1. Developing Mountain Agriculture
Along the Pak-China Economic Corridor
(GB & Chitral)
Presentation to ???
By Dr. Iftikahr Ahmed
Chainman, PARC
Islamabad 28, 20014

2. Connecting with the Global
Economy

3. Vision
In 2025, the mountain agriculture in GB&C
is knowledge-based and market driven; it is
optimally productive, specialized and
resilient. It is contributing more than USD
30 million to local economy from domestic
marketing and export of high value products,
while also meeting 50% of local food needs

4. Mission Statement
Conduct strategic research on suitable
technologies and generate useable
knowledge for GB&C agriculture to
provide food and livelihood security, and
to develop a dynamic and high value
commercial sector

5. KEY CHALLENEGS
 Research-development disconnect and
limited access to new technology
 Under-developed capacity for context-
specific research
 Small units of production
 Under-development infrastructure,
especially road and air transportation
 Under-developed markets

6. Strategic Framework
Domain Strategic Purpose Scope
Livelihoods and food
security
Promoting wise use of
natural resources, primarily
for self-provisioning
Adaptive research to
increase productivity and
production in food, fodder
and tree crops, livestock and
inland-fisheries
High value commercial
agriculture
Seeking opportunities for
earning cash income and
employment generation
Developing promising cash
crops and agricultural value
chains, based on the
climatic advantage and
market opportunities
Reducing vulnerability Hedging against crop/
market failure & conserving
the regenerative capacity of
natural resource base
Adaptive research on
resilient crops and farming
systems to reduce
vulnerability to climate
change and natural disaters

7. Integrated Area Development Approach
•Fodder/ livestock/ meat
•Seed/ medicinal plants
•Barley/ potatoes
Single
•Almonds/ Walnuts/
•Off-season horticulture
•Wheat/buckwheat
Transitional
•Wheat/Maize/ Vegetables
•Livestock/ dairy
•Mother nurseries
Double

8. Key Interventions
• Context-specific research and
technology transfer
• Gene pool preservation &
development
• Certification regimes
• Institutional development
• Capacity development
• Market Development

9. Context-specific research & technology transfer
 True to type mother nurseries to propagate selected
technologies
 Production of foundational seed for a variety of
food, fodder, vegetable and floriculture crops
 Feeding extension services, through collaboration
with public, commercial, NGO and community
networks in GBC
 Sustainable management of alpine pastures/ range
lands
 R&D on livestock and cold-water fisheries

10. Gene pool preservation & development
 Classification of domestic gene pool of crops, culinary
and medicinal herbs, and animals, which is at the
moment on the verge of extinction
 Classification of interbred breeds /varieties/ types
and off-springs, and their genealogical structure and
their commercial status
 Gene banks of the best indigenous and adapted
varieties and breeds
 Research on biodiversity conservation and knowledge
dissemination in partnership with relevant partners

11. Certification Regimes
Plant quarantine establishment
Phytosanitary certification
systems
Establishment of Mountain
GAP

12. Institutional Development
 Broad-based governance and ownership of R&D
institutions, especially representing provincial
stakeholders
 Institutional linkages with local development
partners and regional and international centres of
excellence are key to remaining ahead of the curve.
 Public, private and community partnerships in
developing high potential agricultural value chains

13. Capacity Development
 Young scientists need to be trained in the
latest research techniques through certified
national and international level training
programs
 Study visits to see good agricultural practices
in China and Europe
 Promoting mountain-specific education in
agriculture through partnerships with local
educational system /KIU

14. Market Development
 Catalyze private sector investment in developing
and upgrading promising agricultural value chains
 Crowding-in of service providers as much as
possible, providing a variety of customized
investment products and services
 Lower the risk for commercial banks to lend to
agriculture, by providing limited guarantees or
topping up their low margins, or both
 Include high value products form GB&C in the
bilateral trade agreement between China and
Pakistan

15. Thank you