Agriculture Sector Policy and Strategy - Balochistan.

The primary objective of agriculture policy in Balochistan is to raise incomes and employment of the rural people, while at the same time halting, and eventually reversing, the rapid resource degradation taking place. There is also a need to improve the participation of women and other vulnerable groups in economic and social life and to ensure the food security of the population. Support services are geared towards reaching male farmers, but experience of various projects has demonstrated the dynamism and entrepreneurship of women in Balochistan. The use of known and proven techniques to enhance women's participation such as Women Open Schools, Junior Open Schools, and formation of a women's wing in farmers' organizations, need to be expanded. Given high levels of malnutrition and in particular child stunting, a major national level effort is needed to address some of the underlying factors. MNFSR action should focus on targeted food distribution scheme for the poorest and at-risk sections of the population; a livelihood enhancement programmes of the vulnerable populations in selected food insecurity and malnutrition hotspots, including areas where livelihoods were affected by recent emergencies or disasters; community management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) programme in selected areas to address severe and moderate acute malnutrition; education and awareness building on methods of food preparation, storage and consumption that play a major role in the nutrition, health and well being of the population.
Achieving these policy objectives will require a strong proactive role by Government to create the right institutional, legal and incentive systems to support agriculture to be more efficient and profitable; to halt unsustainable resource use; and increase both the employment opportunities and value added. In the current situation, Government departments are dominated by large numbers of poorly qualified staff with only a small cadre of high quality technical staff. As such, Government is not ready or able to play the role of facilitator of new partnerships to manage resources, or act as promoter of a more efficient and profitable agriculture system. Under the new policy a strong effort will be undertaken to build capacity of the Government to play a new role and work more closely with partners. At the same time complementary efforts will be undertaken with local communities, NGOs and private sector to build their capacity and to overcome current entrenched distrust.
Given the increased variability in extreme weather conditions such as floods and droughts, the Departments of Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, Livestock and Irrigation, in consultation with other stakeholders such as the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and NGOs/CSOs need to develop appropriate strategies for natural calamity related food crises by linking weather patterns, seismology, agriculture productivity, and household food security. A national targeted scheme to ensure that basic food needs of the poor and marginalized population are met, both in terms of overall calorie intake, as well provision of essential micro-nutrients with special focus on women and children, in selected food insecurity and malnutrition hotspots, including areas where livelihoods were affected by recent emergencies or disasters. The livelihood programme will include cash-for-work or food-for-work based on the feasibility for the given areas, and will generate employment to the households for certain period of time through which the households will have enhanced household asset and livelihood opportunities so as to recover to a sustainable food security situation.