Better resource management must to combat desertification

HYDERABAD: Increasing desertification is a major threat to food security and natural resources, pushing the communities to vulnerability in affected areas, speakers pointed out on Thursday.

They were talking at a national seminar on "Combating Desertification in Pakistan", jointly organised by Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam and Sustainable Land Management Programme (SLMP) at the university campus.

The programme attracted a large number of development organisations, farmers, faculty members and students. Though there is no exact data, hundreds of acres have been abandoned due to infertility and people migrated to urban centres in search of better living.   

Ishrat Ali, joint secretary, Ministry of Climate Change and SLMP's national project director, urged for collaboration between relevant organisations to combat desertification in the country. “Solution to this problem lies in sustainable management of land through judicious use of natural resources,” he said.     

SAU vice chancellor Prof Dr Mujeeb-ud-Din Memon appreciated SLMP for their efforts in combating desertification in 14 districts across the provinces, including districts Thar, Umerkot and Sanghar in Sindh.

SLMP national programme coordinator Hamid Marwat briefed the audience about SLMP approaches and interventions for better land management in Pakistan. "The implementation of the programme will bring considerable financial benefits for the poor dryland communities through the sustainable management of their resources,” he added.

SLMP is striving to achieve the long-term goal of combating land degradation and desertification in Pakistan to promote sustainable management of natural resources, restore degraded ecosystems, reduce poverty, and increase resilience to climate change.

Pakistan is signatory to United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). In order to meet the objectives of the convention, the government with support from UNDP and Global Environment Facility (GEF) is implementing the second phase of the SLMP-II in 14 dryland districts of all four provinces.

Representatives of various development organisations, hailing from Tharparkar, Umerkot, Dadu and other parts of the province, shared issues, their intervention and success stories. They emphasised the need to strengthen collaboration at all levels, focusing on the issues of droughts, wind erosion, sea erosion and causes of increasing desertification in the agriculture areas.

Akbar Ali Rahimoo, executive director, Aware, gave a detailed presentation the three year cycle of droughts in Thar, and the impacts on communities, mainly farmers and herders. He said wind frequency disturbed the fertile layer of soil, which causes problems. He suggested mechanisms to help people use natural resources in a better way.

Prof Ismail Kumbhar, a focal person of SAU and leading researcher, conducted the session and shared the status of increasing desertification in different areas. Dr Abdullah Sethar, teaching in Benazir Bhutto University of Animal Husbandry Sciences in Sakrand, talked about the holistic approach of land management, agriculture and livestock. He discussed the success stories from Africa and said Pakistan should study these examples to avoid threats to food security, lessen effects of poverty and save source of livelihoods.

Prof Inayat Rajpar, chairman, Soil Sciences Department at SAU, said wide areas were turning into desert due to various climatic factors. Citing examples from other countries, he said it was possible to establish desert gardens and sheltered beds to avoid the effects of wind erosion and utilise the land for vegetable farming and agriculture. He briefed the audience about desertification, its causes, impacts and how Pakistan could combat this problem.