PESHAWAR: UNDP Pakistan’s Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Risk Reduction Project (Glof-II project) rolled out a three-day kitchen gardening training for women community members of Mankiyal, Matiltan and Utror valleys of Swat.

A statement issued here said that the initiative aimed to enhance alternative livelihood opportunities and improve financial resilience against Glofs and other climate change-induced risks.

The UNDP Glof-II project in collaboration with the climate change, forestry, environment and wildlife department delivered the training from August 9 to 11.

Facilitated by Non-Timber Forest Products, the session focused on equipping 60 women with essential kitchen gardening skills. The participants also received gardening tools, seeds, pesticides and fertilisers to support their skills.

“Although we have been growing vegetables for years, we used traditional methods that limited our yields. After this training, I’m confident we can produce more vegetables which will not only meet our families’ needs but also allow us to sell the surplus in the market,” said Shamim Bibi, a participant from Matiltan valley.

Alia Naz, a participant from Mankiyal valley, said, “We grow vegetables every year but Glof events and floods wash them away. Sometimes, due to scarcity of water, we often don’t get the required yield. But through this training, we have learned that practices such as crop rotation, sustainable water management, and using organic fertilizers can help mitigate the economic impact of unpredictable Glofs and water shortages.”

UNDP’s Glof-II project works in 16 valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan and eight valleys in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It empowers communities to identify and manage risks associated with Glofs and related impacts of climate change, strengthens public services to lower the risk of disasters related to Glofs, and improves community preparedness and disaster response.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2024