Landless Mobile Pastoralists Unit will be established at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the Livestock Dairy Development Department (LDDD), Peshawar.
This was stated by Muhammad Afsar Khan, Secretary Agriculture, Khyber PakhtunKhwa (KPK) while speaking at the concluding session of the three-day Regional Workshop on “Landless Mobile Pastoralists” (LMP) of Northern, Pakistan here at the National Agricultural, Research Centre (NARC).
It is to be noted that the Foundation for Research and Socio-Ecological Harmony (FRESH), for the first time ever, mobilized the largest group of stakeholders here at the National Agriculture Research Centre, who addressed the issues being faced by the landless mobile pastoralists of (KPK). The workshop addressed the marginalization of “Ajarh” pastoralists, the shrinking availability of resources, conflicts of interests with landlords and other stakeholders.
The workshop recommended establishing permanent resting places along their mobility routes, providing appropriate veterinary support, keeping transhumant routes open through community coordination, empowering herders, marketing capacity, conserving their animal genetic resources, creating mobile schools, and establishing community-based organization. In the workshop all concerned departments have confirmed to coordinate at various levels. Speaking on this occasion the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peshawar offered that Pastoralist Research Cell” (PRC) within the Environmental Sciences Department of University will be established soon and fee will be waived off to the children of the “Landless mobile pastoralists” who like to study at the University schools, Further FRESH also announced the creation of a Mobile Pastoralist Forum to coordinate the efforts among all stakeholders. The organizers thanked all the Government Department and NGOs who participated and assisted for organizing the Regional workshop successfully which includes Livestock and Dairy Development Department of KPK, the University of Peshawar, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), the University of Bern and the financial support of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Swiss Agency of Development and Cooperation.
