The Adapting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin (ASSIB) project is researching salinity adaptation options and strategies with people managing and living in salinity affected agricultural landscapes.
Drawing on expertise from university researchers, committed non-government organisations and relevant government extension staff, communities from eight selected case study sites have taken the lead in identifying adaptation options and strategies to be investigated, using best practice methods of rural research engagement and farmer to farmer learning. The case study sites include fishing- and farming-focused villages in coastal areas of Thatta, several irrigation dependent farming communities in Sindh and southern Punjab, and a mixed agriculture and aquaculture community at Muzaffargarh. These local level efforts are supported by regional and basin-wide investigations into trends driving the presence of salinity across the landscape, including future scenarios, and to monitor and model groundwater and salinity dynamics for coastal Sindh and southern Punjab. We have also engaged higher level policy and funding influencers through workshops in June 2022 to be briefed on initiatives we have undertaken.
Another two workshops in May 2022 responded to a policy review report we commissioned to PCRWR, widely endorsing recommendations that address three key gaps in salinity policy: (1) the lack of a long-term salinity management strategy; (2) lack of collaboration among organisations working on salinity issues, and no consolidation of data so acquired; and (3) inadequate farmer Annual report: Adapting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin engagement. These workshops are helping to attract high level support from national and international agencies for the longer-term “living with salinity” agenda.
