PAKISTAN KISSAN TRUST

Small Farmers in Pakistan: Voiceless Majority
Poverty in Pakistan is both increasing and taking different forms and shapes. Current estimates conclude that more than one third population of the country is living below poverty line and majority of them is rural population including small land owners, sharecroppers, farm labourers and rural workers.  Women (including farm labourers, craftsmen, peasants and other agri-based occupations) for the major part of this poor population face double burden of poverty and patriarchal oppression. Several policy changes and reforms in Pakistan over the last four decades have serious effects on the lives and conditions of farmers and labour force in agriculture.

These structural adjustments and policy shifts, under the pressure of International Financial Institutions, capital and market driven changes in agriculture sector have changed the shape and nature of the agriculture and farming sector and lives of million associated with these sectors. Facing the un-friendly investment policies, hostile market, exploitation by commission agents, substandard and uncertified seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, natural calamities and multiple other factors have pushed the farmers to the economic shambles. Vulnerable and excluded from policies and plans of the countries that drive their lives, these godforsaken farmers are unorganized, unskilled and voiceless in national policies and decision. Ironically despite several attempts to organize and politically mobilize small farmers and peasants no effective and strong farmers movements could be formed in the country’s history. Ironically they do not get any prominent place in any government departments, deprived of leadership positions in political parties, neglected in governments policies and laws, marginalized in economic and social plans, excluded from any decision or policy formulations processes the neglected population is deprived of most of the rights and entitlements ensured in laws of land or human rights conventions.

Over the last few years focused input from civil society groups and farmers institutions towards socio-economic and political development of rural poor especially women the conditions have changed.

 
In this backdrop a group of educated and active farmers organized themselves as Ghareek Kissan Tehreek (Movement of Small farmers) that in just last few years have become and active movement of farmers in Punjab and Sindh. The Tehreek has a vision to make small farmers a political force in this country has spread in all four provinces in very short time.

The movement also formed a Pakistan Kissan Trust (PKT) to provide it an institutional impetus for quality services and technical guidance to make the movement effective and useful. Set-up in 2003 the Trust has provided strong support to Tahreek through its focused programs of farmers education; farmers centres in 3 district; livelihood and community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) schemes for member farmers; training and advocacy actions on issues facing small farmers and connecting them with other civil society groups and social movements.
 
Pakistan Kissan Trust is registered under Trust Act of 1882 is a membership based organization serving the interests and rights of small and poor farmers has a Vision to make farmers prosperous and politically strong in Pakistan.

Goals of the TRUST

Set-up as a non-profit and charitable Trust it aims to:

• facilitate farmers groups, build their capacity and foster linkages among farmers groups and networks through various programmatic and organizational activities and inputs;
• Contributing in creating pro-farmer alternative market channels, collective bargaining systems through farmers-run institutions and organizations;
• Providing viable and regular information channels and knowledge opportunities for to member farmers about sustainable agriculture practices, policies, plans and systems for improved advocacy, lobbying and local practices;
• Facilitate role, presence, visibility and contribution of poor farmers’ representatives, organizations and movements in policy dialogues affecting their lives.