TOBA TEK SINGH: US Ambassador Donald Blome inaugurated on Monday a new five-year Climate-Smart Agriculture programme launched at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

The US-funded initiative is designed to equip Pakistani farmers with innovative tools and practices to adapt to the impact of climate change. The US has previously supported the establishment of a Centre for Advanced Studies in Agriculture at the UAF.

Consul General Kristin Hawkins, USAID Mission Director Kate Somvongsiri and UAF VC Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan joined Ambassador Blome for the launch event, along with Pakistani representatives from government, academia, and the agribusiness community.

This programme builds on the longstanding partnership between the US and Pakistan in agriculture, exemplified by the groundbreaking work of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr Norman Borlaug, whose efforts in the 1960s significantly boosted wheat production in Pakistan.

“Through this initiative, the US and Pakistan will collaborate to improve both crop yields and farmers’ livelihoods,” Ambassador Blome said.

For over 60 years, the US and Pakistan have worked closely to strengthen agricultural output while promoting environmental conservation. Ambassador Blome emphasised, “Through projects like these, the US is supporting a brighter, more prosperous, and climate-resilient future for the Pakistani people.”

Dr Muhammad Sarwar Khan said that the initiative will prove a hallmark to promote climate smart agriculture. He said that in 60s, Washington State University (WSU) sent a team of professors who stayed here in Faisalabad for 10 years and developed the UAF.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024