Kitchen gardening training arranged for Swat women

MINGORA: UNDP Pakistan’s Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) Risk Reduction Project (GLOF-II Project) rolled out a three-day kitchen gardening training for women community members of Mankiyal, Matiltan, and Utror valleys in Swat district.

This initiative was aimed at enhancing alternative livelihood opportunities and improving financial resilience against Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and other climate change-induced risks.

From August 9th to 11th 2024, UNDP GLOF-II Project in collaboration with the Climate Change, Forestry Environment & Wildlife Department imparted the training.

Facilitated by non-timber forest products, the session focused on equipping 60 women with essential kitchen gardening skills. Participants also received gardening tools, seeds, pesticides and fertilisers to support their skills.

“Although we have been growing vegetables for years, we used traditional methods that limited our yields. After this training, I am confident we can produce more vegetables which will not only meet our families’ needs but also allow us to sell the surplus in the market,” said Shamim Bibi , a participant from Matiltan valley of Swat.

Alia Naz, a participant from Mankiyal valley said: “We grow vegetables every year but GLOF events and floods wash them away. Sometimes, due to the scarcity of water, we often don’t get the required yield. But through this training, we have learned that practices such as crop rotation, sustainable water management, and using organic fertilizers can help mitigate the economic impact of unpredictable GLOFs and water shortages.”

UNDP’s GLOF-II Project works in 16 valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and eight valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It empowers communities to identify and manage risks associated with GLOFs and related impacts of climate change, strengthens public services to lower the risk of disasters related to GLOFs, and improves community preparedness and disaster response.