PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has prepared a policy to transform mountainous agricultural areas across the province into sustainable and climate-resilient regions to ensure food security and uplift livelihoods.

The proposed Mountain Agriculture Policy will be sent to the chief minister for approval before being placed in a cabinet meeting for consent, , according to officials.

The 54-page policy, prepared by the agriculture department and the first of its kind, said that the mountain, which covered over 60 per cent of province’s area and had received little attention with most of the population engaging in subsistence farming as over 90 per cent of population engaged in farming livestock rearing.

It added that the mountainous parts of KP were well-suited for growing high-value crops of apples, cherries, nuts and persimmons and off-season vegetables that fetched a very high price in the market.

Mountain Agriculture Policy to be laid before cabinet after CM’s nod

The draft said the policy would focus on climate risk management in mountain agriculture to ensure resilience, sustainably and adaptation to climate variability and extremes. It will also ensure measures to enhance agricultural production with focus on mountain specific and climate resilient best framing practices, effective management of soil and water conservation through innovation and technology, sustainable development of livestock and fisheries through resource management, climate-resilient practices, value addition and promotion of modern tools and techniques for agro-forestry and reduction in post-harvest losses.

The policy also promises the establishment of a mountain agriculture board to ensure effective coordination with other stakeholders involved in mountain agriculture. The eight-member board will be headed by the minister for agriculture.

The draft policy is also meant to focus on several development areas including climate resilience, research for mountain agro-ecological zones, crop prioritisation, soil and water conservation and management, and integrated livestock development to increase the resilience farming system and increase agriculture productivity.

“To ensure climate resilience of mountain agriculture, this policy will focus on supporting farmers and communities in adapting to new challenges, and promoting sustainable climate resilient agricultural practices. In order to better understand the area specific vulnerabilities and risks a complete study on multi hazard risk assessment will be conducted under this policy,” read the document.

Regarding research, the policy said that the University of Agriculture, Swat, placed in the northern part of the province and formerly declared as varsity on mountain agriculture would be strengthened to work on areas specified for mountain agricultural advancement.

“As a hub of agricultural education and research, it will design programs to work on all the relevant areas,” it said.

Under the crop prioritisation, the most economical crops and fruits currently under cultivation, as well as those with high potential and market demand such as saffron will be introduced and promoted in climate-suited regions. Also, high-potential crops will be identified through a participatory approach involving farmers, researchers, extension workers and market players, according to it.

In order to ensure soil conservation and management, the policy underlined emphasis on environment friendly practices to maintain soil health, moisture conservation and biodiversity preservation, and water conservation and management.

It also focused on the improvement of integrated livestock development and sustainable mountain fisheries and aquaculture, as well as on collaboration with microfinance institutions, such as the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited or any other bank, to provide agri-loans to smallholders at low interest rates and easy installments.

The policy also provided for value chain development to reduce post-harvest losses in mountain areas which currently range between 20 to 40pc for fruit and vegetables, amounting to Rs12 billion per annum.

“A systemic approach will be adopted to minimize losses through timely harvesting of crops, training on best practices in produce handling, and other relevant interventions. Farm-level interventions such as small solar dryers and appropriate packaging will also be introduced through developmental interventions to maintain quality and safe transportation,” the document read.

The goals outlined in the document have been divided into three stages: short, medium and long-term goals, with short-term ones to be achieved in one to four years, medium-term from one to five years and long-term ones from two to five years.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2025