ASSET Workshop titled "Socio-Political Aspects of Pakistani Agriculture"on Saturday, April 27, 2013

Dear Member,

It is a pleasure to inform you that this month ASSET is organizing a workshop on Socio-Political Aspects of Pakistani Agriculture. Below are the details of the workshop.

 Pakistan is an agriculture-based economy. Its major economic earnings are from agricultural production. Nearly 50% of Pakistani labor is in the agriculture sector; nearly 70% of the country’s population is rural.

Given the above, any development approach in the country has to take agricultural economy into consideration.  Recently, there has been an intense focus on agricultural development. On one hand there is a school of thought which is promoting chemical intensive industrial agricultural mode of production. On the other hand, wide spread climate change and ensuing ‘natural’ disasters have increased focus on the concept of food sovereignty which promotes the concept of sustainable agriculture.
 

The context of food sovereignty was introduced in the 1990s as a response to neoliberal agricultural policies. These policies have also been introduced in Pakistan. The use of chemical inputs and hybrid seeds in Pakistan has intensified over the years which have had a vast impact on one hand on agricultural production including livelihood of small and landless farmers and food production. On the other hand, impacts on agricultural production have a severe impact on consumption patterns, severely impacting social conditions both in the rural and urban communities.

 A coherent analysis of agricultural policies in conjunction with climate change is needed to understand the current socio-economic and political context of Pakistan.

This 4 hour workshop will provide an overview of the:

·         Socio-economic political base of Pakistan
·         Particular agricultural national and international policies which have determined agricultural development and their impacts on Pakistani society
·         Way Forward
                       
Date:               Saturday, April 27, 2013
Time:               9:00 a.m. - 01:00 p.m.
Facilitator:      Dr. Azra Talat Sayeed
 
Facilitator’s Profile:
Dr. Azra Talat Sayeed is the founder of Roots for Equity, a development NGO in Pakistan. She is also a member of the International Coordinating Committee of the International League of People’s Struggles. She has written and presented extensively on the impact of imperialism and neo-liberal globalization on the masses in Pakistan.

Kindly confirm your participation latest by Friday, April 26, 2013, at registration@ptan.org or (36347611-4 /36826991-4 Ext. 8554 / 8556), as this will facilitate us in organizing the workshop effectively.