WIT Organises Validation Workshop on 'Provincial Agriculture Disaster Risk Management Operational Plan' In Punjab

The Centre for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT), LUMS, in support with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Department of Agriculture, Punjab, has been engaged in developing the Provincial Agriculture Disaster Risk Management Plan and its implementation guidelines (ADRMOP) for Punjab. Currently, a draft has been developed after incorporating the input and suggestions of experts. To validate its findings a day-long workshop was held on April 4, 2019, under the supervision of Dr. Mahmood Ahmed; the LUMS team included, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad and Dr. Sanval Nasim.

The main agenda that WIT, with the support of Department of Agriculture had was to organise a consultation forum for stakeholders to provide a detailed multistep consultation process involving all departments — government officials, farmers, traders, NGOs and the private sector. Among prominent participants were Dr. Zamir Soomroo (PCRWR), Sana Khalid (Agriculture Department), Mr. Habib Ullah Bodla (Planning and Development Department), and Sohaib Anwar (WWF).

The objective of the group was to review the comprehensive Agriculture Disaster Risk Management Operational plans and propose implementation structures and guidelines for the province. An enthusiastic participation of approximately 15+ representatives was witnessed from not only the social sector but also academia, industrial, public and welfare sectors from all over Pakistan.

The validation workshop provided a summary of the major findings of the ADRMOP and invited participants to give feedback on the accuracy and relevancy of the information. The validation of identified and prioritised major problem areas and possible interventions were also part of the agenda.