PAKISTAN – Yasmeen’s journey from survival to success with climate-smart agriculture

Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan – Yasmeen, a 44-year-old resident of Sultanabad, Gilgit, lives with her family of five. A local college graduate, unable to work full-time due to family commitments. Yasmeen practiced traditional vegetable farming, but the yield from these methods was insufficient to sell in local markets and barely met her family’s domestic needs. She lacked awareness of selecting quality seeds and managing crop diseases, which further hindered productivity. With limited land and low yields, feeding her children remained a significant challenge. 

With technical guidance and support from the Agribusiness Support Fund (ASF) and funding support from APFP-FO4A and ARISE programs, Yasmeen and four other women farmers in her community got together to form the Five Star Farmers’Cooperative Society. ASF provided technical assistance, including training in good agriculture practices, pre and post-harvest handling, packaging and marketing along with organizational management, training and mentoring. Through the ARISE loan program, ASF provided support in scaling access to acquire quality inputs and upgradation of vertical structures. Yasmeen transformedtraditional low output agriculture into high output vertical farming effectively.

Yasmeen and her family were astonished by the profits generated from their five vertical structures producing tomatoes and cucumbers. From three vertical structures, she harvested a total of 960 kilograms of cucumbers, earning PKR 48,000 after completing the production cycle. The remaining two structures yielded 1,510 kilograms of tomatoes, generating an income of PKR 105,700. In total, Yasmeen earned PKR 153,700 (USD 553*) in just one cropping season. Previously, Yasmeen relied on traditional farming methods, earning only PKR 5,000 per season. This success was the result of her dedication and the support provided by ASF through APFP-FO4A and ARISE programs.

The transition to modern and climate-smart farming practices has transformed Yasmeen’s life, increasing her yield and seasonal earnings more than thirtyfold. Yasmeen’s outstanding performance placed her at the top of her FO’s earning list for the season. Encouraged by her success, she and her family have now ventured into dairy farming as well.

Yasmeen used her earnings from cucumber and tomato production to cover her children’s school fees, household expenses, and purchase hybrid seeds for the next crop. Now, other women in neighboring communities are encouraged by her success and seek membership in her farmer organization. 

The Asia-Pacific Farmers’ Program (APFP) – Farmers’ Organizations for Asia (FO4A) is implemented by the Asian Farmers’ Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) and La Via Campesina (LVC), with funding from the European Union (EU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The program aims to strengthen the capacities of farmers’ organizations to provide economic services, advocate for enabling policies, and promote sustainable livelihoods for small-scale family farmers across Asia.

The Assuring Resiliency of Family Farmers (ARISE-Farmers) program was first launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to empower farmers’ groups to meet their members’ needs and ensure food security during the crisis. The succeeding phase of the program continues its mission to help family farmers become more resilient and self-reliant. It focuses on strengthening the capacities of farmers’ organizations (FOs) to manage production support for their members while expanding partnerships with governments, private sector actors, and financial institutions. Through this approach, ARISE addresses the persistent financing gap and helps smallholder farmers gain better access to markets.