The goal of the Gwadar-Lasbela Livelihoods Support Project is to increase the incomes and enhance the livelihoods of poor rural farmers and fishers in the region. The two target districts of Gwadar and Lasbela share three quarters of Pakistan’s coastline in the province of Balochistan, where over 60 per cent of the population lives in poverty. Because of their distance from the provincial capital and limited connections with the rest of the country, these districts remain underdeveloped – despite large and well-endowed fishing grounds and ample development potential.

For example, the recent completion of a coastal highway linking the entire coastal belt with Karachi has opened up great potential for development. Completion of the Gwadar Deep-Sea Port has also promised new opportunities, including possible export of fishery products and trade with other regional and international markets. However, considerable challenges prevent this potential from being fulfilled, including:

• Underdeveloped support infrastructure
• Antiquated harvesting and transport practices
• Underdeveloped markets and processing systems
• Limited capacities and resources of fishing communities

To address these challenges, IFAD’s project goals include improving physical infrastructure and marketing facilities, enhancing communities’ access to capital, strengthening community and village organizations, and building capacity among regulatory and support organizations.

The project is in line with IFAD Strategic Framework 2007-2010 and with IFAD's results-based country strategic opportunities programme for Pakistan
 

Source: IFAD