Climate Change, Mountain Food Systems, and Emerging Opportunities: A Study from the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape, Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigated the mountain food systems in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir Landscape (HKPL) in Pakistan. It analyzed the impacts of climate change on agriculture and livestock and identified key opportunities which can be tapped into to improve sustainability in food systems. The study applied a “multiple case studies approach” and collected data from four study sites at different altitudes, using the method of slow focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and non-participant observation. Findings revealed that the contribution of local agriculture and livestock to people’s food consumption has gradually declined, increasing their dependence on external food items. Local food systems are losing diversity, which has negatively impacted people’s dietary diversity. The youth has lost interest in agriculture due to low productivity and profitability in a high altitude village—Misgar (≈3200 m above sea level). In all sites, local people perceived mixed impacts (both positive and negative) of climate change on food systems. Climate change together with enhanced use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers, high yielding seed, and improved farm management have positive, and climate-attributed increase in crop pest attacks has negative impact on crop productivity. Moreover, local people perceived negative impacts of climate change on pastures and water availability in traditional irrigation systems without significant influence on crop and livestock productivity. In food systems, these are needed to maximize benefits from the local potential for organic production, livestock integration, value chain development, traditional food crops, medicinal plants, and protected vegetables cultivation to reduce the vulnerability of food systems to climactic and economic shocks, and improve the sustainability.

Knowledge Priorities on Climate Change and Water in the Upper Indus Basin: A Horizon Scanning Exercise to Identify the Top 100 Research Questions in Social and Natural Sciences

“…There is a need to better understand the impacts of climate change on agriculture and livestock rearing (including pastoralism and agro‐pastoralism) as well as the impacts of socioeconomic changes such as declining youth participation in farming, outmigration, labor shortages. Changes in local food habits are also impacting farmers' decisions on diversity and types of crops and livestock (Dame & Nüsser, 2011; Hussain et al., 2021; Rasul et al., 2019). It is also important to further explore the impacts of a shift from organic to inorganic farming and declining agro‐biodiversity (diverse to monoculture) on water use in food systems of the UIB.…”

“…In the UIB, farmers are mainly smallholders with an average landholding size of 0.63 ha (Hussain et al., 2016). Agriculture and livestock rearing by UIB farmers contributes around 30%–40% to the annual food requirements of the local people (Hussain et al., 2021). Over time, the contribution of these two sub‐sectors in local food requirements is gradually declining, and dependency on external food items is increasing (Kreutzmann, 2000; Rasul et al., 2016).…”

Knowledge Priorities on Climate Change and Water in the Upper Indus Basin: A Horizon Scanning Exercise to Identify the Top 100 Research Questions in Social and Natural Sciences

“…In the UIB, farmers are mainly smallholders with an average landholding size of 0.63 ha (Hussain et al, 2016). Agriculture and livestock rearing by UIB farmers contributes around 30%-40% to the annual food requirements of the local people (Hussain et al, 2021). Over time, the contribution of these two sub-sectors in local food requirements is gradually declining, and dependency on external food items is increasing (Kreutzmann, 2000;Rasul et al, 2016).…”

“…There is a need to better understand the impacts of climate change on agriculture and livestock rearing (including pastoralism and agro-pastoralism) as well as the impacts of socioeconomic changes such as declining youth participation in farming, outmigration, labor shortages. Changes in local food habits are also impacting farmers' decisions on diversity and types of crops and livestock (Dame & Nüsser, 2011;Hussain et al, 2021;Rasul et al, 2019). It is also important to further explore the impacts of a shift from organic to inorganic farming and declining agro-biodiversity (diverse to monoculture) on water use in food systems of the UIB.…”

Perceived Impacts of Climate Change on Economic Activities and Adaptation Strategies: A Case Study from Cold Desert of Ladakh, India

“…Climate change is considered as a global challenge and it has become the key environmental issue around the world (Hussain et al, 2021), and the average surface temperature has increased by 0.85 °C over the past 100 years (IPCC, 2018), and it is predicted to increase further by at least 1.5 °C by the end of the 21st century, with serious consequences for biodiversity, natural ecosystems, agriculture productivity, food security and human livelihoods (IPCC, 2019).…”