Pak agri researcher represents country at French
forum
..........ISLAMABAD (September 15) : Syed Hassan Raza, Assistant professor in University of
Agriculture, Faisalabad attended the 1st World Mountain Forum held in Chambery, France last month.
Representing Pakistan he exchanged views with numerous actors of mountainous areas development
around the world.
..........The 1st World Mountain Forum gathered researchers and policy makers from all over the world
from Nepalese to Bolivians.
..........After the opening session which took place in Unesco headquarters Paris under the high
patronage of the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, the forum was held in the city of
Chambery situated in the heart of the French Alps, creating a pioneer event.
..........On this occasion, delegates of major international institutions such as Unesco, World Bank or
European Community, representatives of on the filed NGOs and international standard researchers got
the opportunity to meet and discuss the situation and development of mountainous areas on various
aspects agriculture, pastoralism, protection of environment and tourism.
..........A member of the Pakistan Embassy in France played a significant role in organising the forum.
Moreover Prince Karim Aga Khan gave a well noticed speech with reference to the type of education and
development that can be implemented in mountainous areas through NGOs work quoting the examples of
Pakistan and Tajikistan.
..........The Pakistani researcher and lecture in University of Agriculture, Faisalabad has a strong field
experience of the problems faced by people living in mountainous areas as well as the environment
issues of the regions.
..........One key issue was the integration of high altitude agriculture in to the market economy. On this
respect it seems important that new technologies aiming at improving the quality of agriculture products
could be introduced while coping with the socio-cultural and environmental background.
..........For that purpose, there are policies such as incentives directly given to the farmers conditioned by
the diversification of their production and on their efforts to protect the environment.
..........It is expected that numerous international contacts established by Syed Hassan Raza in France
give rise to new ideas in the development policy of mountainous areas in Pakistan.-PPI
..........Copyright 2000 PPI (Published under arrangement with Pakistan Press International)