The RPLC Pakistan project, with support from both the textile and food industries, is set to be implemented in the Jhang and Sahiwal districts of Punjab and Barkhan and Lasbela districts of Balochistan.
The duo explained that this initiative offers a demonstrable approach to landscapes that has already seen success in India, Brazil, and Tanzania.
RPLC has been described as an innovative jurisdictional model to foster agricultural ecosystems which conserve and enhance natural resources and build community resilience whilst enabling businesses to source responsibly.
The collaboratives aim to catalyse and scale a model where:
- Producers grow agri-commodities using natural and regenerative farming principles that restore natural resources and reduce emissions from farming systems
- Smallholder farmers and communities thrive through improved economic stability, enhanced livelihoods and greater participation in decision-making
- Businesses can source responsibly while creating inclusive supply chain relationships
Speaking at the launch event, Hammad Naqi Khan, director general at WWF-Pakistan shared that the initiative addresses the long-term challenges of unsustainable agricultural practices in Pakistan.
He highlighted that agriculture faced major issues of excessive use of water, chemicals and pesticides impacting the crop and soil productivity which is further aggravated by climate change, noting that this has led to increasing vulnerabilities of local communities and smallholder farmers.
"To address these challenges, this initiative will enhance collaborative actions and develop innovative strategies which help farmers to develop climate resilience and improve the agricultural yield," he added.
Anita Chester, head of the fashion programme at Laudes Foundation said: "We are confident in the leadership of WWF-Pakistan in driving the collaborative forward, fostering collaborations with regional players, supporting local farmers and communities to becoming self-sufficient and financially independent and galvanising communities towards better practices enabling businesses to source responsibly.
"Today the RPLC is planned to cover globally, over 1 million hectares and over 300,000 farmers. In Pakistan specifically this will cover over 100,000 hectares and benefit over 50,000 farmers in regions such as Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. The approach has already made significant strides in many regions including India, Brazil, and Tanzania, demonstrating the scalability of this approach."
Recently, denim manufacturer AGI Denim launched a new regenerative cotton farm initiative to promote sustainable agriculture and environmental responsibility in cotton farms across Pakistan.
