IFAD / WATER DAY PAKISTAN
21-Mar-2023
00:04:19
A new water infrastructure network in Northern Pakistan has transformed the lives of the people living there. In spite of record hot temperatures, some small- scale farmers in the region have seen their crop yields dramatically increase in the last year thanks to the new project. IFAD
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STORY: IFAD / WATER DAY PAKISTAN
TRT: 4:19
SOURCE: IFAD
RESTRICTIONS: EMBARGOED TILL 00:01 GMT 20TH MARCH 2023
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / URDU / SHINA / NATS
DATELLINE: 20 MARCH 2023 AND JULY 2022, GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN
TRT: 4:19
SOURCE: IFAD
RESTRICTIONS: EMBARGOED TILL 00:01 GMT 20TH MARCH 2023
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / URDU / SHINA / NATS
DATELLINE: 20 MARCH 2023 AND JULY 2022, GILGIT-BALTISTAN, PAKISTAN
SHOTLIST
JULY 2022 - KHARFAQ VILLAGE, GHANCHE DISTRICT
1. Aerial shot, Kharfaq valley
2. Aerial shot, irrigation channel in the rock.
3. Aerial shot, stream coming down mountainside
4. Close up, irrigation channel
5. Aerial shot, irrigation channel cut into rock.
6. Close up, irrigation channel
7. Wide shot, lush green fields in valley
8. Various shots, women picking vegetables in the fields.
9. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The prosperity we have seen in ou rvillage due to the construction of this channel is indescribable.”
10. Aerial shot, unplanted and planted fields.
11. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“After the completion of this channel last year each household cultivated 2 kanals (2/8th acre), which provided an extra income of approximately 600kg of wheat, potatoes and other crop.”
12. Close up, farmer tilling his land.
13. wide shot of farmers working on their land.
20 MARCH 2023, IFAD Office in Pakistan
14.SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Firstly, this region is highly mountainous with only 2 percent of land area being considered as arable and secondly, it’s an arid and semi-arid agro climate condition, where cultivation is only possible if there is aggregation water available.”
15. Various shots, workers constructing the irrigation channels
JULY 2022 - KHARFAQ VILLAGE, GHANCHE DISTRICT
16. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The water channel was actually a dream for our ancestors and the food security issue of the village.”
17. Close up, irrigation channel
18. Aerial shot, the mountains
19. Various shots, farmers harvesting fruit
20. Aerial shot, the fields
21. Close up, Farmer tying straw
22. SOUNDBITE (Shina) Sherzaman, Farmer:
“It has benefitted us a lot we cultivated fodder for our livestock, wheat and maize for our annual consumption.”
23. Wide shot, village
24. Wide shot, woman picking tomatoes
25. Wide shot, tomatoes drying out in the sun.
20 MARCH 2023, IFAD Office in Pakistan
14.SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Against a target of 50,000 acres today, more than 44,000 acres have already been brought under cultivation by building channels, sourcing water from glaciers, but also diverting from streams and rivers in the valley.”
15. Wide shot, Farmers picking tomatoes.
1. Aerial shot, Kharfaq valley
2. Aerial shot, irrigation channel in the rock.
3. Aerial shot, stream coming down mountainside
4. Close up, irrigation channel
5. Aerial shot, irrigation channel cut into rock.
6. Close up, irrigation channel
7. Wide shot, lush green fields in valley
8. Various shots, women picking vegetables in the fields.
9. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The prosperity we have seen in ou rvillage due to the construction of this channel is indescribable.”
10. Aerial shot, unplanted and planted fields.
11. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“After the completion of this channel last year each household cultivated 2 kanals (2/8th acre), which provided an extra income of approximately 600kg of wheat, potatoes and other crop.”
12. Close up, farmer tilling his land.
13. wide shot of farmers working on their land.
20 MARCH 2023, IFAD Office in Pakistan
14.SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Firstly, this region is highly mountainous with only 2 percent of land area being considered as arable and secondly, it’s an arid and semi-arid agro climate condition, where cultivation is only possible if there is aggregation water available.”
15. Various shots, workers constructing the irrigation channels
JULY 2022 - KHARFAQ VILLAGE, GHANCHE DISTRICT
16. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The water channel was actually a dream for our ancestors and the food security issue of the village.”
17. Close up, irrigation channel
18. Aerial shot, the mountains
19. Various shots, farmers harvesting fruit
20. Aerial shot, the fields
21. Close up, Farmer tying straw
22. SOUNDBITE (Shina) Sherzaman, Farmer:
“It has benefitted us a lot we cultivated fodder for our livestock, wheat and maize for our annual consumption.”
23. Wide shot, village
24. Wide shot, woman picking tomatoes
25. Wide shot, tomatoes drying out in the sun.
20 MARCH 2023, IFAD Office in Pakistan
14.SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Against a target of 50,000 acres today, more than 44,000 acres have already been brought under cultivation by building channels, sourcing water from glaciers, but also diverting from streams and rivers in the valley.”
15. Wide shot, Farmers picking tomatoes.
STORYLINE
A new water infrastructure network in Northern Pakistan has transformed the lives of the people living there. In spite of record hot temperatures, some small- scale farmers in the region have seen their crop yields dramatically increase in the last year thanks to the new project.
