• Livestock and dairy products - Pasture lands (79%)
• Timber and fuelwood – Forest (2%)
• Others (Medicinal herbs, fibers, honey, minerals)
Types of Drought & Their Impact
Types of Drought & Their Impact
 The Resilience Issue & its Significance

• Disturbance in rainfall and temperature patterns

(uncertain and erratic rains, extreme temperatures)
• Heavy wind and dust storms, shifting sand dunes

The impact
• Farmers find it difficult to cultivate lands for food
• More reliance on livestock, more pressure on
pastures
• Reduced regeneration capacity, desertification
• Undermining of the livelihood base, migration
Overall significance
• Drylands cover appr. 40% of earth’s surface,
with more than 3 billion population
• In Pakistan, more than 60% of the country
receiving less than 250 mm of annual rainfall,
affecting the lives of over 30 million people.
 Pastures Forest
(79%) (2%)
Uncertain rains
Deforestation
Desertification
Extreme temps.

Windstorms

Community

Govt. Deptts. Research Instns.

Farms
(21%)
Abandoning
 Building resilience in dryland ecosystem

OBJECTIVES

• Building the resilience capacity of farmers by educating in

dryland rehabilitation methodologies that are economically
viable, socially acceptable and ecologically suitable.
• Engage research institutions, govt. departments and civil
society organizations in mutually facilitating planning and
implementation model.
• Deviating the focus from single sector development to an
integrated adaptation approach involving feed-food-energy-
water sectors
• Generate easy-to-use and easy-to-access technical
solutions for local and national policy makers to address the
needs of resilience building
 Methodologies and Outputs

PROCESSES ACTORS

Gentle Slopes Research institutions

Hillside Ditches Pakistan Forest Institute
OUTPUTS
Peshawar University of
Sand Dune Stabilization Agriculture
Saccharum spontaneum Education
application Technology
Govt departments development
Moderate Slopes District Forest Departmt. Capacity building
Conservation Contour Deptt of Rangeland Mgt. Case studies
Trenches Agriculture Department Field guides
Workshop reports
Steep Slopes Documentary
Civil Society
Eyebrow pits
Community based
organizations of 12
Plain Area villages
Roaded Catchments Local NGO
Gentle Slopes (Silvopastures)
Gentle Slopes (Silvopastures)
 Gentle Slopes (Silvopastures)

Efficiency in growth (after 6 years)

S# Parameter Species Research plot Control

1 Average Acacia albida 20 centimeters 8 cm

diameter
Acacia nilotica 15 centimeters 6.5 cm
2 Average height Acacia albida 6 meters 2.8 m
Acacia nilotica 5 meters 2.1m
3 Av. no. of trees Overall 218 numbers 14 no.
surviving /
ha.
4 Av vegetation Overall 45 % 12.5%
soil cover
 Gentle Slopes (Silvopastures)

Soil improvement

S# Parameters Control Treated

plot plot
1 Organic mater (%) 0.65 1.01
2 Total nitrogen (%) 0.13 0.20
3 Phosphorus (mg / kg) 3.05 3.14
4 Potassium (mg / kg) 155.13 114.1
5 Electric conductivity (d S/m) 0.10 0.13
6 Lime content (%) 6.96 6.75
7 pH (1:5) 8.29 8.38
 Gentle Slopes (Silvopastures)

Economics Aspects

Rehabilitation on 1 ha. of land costs Rs. 4,900 (US$ 82) on

the whole, where as cost of departmental afforestation on
same area is more than Rs. 19,800 (>US$ 330).
The sand dunes
 The sand dunes

Economic Analysis / acre

60000

50000

40000
Canola
30000 Gram
Saccharum
20000

10000

0
Annual cost Annual income Net profit
Moderate Slopes

Conservation Contour
Trenches
Steep slopes

Eyebrow Pits
 Plain areas

Roaded Catchments
 Conclusions

• Communities, although, have their indigenous coping

strategies but always need to be educated on new
techniques and innovative approaches for resilience.

• New technologies must be developed and put to

practice jointly with communities, and must be less
expensive, easy to implement and locally developed.

• Government departments and research institutions

have important role to play in providing technical
solutions. Synergies must be developed among
departments and farmers.

• Communities have limited resources. To reduce the

risk factor, linkages should be developed with financial
sources. Training may be provided in local finance
management