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Due to a variety of biophysical and socioeconomic variables, food insecurity in Pakistan is noticeably higher in the mountainous areas than in the plains. In the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, the issue of food insecurity made worse by rapid socio-economic and environmental changes as well as topographical constraints. In northern areas of Pakistan livestock is raised for many purposes, including milk, meat, wool, leather, and draft. The livestock not only contributes significantly to the region's food security but also a sizable portion of what local families eat on a daily basis at their food table. Livestock are raised using nomadic and transhumant systems in northern area of Pakistan. In this area, there are more than a million people who make a good living from livestock and crop-husbandry. Grasslands contribute directly to agro-pastoral livelihoods; they indirectly provide numerous goods and services to these people. According to recent estimates, 37% of the gross farm income in northern Pakistan is derived from rangeland-based livestock production. In area of northern Pakistan especially Gilgit-Baltistan, the number of animals, particularly yak, cattle and their hybrids, sheep, and goats, increased from 0.88 million in 1976 to 2.45 million in 2006. Almost 80% of these animals are grazing on pastures during summer and all livestock systems operate on a low-input and low-output basis. Due to significant growth in domestic herbivores' population and high reliance on rangelands, the latter are under extreme grazing pressure. Soil erosion is accelerated by high stocking rates and the resulting loss of vegetation cover. Gilgit-Baltistan occasionally combines crop production and livestock rearing. The activity entails a complex interplay between people, animals, and the environment, and in the case of northern Pakistan, it is particularly hampered by alpine mountain conditions, including challenging topography, constantly shifting weather patterns, fodder scarcity and harsh winter temperatures. Being a complex livelihood strategy, the local pastoralism also relies on several cultural, social and economic factors, such as intra- and inter-household corporation for herding, community regulations for pasture and livestock management, market demand and labour availability. The Karakoram Highway (KKH), which was built in 1979 and connects northern Pakistan to the rest of Pakistan and China, has dramatically improved the transportation and communication systems for the localities. The result has been an increased movement of local commodities and people to bigger towns and cities. The new opportunities and challenges did not only change labour division between households and household members but also affected the appearance and reputation of pastoral work. Future changes in resource use patterns for food security in the Hindukush Karakoram Himalayan (HKH) region were brought about by interventions and socioeconomic transformation of local societies. The current changes in Pakistan's northern areas, coupled with a rapidly changing climate, pose major threats to the long-term viability of rangeland-based agro-ecosystems, particularly at higher altitudes where the environment is more vulnerable. This paper, therefore, analyses challenges and opportunities for sustainable livestock production in the context of socio-economic and food security perspectives in Northern areas of Pakistan.

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Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Livestock Production in the context of Socioeconomic and Food Security in Northern Areas of Pakistan

Due to a variety of biophysical and socioeconomic variables, food insecurity in Pakistan is noticeably higher in the mountainous areas than in the plains. In the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region, the issue of food insecurity made worse by rapid socio-economic and environmental changes as well as topographical constraints. In northern areas of Pakistan livestock is raised for many purposes, including milk, meat, wool, leather, and draft. The livestock not only contributes significantly to the region's food security but also a sizable portion of what local families eat on a daily basis at their food table. Livestock are raised using nomadic and transhumant systems in northern area of Pakistan. In this area, there are more than a million people who make a good living from livestock and crop-husbandry. Grasslands contribute directly to agro-pastoral livelihoods; they indirectly provide numerous goods and services to these people. According to recent estimates, 37% of the gross farm income in northern Pakistan is derived from rangeland-based livestock production. In area of northern Pakistan especially Gilgit-Baltistan, the number of animals, particularly yak, cattle and their hybrids, sheep, and goats, increased from 0.88 million in 1976 to 2.45 million in 2006. Almost 80% of these animals are grazing on pastures during summer and all livestock systems operate on a low-input and low-output basis. Due to significant growth in domestic herbivores' population and high reliance on rangelands, the latter are under extreme grazing pressure. Soil erosion is accelerated by high stocking rates and the resulting loss of vegetation cover. Gilgit-Baltistan occasionally combines crop production and livestock rearing. The activity entails a complex interplay between people, animals, and the environment, and in the case of northern Pakistan, it is particularly hampered by alpine mountain conditions, including challenging topography, constantly shifting weather patterns, fodder scarcity and harsh winter temperatures. Being a complex livelihood strategy, the local pastoralism also relies on several cultural, social and economic factors, such as intra- and inter-household corporation for herding, community regulations for pasture and livestock management, market demand and labour availability. The Karakoram Highway (KKH), which was built in 1979 and connects northern Pakistan to the rest of Pakistan and China, has dramatically improved the transportation and communication systems for the localities. The result has been an increased movement of local commodities and people to bigger towns and cities. The new opportunities and challenges did not only change labour division between households and household members but also affected the appearance and reputation of pastoral work. Future changes in resource use patterns for food security in the Hindukush Karakoram Himalayan (HKH) region were brought about by interventions and socioeconomic transformation of local societies. The current changes in Pakistan's northern areas, coupled with a rapidly changing climate, pose major threats to the long-term viability of rangeland-based agro-ecosystems, particularly at higher altitudes where the environment is more vulnerable. This paper, therefore, analyses challenges and opportunities for sustainable livestock production in the context of socio-economic and food security perspectives in Northern areas of Pakistan.