A multimillion-dollar investment between the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has led to the construction of 75 irrigation and land schemes which have brought a new source of water to an area of over 42,000 acres in the region allowing the farmers to grow crops in areas that were previously unfarmable.
1.2 billion people- roughly one-sixth of the world’s population- live in severely water constrained agricultural areas, with small-scale farmers struggling to grow enough food, partly due to a 29 percent increase in the number and duration of droughts since 2000.
On UN Water Day the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is calling for accelerated investments to help small-scale farmers from developing countries access and manage water to continue produce food in a context of climate change and increased water scarcity.
Green fields like these were a rare sight in this mountainous area in Gilgit-Baltistan in Northern Pakistan, but now an irrigation channel stretching over several miles has transformed this village in Ghanche from a barren land to lush green pastures.
It has not only changed the landscape, but the economic fortunes of the poor rural farmers who live here.
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The prosperity we have seen in ou rvillage due to the construction of this channel is indescribable.”
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“After the completion of this channel last year each household cultivated 2 kanals (2/8th acre), which provided an extra income of approximately 600kg of wheat, potatoes and other crop.”
Over 90 percent of people in this region have to make a living in agriculture, but conditions here are harsh with extreme temperatures and lack of local water sources making it difficult for farmers to grow anything.
SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Firstly, this region is highly mountainous with only 2 percent of land area being considered as arable and secondly, it’s an arid and semi-arid agro climate condition, where cultivation is only possible if there is aggregation water available.”
Local people first came up with the idea of building a channel over 60 years ago, but they did not have the funds or equipment to make it happen.
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The water channel was actually a dream for our ancestors and the food security issue of the village.”
The irrigation channel was built as part of a project that was funded by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan.
This channel is one of many that has been built in the region, not only providing water for new farms, but for existing arable plots too. Access to the water is evenly distributed depending on the size of the family with each household member getting an equal share.
Not only can they sell their crops, but use them to grow feed for their cattle. Sherzaman - has 25 animals.
SOUNDBITE (Shina) Sherzaman, Farmer:
“It has benefitted us a lot we cultivated fodder for our livestock, wheat and maize for our annual consumption.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Against a target of 50,000 acres today, more than 44,000 acres have already been brought under cultivation by building channels, sourcing water from glaciers, but also diverting from streams and rivers in the valley.”
The project aims at improving income and employment for at least 100,000 rural households and in reducing poverty and malnutrition in the region.
These new irrigation channels have given farmers in the region food security and the chance to increase their markets in years to come.
A multimillion-dollar investment between the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan has led to the construction of 75 irrigation and land schemes which have brought a new source of water to an area of over 42,000 acres in the region allowing the farmers to grow crops in areas that were previously unfarmable.
1.2 billion people- roughly one-sixth of the world’s population- live in severely water constrained agricultural areas, with small-scale farmers struggling to grow enough food, partly due to a 29 percent increase in the number and duration of droughts since 2000.
On UN Water Day the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is calling for accelerated investments to help small-scale farmers from developing countries access and manage water to continue produce food in a context of climate change and increased water scarcity.
Green fields like these were a rare sight in this mountainous area in Gilgit-Baltistan in Northern Pakistan, but now an irrigation channel stretching over several miles has transformed this village in Ghanche from a barren land to lush green pastures.
It has not only changed the landscape, but the economic fortunes of the poor rural farmers who live here.
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The prosperity we have seen in ou rvillage due to the construction of this channel is indescribable.”
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“After the completion of this channel last year each household cultivated 2 kanals (2/8th acre), which provided an extra income of approximately 600kg of wheat, potatoes and other crop.”
Over 90 percent of people in this region have to make a living in agriculture, but conditions here are harsh with extreme temperatures and lack of local water sources making it difficult for farmers to grow anything.
SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Firstly, this region is highly mountainous with only 2 percent of land area being considered as arable and secondly, it’s an arid and semi-arid agro climate condition, where cultivation is only possible if there is aggregation water available.”
Local people first came up with the idea of building a channel over 60 years ago, but they did not have the funds or equipment to make it happen.
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Muhammad Abbas, Farmer Kharfaq Village:
“The water channel was actually a dream for our ancestors and the food security issue of the village.”
The irrigation channel was built as part of a project that was funded by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Gilgit-Baltistan.
This channel is one of many that has been built in the region, not only providing water for new farms, but for existing arable plots too. Access to the water is evenly distributed depending on the size of the family with each household member getting an equal share.
Not only can they sell their crops, but use them to grow feed for their cattle. Sherzaman - has 25 animals.
SOUNDBITE (Shina) Sherzaman, Farmer:
“It has benefitted us a lot we cultivated fodder for our livestock, wheat and maize for our annual consumption.”
SOUNDBITE (English) Fida Muhammad, IFAD programme officer in Pakistan:
“Against a target of 50,000 acres today, more than 44,000 acres have already been brought under cultivation by building channels, sourcing water from glaciers, but also diverting from streams and rivers in the valley.”
The project aims at improving income and employment for at least 100,000 rural households and in reducing poverty and malnutrition in the region.
These new irrigation channels have given farmers in the region food security and the chance to increase their markets in years to come.
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