Persons with disabilities have the same rights to participate in rural life as anyone, but they aren’t always able to exercise these rights. This isn’t just a missed opportunity for them – it’s a loss for entire rural communities, societies and economies. What we call a “disability” emerges from the enduring...

This editorial frames resilience and resistance as intertwined forces driving systemic transformation in food systems and beyond. It highlights how grassroots movements across diverse contexts—including Palestine, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Germany, Brazil, Nicaragua, Kenya, Canada, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Colombia—defend territories, seeds, and ecosystems while advancing food sovereignty, agroecology, and care-centered practices....

In this Good Practices Note, Tanya and Syed Qaisar share the strategies that enabled the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) effectively reach farmers, chakkis (small flour mills), and consumers with Biofortified Zinc Wheat (BZW) in Pakistan’s Punjab province. CONTEXT  Pakistan faces triple burden of malnutrition—the coexistence of undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and...

This document provides general and technical information about the province of Balochistan, focusing on its geography, political context, economic relevance of agriculture, people, agriculture, and livelihoods. It also discusses the role of women and youth in agriculture, food security, nutrition, health, agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and agroecological zones.The...

This special issue of Nomadic Peoples, Vol. 29, Issue 1 on 'Pastoral resilience and transformation in the Hindu Kush Himalaya' examines how pastoralism in the HKH region has evolved over the last three to four decades. It sheds light on the vulnerabilities and resilience of pastoral societies in the context of the...

The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region, spanning 4.3 million square kilometres across eight countries, is home to vast rangelands that support diverse ecosystems and human communities. These rangelands, covering about 60% of the region, are integral to four global biodiversity hotspots and provide essential ecosystem services to over 1.3 billion...

Mountain pastoralism is at risk of extinction due to changing socio-economic contexts. Though animal husbandry in mountainous area is one of the oldest economically valuable traditions and practices, herders are gradually shifting towards other occupations due to higher opportunities for income generation. High mortality rate of livestock is one of...

Yasmeen, a 44-year-old resident of Sultanabad, Gilgit, Pakistan lives with her family of five. Due to family commitments, she was unable to work full time despite graduating with a college degree. She practiced traditional vegetable farming but the yield was too low to sell in local markets and barely met...

Danyore is a peaceful valley where farming is the primary source of livelihood for most families. For years, farmers worked hard on their land, yet production remained low, and incomes were barely enough to meet household needs. Despite their dedication, progress was limited, and many families struggled to move beyond...

ICARDA launched Pakistan’s first-ever Community-Based Goat Breeding Program (CBBP), a science-based, locally-led initiative designed to improve the productivity and resilience of smallholder farmers in goat breeding.

The consumption of unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable diets is a major societal challenge because of its impacts on human health and the environment. The adoption of micronutrient-rich diets with relatively low pressure on natural resources is an important development target at the intersection between sustainability and public health goals. Pulses are known for being...

This Country Gender Assessment of the Agriculture and Rural Sectors (CGA-ARS) in Pakistan identifies several gaps, challenges, priorities, and opportunities related to gender equality and rural women’s empowerment. It offers an evidence-informed analysis of rural women’s experiences, challenges and opportunities in the context of sociocultural norms and gendered power dynamics...

The earth is warming, and the frequency of extreme weather events have been rapidly growing globally with unprecedented consequences to farming communities. In principle, weather and climate information services (WCIS) can help farmers better manage their activities and farm level outcomes by supporting their decision-making with relevant and usable information...

The Regional Drought Monitoring and Outlook System (RDMOS) is an operational service which produces reliable drought indicators for the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region with a specific focus on Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan. The system incorporates climatic models with suitable Earth observation data and land surface models to produce...

Global Organic Agricultural Innovations covers major innovations and research in organic agriculture from 18 countries and areas around the world. This edition showcases the diversity and robustness of the growth of organic agriculture around the world. More than seventy innovators and researchers contribute to this edition which covers themes from climate...

In 2023, the CGIAR Research Initiative on Transforming Agrifood Systems in South Asia (TAFSSA) addressed the nexus of poverty, social inequities, malnutrition, environmental degradation, and climate change through research and innovation. Collaborating with 10 CGIAR Research Initiatives, engaging with five bilateral projects aligned with Initiative goals, and partnering with two...

Pakistan is the fifth largest sugarcane producer in the world with an annual production of 81 million tonnes sown on an area of 1,040 thousand hectares. Small-scale farmers account for around 64 percent of sugarcane cultivation but they face multiple challenges including the high cost of inputs, water scarcity, non-availability...

Flash droughts are abrupt and rapid intensification of droughts that affect agriculture, water, and ecosystems and are commonplace in South Asia. Despite their potential impact, flash drought evolution characteristics and underlying mechanisms in South Asia remain underexplored. We use a multivariate approach to analyze the onset speed, frequency, severity, duration,...

This article describes the construction of the Luenberger soil quality indicator (SQI) using data on crop yield, non-soil inputs, and soil profile from three irrigated agroecological zones of Punjab, Pakistan, namely, rice–wheat, maize–wheat–mix, and cotton–mix zones. Plot level data are used to construct a soil quality indicator by estimating directional...

An assessment of seven innovation case studies in Pakistan in 2022 found that agriculture innovation systems show limited collaboration and networking, and a supply-driven rather than market driven approach to innovation. This limits the potential for scaling innovations such as the ‘Super Seeder’, a machine that sows wheat directly in...