Country Table Activities for Research-Policy Engagement and Research into Use Across PRISE and Hi-AWARE Consortia in Pakistan

Country Table Activities for Research-Policy Engagement and Research into Use Across PRISE and Hi-AWARE Consortia in Pakistan

Partners: IDRC, SDPI, NARC, Lead Pakistan, and ICIMOD

Location: Semi-arid areas and highlands of Pakistan

Time frame: October 2016 - December 2017

Team Members:  Kashif Majeed Salik, Ayesha Amjad, Dr. Imran Saqib Khalid

Introduction: Climate change is affecting millions of poor people particularly in glacial and snow-packed dependent river basins as well as semi-arid plains of Pakistan. Future projections for Pakistan under business as usual scenarios predicts scarce water resources, reduced crop yields, and ecosystem degradation, which will ultimately impact businesses, public health, land use patterns and infrastructures. These threats are becoming apparent and are evident from recent episodes of extreme floods, droughts and variations in temperature and rainfall patterns which induce migration and conflict, and resulted into economic and financial losses (e.g. losses to agriculture, livestock, and energy sector declines in industrial productivity). Pathways to Resilience in Semi-arid Economies (PRISE), and Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience Research (HI-AWARE) consortia in Pakistan are carrying out an extensive research to advance theoretical and practical knowledge of climate resilience and adaptation in the mountains and semi-arid areas of Indus plain. These research programmes will enhance demand-driven research to understand the impact of climate change on economic development, to increase the climate resilience and adaptive capacities of the most vulnerable and to influence policy and practice that will improve their livelihoods

Objectives: The project aims to achieve the following objectives:

To assess the migration patterns and linkages in terms of resilience and vulnerabilities
To create an understanding of the political economy of water management in Pakistan
To apply the Research into Use strategy and develop communication plans between the partners.
Project Status: The initial workplan has been developed and the partner organizations are currently working on approaches for collation of methodologies. For more information: Ayesha Qaisrani, Research Associate ayesha-qaisrani@sdpi.org