Swat: Participants of an international conference in Swat have called on the government to take urgent measures to protect mountain agriculture from the growing threats of climate change.
The demand was made during the concluding session of the three-day International Conference on “Climate Change and Agriculture in Mountainous Regions,” held in Kanju Township and organised by the University of Agriculture Swat. The event brought together agricultural experts, researchers, university faculty, students, government officials, representatives of non-governmental organisations, and local farmers from Pakistan, Australia, China, Afghanistan, and other countries.
Speakers stressed the need for farmer training programmes, the introduction of new crop varieties, and the adoption of climate-resilient agricultural methods to help farmers adapt to changing weather patterns.
Highlighting the vulnerability of mountainous regions in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — including Swat, Dir, Chitral, and Shangla — they noted that these areas face unique challenges due to their reliance on rain-fed agriculture, limited arable land, and traditional farming practices.
Experts pointed out that Pakistan is among the top 10 countries most affected by climate change, with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts, flooding, and declining soil fertility threatening nearly 65% of the country’s land used for agriculture.
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