Daily Times

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), under the USAID-funded project “Livelihood and Food Security Improvement Activity” (LFSA), conducted a Baseline Validation workshop on Wednesday to validate the findings for the project’s targeted areas. The validation workshops are integral parts of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) framework of FAO as they provide practical opportunities for project teams to review, discuss, and validate findings with key stakeholders of the important studies and use the evidence created for setting benchmarks, adaptation, and continuous improvement.

Secretary Agriculture, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Javed Marwat, was chief guest of the workshop. Director Generals (DGs) and other government officials from the line departments of agriculture research, extension, livestock and dairy development, and on-farm water management attended the event. Representatives and staff from USAID Pakistan, UN Women, FAO, and farmers’ representatives from Khyber and Mohmand districts were also part of the event.

Under the said project, FAO, in collaboration with the Government of KP, civil society organizations, the private sector, and all relevant stakeholders, will support 150,000 rural households, including those consisting of women farmers, over a period of four years. At the workshop, the Resilience Index Measurement and Analysis (RIMA) was discussed and validated during different sessions on socio-economic characteristics, food security, agriculture assets, the farming system, marketing enterprises, and value addition analyses. Additionally, the MEAL framework, baseline study objectives, methodology, and sampling techniques were also explained.

Secretary of Agriculture Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Javed Marwat highlighted the importance of the baseline data validation for project implementation through the experts from allied specialized domains. He emphasized that FAO has not only assisted the agriculture department in introducing, implementing, and promoting climate-smart and innovative agricultural interventions but has also assisted the Provincial Government in drafting the first ever Agriculture Policy for KP, Agriculture Action Plans, KP Food Security and Nutrition Policy, and a baseline for the KP Fishery Sector. The project closely aligns with KP government priorities to improve the lives of the farming communities, he added.

Stephen Berlinguette, the USAID Pakistan Deputy Director on CSG, while addressing the audience, said that the US Government and Pakistan had worked together for almost 75 years on issues of bilateral interest, including energy, economic growth, peace-building, health, and education; and the work of USAID Pakistan had directly supported the country’s development aspirations, as outlined in the Pakistan Vision 2025 contributing towards a sustainable, self-reliant, and prosperous Pakistan. And through the LFSA project, USAID Pakistan would love to see enhanced productivity of crops and livestock; and make the Newly Merged Districts (NMDs) of KP a more prosperous, food secure, and economically vibrant region of the province.