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Pakistan-US Science and Technology Cooperation Program
Phase 6 (2015 Deadline)
Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Production for Economic Development and Conservation in Swat Valley, Pakistan: Improving Livelihoods and Mitigating Climate Change
US partner: Rainer Bussmann, Missouri Botanical Garden
Pak partner: Hassan Sher, University of Swat, Odigram
Progress Reports 2016: This project was designed to 1) improve the economic conditions of the marginalized medicinal plants farmers and collectors in the Swat district of Pakistan through training in pre- and post-harvest handling of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), value addition principles, value chain promotion and to link MAPs producers and herbal pharmaceutical companies; 2) establish ex-situ cultivation pilot plots for teaching best cultivation techniques and scaling up; 4) establish MAPs linkages among respective government agencies, international agencies and academic and research institutes; 5) introduce small-scale community-based cultivation, processing, and MAPs marketing to relieve pressure from wild sources in orchards and gardens, and 6) establish Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) monitoring plots to document climate change impact and traditional knowledge. This combination of capacity building via technical training and infrastructure development benefits medicinal plants farmers/collectors by enabling them to become MAPs entrepreneurs who can satisfy the demand of buyers for a reliable supply of high quality MAPs materials. In this context, the present project is on track for achieving most of the objectives proposed in the proposal.
Activities started, completed and results achieved so far include:
1. Ex-situ Cultivation: MAPs farmers/collectors in Matta, Kalam and Mingora planted eight MAPs in April and May 2016; Planting and harvesting of these species are in still progress. Six out of eight of the species are native in Swat but are considered of high conservation concern; the other two are extirpated in Swat and considered endangered in Pakistan. The crops will be harvested in August 2016 and July 2017.
2. Focus Group Discussions/meetings: About 245 people participated in Focus Group Discussions in eight sub-valleys of District Swat. Participants included local village elders, MAPs farmers/collectors, local traders, and representatives from the herbal pharmaceutical companies and Forest Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Discussions included concerns of the local communities regarding sustainable cultivation and harvest of MAPs, selecting focal sites and species, cultivation and sustainable level of harvest of MAPs, and habitat recovery plans, especially for threatened and critically endangered MAPs.
3. Ecological surveys for monitoring natural populations of MAPs: An ecological survey to monitor natural population of 16 MAPs is currently underway in eight sub-valleys of District Swat using a combination of sampling methods to determine abundance and community structure. These data will help contribute to the development of Species Management Plans (needed for all species), Species Recovery Plan (needed for critically endangered species) and a habitat recovery plan. These plans will also contribute to Villager-Led Plans for further economic development of MAP species and methods for achieving sustainable economic development.
4. Capacity building trainings on cultivation, harvest, processing, and marketing: Farmers/collectors were selected to participate in trainings of sustainable collection, cultivation and pre-post-harvest handling and marketing of MAPs. Three weeks of Capacity Building training on the methods and protocols for ecological monitoring of MAPs used by GLORIA was conducted in April 2016 in Nepal. Participants included 13 people: 7 from Nepal (5 graduate students, 1 Government official and 1 expert); three Ph.D. scholars and PI from Pakistan, one professor from King Saud University; Saudi Arabia and two experts from the USA.
5. Establishment of GLORIA plots: GLORIA plots were established and ethnobotanical interviews were conducted to gain detailed information on traditional plant use by indigenous populations and identify plants of greatest importance to people near each site.
2017: This project was designed to 1) improve the economic conditions of the marginalized medicinal plant farmers and collectors in the Swat district of Pakistan through training in pre- and post-harvest handling of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), value addition principles, value chain promotion and to link MAPs producers and herbal pharmaceutical companies; 2) establish ex-situ cultivation pilot plots for teaching best cultivation techniques and scaling up; 4) establish MAPs linkages among respective government agencies, international agencies and academic and research institutes; 5) introduce small-scale community-based cultivation, processing, and MAPs marketing to relieve pressure from wild sources in orchards and gardens, and 6) establish Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA) monitoring plots to document climate change impact and traditional knowledge. This combination of capacity building via technical training and infrastructure development benefits medicinal plant farmers/collectors by enabling them to become MAPs entrepreneurs who can satisfy the demand of buyers for a reliable supply of high quality MAPs materials. In this context, the present project is on track for achieving most of the objectives proposed in the proposal. Activities started, completed and results achieved so far include: - Ex-situ Cultivation: MAPs farmers/collectors in Matta, Kalam and Mingora planted twelve MAPs in the project period; ten out of eight of the species are native in Swat but are considered of high conservation concern; the other twoare extirpated in Swat and considered endangered in Pakistan. The crops were successfully harvested in August 2016 and July 2017.
- Focus Group Discussions/meetings: About 600 people participated in Focus Group Discussions in eight sub-valleys of District Swat. Participants included local village elders, MAPs farmers/collectors, local traders, and representatives from the herbal pharmaceutical companies and Forest Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Discussions included concerns of the local communities regarding sustainable cultivation and harvest of MAPs, selecting focal sites and species, cultivation and sustainable level of harvest of MAPs, and habitat recovery plans, especially for threatened and critically endangered MAPs.
- Ecological surveys for monitoring natural populations of MAPs: An ecological survey and permanent monitoring of natural population of 16 MAPs continuing in eight sub-valleys of District Swat using a combination of sampling methods to determine abundance and community structure. These data help contribute to the development of Species Management Plans (needed for all species), Species Recovery Plan (needed for critically endangered species) and a habitat recovery plan. These plans will also contribute to Villager-Led Plans for further economic development of MAP species and methods for achieving sustainable economic development.
- Capacity building trainings on cultivation, harvest, processing, and marketing: Farmers/collectors were selected to participate in trainings of sustainable collection, cultivation and pre-post-harvest handling and marketing of MAPs. Two training / project feedback sessions with 5 Pakistani and 3 US counterparts were conducted in June 2017 during the annual meeting of the Society for Economic Botany in Bragança, Portugal, and in July 2017 at the International Botanical Congress in Shenzhen, China. These external trainings were incorporated because the Pakistani counterparts could not obtain visas to travel to the US, and the US counterparts could not obtain visas to travel to Pakistan.
- Establishment of GLORIA plots: GLORIA plots were established and ethnobotanical interviews were conducted to gain detailed information on traditional plant use by indigenous populations and identify plants of greatest importance to people near each site.
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