Casa Arabe is committed to being a meeting point between Spain and the Arab world
uae6 hours ago
The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors recently approved $200 million in financing to support Pakistan in transforming the agricultural sector by adopting climate-smart technologies to improve water-use efficiency, build resilience to extreme weather events and increase incomes of small farmers. The agricultural sector in Punjab is central to the Pakistan’s economy and food security as it accounts for 73 per cent of the country’s total food production.
The Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation Project (PRIAT) will increase agricultural productivity through efficient and equitable access to water for small farms. It will support farmers at the community and household levels to adopt climate-smart farming practices and technologies that improve crop yields and conserve water resources in Punjab, according to a press release issued by the World Bank.
“In recent years Pakistan’s agriculture sector has suffered from losses in crop yields and livestock, damage to irrigation infrastructure, and food shortages due to climate change, particularly severe droughts in the Punjab province,” said Najy Benhassine, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. “This project aligns with the Punjab Agriculture Policy 2018, which promotes massive expansion of water conservation efforts, enhancing sustainability and resilience in the wake of climate change, and private sector participation to help boost the productivity of the sector.”
PRIAT will support farmers implement innovative, climate-smart technologies to help the Punjab government achieve economies of scale to transform the agricultural sector. The project will engage the private sector in sourcing appropriate technologies and providing training tailored for water user associations and individual households to improve water conservation practices and agriculture productivity.
“The agriculture sector has a huge opportunity to both build climate resilience and improve economic conditions by generating access to domestic and inter¬national markets,” said Guo Li, Task Team Leader for the project. “PRIAT will help accelerate the government’s efforts to transform the agri-food system through market-oriented production activities that add value, increase competitiveness and generate higher incomes for farmers.”
The project will benefit about 190,000 small, family-owned farms and 1.4 million acres of irrigated land in rural communities in the province. It will also provide training to small- and medium-sized farm owners on water conservation and more sustainable, climate-resilient agricultural practices, including for women. About 74 per cent of women in the province rely on agriculture as a source of livelihood.
Pakistan has been a member of the World Bank since 1950. Since then, the World Bank has provided $40 billion in assistance. The World Bank’s programme in Pakistan is governed by the Country Partnership Strategy for FY2015-2020 with four priority areas of engagement: energy, private sector development, inclusion, and service delivery. The current portfolio has 60 projects and a total commitment of $14.2 billion.
— ali@khaleejtimes.com
Casa Arabe is committed to being a meeting point between Spain and the Arab world
uae6 hours ago
From stocking up essentials to ensuring safety of vehicles and properties, they take no chances
uae6 hours ago
The UAE face a tricky challenge on Friday in what could be a rain-interrupted qualifying game against Vanuatu
cricket6 hours ago
The daughter of Sheikh Mohammed married Sheikh Mana in a grand ceremony last year
uae6 hours ago
Authorities also apprehended 179 suspects across 196 operations worldwide
crime7 hours ago
The mission titled ICUBE-Q will be launched on board China's Chang'E6 from Hainan
world8 hours ago
Notable Speech and Tarifa lead an army of contenders in major Classic contests at Newmarket, England and Churchill Downs, America
sports8 hours ago
GCSE and A level board exams take place over several weeks in April, May and June for thousands of students across the world
education8 hours ago