Agriculture workers prone to facing disasters

Islamabad: The small farmers, agricultural wageworkers and tenants in our rural and agri-based communities are the worst hit and prone to face disasters and rapid climate change and its devastating impacts.

The small farmers, as a result of disturbed rain patterns, early or late wet spells, frequent occurrence of floods and draughts in some cases are in dire need of measures to rebuild and create resilience to respond the climate change phenomenon.

The private sector of the country could play a vital role in not only helping the communities in building resilience but can also create a win-win situation through establishing a reliable and sustainable value chain, especially with regard to various crops.

The observations were shared at a roundtable on ‘Private sector Resilience’ and launching of Resilience Scoping Study organized by Oxfam-Novib Pakistan in collaboration of Indus Consortium on Tuesday. The multi stake holder forum comprising media, academia, research institutions, civil society organisations, private sector and government agreed on the need to engage private sector in the resilience advantaged at the bottom of the pyramid, particularly women.

The study findings emphasised the lack of awareness of the impacts of change on their business disaster and climate.

Speakers pointed out the need for strategic partnership between disadvantaged communities and companies for resilient supply chain for private sector entrepreneurs.

Sharing key findings of private sector resilience scooping study, Sabina Ahmed identified the challenges and difficulties of small farmers and disadvantaged communities relating climate calamites and subsequent impact of extreme weather conditions on lives of tenants and agriculture wageworkers.

“Pakistan’s status as agro-based economy makes it extremely vulnerable to the effects of climate change and Pakistan is at the risk of national disasters of which cyclones, flooding, landslides, earthquake and droughts are the major phenomenon,” said Sabina adding that present study explores the current situation as well as the potential for private sector resilience in selected value chains in Punjab and Sindh.