:”Plantation of Apple Trees in Kohistan"

Background

Kohistan is a District in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. At present it is composed of a population which is suffering from poverty because their community does not have sustainable livelihood options. The area suffers from significant issues of water retention whilst having issues of illiteracy and skill development. However, the area is also notable for having significant soil development which results in it being suitable for agricultural frameworks. More specifically, the area has the capacity to grow apples in large quantities, which can provide cash crops to the local community. Apples are a common product for food vendors in Pakistan and taking into account the limited forested area in the country, this project addresses key issues that are beneficial for the community: climate change advocacy and adressal through reforestation, sustainable livelihood and agricultural practices, increased technical skill literacy.

Objectives

This project focuses towards the support of the local community by achieving the following objectives:

• To plant at least 1000 apple trees in the Kohistan area
• To advocate for reforestation through awareness walks, debates, initiating awareness campaigns of climate change impact in Kohistan as well as in stakeholder areas such as Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore.
• To address sustainable reforestation and agricultural practices by involving 50 key stakeholders, and 200 community members for maintaining the same practices.

Methodology:

The project will be undertaken in Kohistan. The target population are youth (both make and female) with a further expansion to men and women who are residing in the area.

The baseline survey is focused on the green areas of Kohistan which have been identified by the communities through baseline surveys already conducted by Network for Human and Social Development. This baseline survey has highlighted that the people benefit from the establishment of apple tree farms. Furthermore, the provision of technical training on agricultural practices is also beneficial as there are limited opportunities for the youth in the area to stay at home.

NHSD will train 200 community members and 50 key stakeholders towards the importance of reforestation and agriculture, and furthermore, will advise them towards the plantation practices to ensure that the apple tree saplings are safe and able to reach their fullest form. They will be provided 1000 saplings which they will then plant in the area. The project will monitor them in terms of the number of saplings which were planted, the number of saplings which survived, the establishment of command structures to monitor the health of the saplings to ensure that they grow to the fullest extent, and furthermore with the pre- and post-KAP survey where the community is guided about the importance of forestation. The training portion and the practical portions which will be done as part of this section of the project will focus on the use of AI, locally sourced sensors, and will focus on technology that is easily accessible for the local community whilst also being a stepping stone for future agricultural practices that will benefit the community.

Concurrently alongside these plantations, this project will conduct awareness campaigns which will include walks in designated areas focusing on reforestation and climate change, as well as school debates and also undertaking key stakeholder meetings in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore where the focus will be on agendas of sustainable agriculture, reforestation, climate change and youth empowerment in the agricultural sector.

The project duration is 1 year. The monitoring and evaluation will be undertaken from the moment the project starts with a focus specifically on indicators that benefit the community, that result in increase reforestation, and a substantial benefit generated towards the long term sustainable livelihood of youth and women in the area. This project will utilize community knowledge of the area which will be integrated into ensuring sustainable agricultural and reforestation practices.

Budget:

The budget of this project is USD10000.

Sustainability Plan:

The key stakeholders as well as community leaders who had played a significant role towards ensuring that the project fulfills the requirements of the people will be the priority of this project. At the time of the conclusion of the project the focus will be towards ensuring that the people and their stakeholders have leadership and commitment roles already established through MOUs as well as partnerships and collaborations agreed with national bodies such as universities as well as supply chain management systems. This focus ensures that the community are given priority. The campaign of the importance of the project will also be highlighted on international and national platforms where the work done by the people in this project will be highlighted and the work that has been done by them are provided substantial attention. We will promote a positive image of Pakistan and highlight how the invaluable contributions of the donors has led to the development of this project and the realization of the achievements of this project.