Geography | Schlumberg Socio-hydrological nexus of mountain agriculture in Gilgit-Baltistan, Northern Pakistan
The study explores the major climate change-related risks to human wellbeing in mountain regions of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The framework is based upon the concept of site-specific vulnerabilities to identify dynamics and processes shaping climate change risks for farming communities in the arid mountain regions of northern Pakistan. To explore the observation and perception of farmers regarding climate change and related impacts on farming households, surveys and interviews were conducted in ten villages. The majority of the respondents observed warmer and drier winters, rainier and colder springs, and a high variability in summers with more frequent hot spells. In a further section of the study, the socio-hydrological system was investigated to analyze the vulnerability factors of irrigated agriculture in detail. Environmental and socio-economic factors influencing the irrigation system as well as the adaptation strategies of mountain farming communities responding to cryospheric changes and its consequences on the irrigation system and livelihood security. Therefore, a combined methodological approach was conducted including interviews, focus group discussions, field observations, remote sensing data, and GIS techniques. The integrated research concept allows for comparative analyses and aims to contribute to a better understanding of irrigated mountain agriculture in arid and semi-arid parts of the Himalayan and Karakoram region. The study implies that the challenges and risks for irrigation systems are embedded in both environmental and socioeconomic dynamics. Several elements contribute to the vulnerability of local irrigation systems ranging from variations in snow and glacier-fed water supply and glacial hazards to demands of labor and capital resources for water abstraction and irrigation network maintenance. All these factors shape the adaptation strategies of local communities to social and environmental changes. The information derived from this study may be helpful for water resource management and policies for irrigation development in the region.
PhD Candidate: Sitara Parveen
Funding: Schlumberger Foundation
Duration:
Selected Publications
ORR A, AHMAD B, ALAM U, APPADURAI AN, BHARUCHA ZP, BIEMANS H, BOLCH T, CHAULAGAIN NP, DHAUBANJAR S, DIMRI AP, DIXON H, FOWLER H, GOLI G, HALVORSON SJ, HUSSAIN A, JEELANI G, KAMAL S, KHALID I, LIU S, LUTZ A, MAL S, MEHRA MK, MILES E, MOMBLANCH A, MUCCIONE V, MUKHERJI A, MUSTAFA D, NAJMUDDIN O, NASIMI MN, NÜSSER M, PANDEY VP, PARVEEN S, PELLICCIOTTI F, POLLINO C, POTTER E, QAZIZADA MR, RAY S, ROMSHOO S, SARKAR SK, SAWAS A, SEN S, SHAH A, SHAH A, SHEA J, SHEIK AT, SHRESTHA A, TAYAL S, TIGALA S, VIRK ZT, WESTER P & WESCOAT J: (2022): Knowledge priorities on climate change and water in the Upper Indus Basin: A horizon scanning exercise to identify the top 100 questions. Earth’s Future 10 (4), doi:10.1029/2021EF002619
NÜSSER M, DAME J, BAGHEL R, KRAUS B, PARVEEN S & SCHMIDT S (2019): Cryosphere-fed irrigation networks in the northwestern Himalaya: Precarious livelihoods and adaptation strategies under the impact of climate change. Mountain Research and Development 39 (2). R1-R11. doi: 10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-18-00072.1
PARVEEN S, WINIGER M, SCHMIDT S & NÜSSER M (2015): Irrigation in Upper Hunza: Evolution of Socio-Hydrological Interactions in the Karakoram, Northern Pakistan. In: Erdkunde 69 (1): 69-85.