Pathways to strengthening capabilities: A case for the adoption of climate-smart agriculture in Pakistan

Abstract

Pakistan has an agro-based economy with a high dependency on the sector, contributing 19.2% to the country’s GDP. The country’s geographical position makes agriculture highly vulnerable to climate change as it frequently faces periods of extreme weather events-flooding, droughts, and heatwaves. Due to growing environmental issues and institutional incapacities, there is an observed trend of urbanisation and depleting natural resources. Changes in land use and water scarcity cause reduced productivity and compromised economic growth. The country needs to adopt Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) as an adaptation measure against climate change. CSA is an approach to adopting agricultural systems strategies to minimise climate impacts and preserve natural resources. This study explores the intervention that enhanced the capabilities of provincial agriculture service-delivery organisations in the adoption of CSA. It produced a country-specific CSA resource kit and delivered training for agriculture extension officers and frontline government officers in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. The Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) jointly delivered the project in line with the broader mission of research support, building government capacities and suggesting science-based response strategies as adaptation measures. The project experience highly recommends the adoption of CSA in Pakistan.