WIT and FAO Holds Validation Workshop in Sindh

Centre for Water Informatics and Technology (WIT) at LUMS in support with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and in close coordination with the Department of Agriculture Punjab have been engaged in developing a Provincial Agriculture Disaster Risk Management Operational Plan and its Implementation guidelines (ADRMOP) for Sindh province. Currently, the draft ADRMOP document has been developed after incorporating the input and suggestions from experts. To validate its findings a day-long Validation Workshop was held on March 12, 2019, under the supervision of Dr. Mahmood Ahmed; the LUMS team included, Dr. Abubakar Muhammad, Director WIT, and Dr. Sanval Nasim, Assistant Professor, Mushtaq Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS).

The main agenda that the WIT Centre and the Department of Agriculture had on mind was to organise a consultation forum for stakeholders, which would provide them with a platform for detailed multistep consultation process involving all departments; government officials, farmers, traders, NGOs and the private sector. Among prominent participants were; Muhammad Junman, Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Dr. Shereen Mustafa, Planning and Development Department, Dr. Ghulam Murtaza, PCRWR, and Dr. Attatullah Khan.

The process of the validation workshop provided a clear perspective regarding;

• Presenting a summary of the major findings of the ADRMOP
• Get feedback from the participants on the accuracy and relevancy of the information
• Validation of Identified and prioritised major problem areas and possible interventions.

The objective of the group was to review a comprehensive Agriculture Disaster Risk Management Operational plan 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.