Projects

• Kuth Conservation Project (Northern Areas of Pakistan)
• Black Mushroom Cultivation Research
• Safflower Research
• Demonstration garden of four medicinal plants
• Medicinal Booklet
• Seed Bank
• Protection biodiversity

Kuth Conservation Project (Northern Areas of Pakistan)

The medicinal herb named “Kuth” (Saussurea Lappa) is precious God gifted specie, available in abundance in the highlands of Northern Areas. The best-known habitat for its collection is Astore valley in Diamer district. AMHRWO has initiated its pilot project for cultivation of Kuth roots in Nalter Valley, and District Gilgit, which is similar to Astore in climatic conditions. Initial response and results are encouraging and have motivated the AMHRWO to extend the area under plantation. AMHRWO wanted to extend cultivation of Kuth to other parts of the NAs.

Project objectives

• In the high mountains , protection, conservation and cultivation of Kuth at the farms
• Sustainable income source for the local communities
• Protection of the habitat for not only Kuth, also for number of other medicinal plants which can only grow in high mountains

Black Mushroom Cultivation Research

Edible Black Mushroom Morchella esculenta belongs to Fungi. The black mushroom is well known for its medicinal and nutritional value. It has a very good market through out the world. It always targets at a good price to the collectors and farmers. For this reason, AMHRWO has started cultivation of Black Mushroom within the experiment farms at Nalter valley. The cultivation is purely in experiment stage for research purposes. Once the trials are successful, AMHRWO will cultivate this valuable morel on commercial bases through out the mountain areas in Northern Pakistan. It will bring a big change in the economy at the gross root level.

Safflower Research

“Safflower” ( Carthamus tinctorius ) is one of the best-known herbal plants. Used for centuries, these natural products have well-established markets. AMHRWO has started production of Safflower seeds at its experiment farms.The Forest Department, Government of Pakistan has provided land for the cultivation and production of Safflower seeds.

Demonstration garden of four medicinal plants

AMHRWO demonstration garden is situated in Naltar Valley, which is 35 kilometers away from Gilgit.

Following plants other than Kuth, Safflower is at different stages of experimentation at the garden:

Objective of this activity

The purpose of this experimental cultivation is to provide local communities a base for initiating cultivation at their farms, which in turn could enhance their incomes and so help in poverty reduction.

Medicinal Booklet

AMHRWO is developing a booklet of fifty important medicinal herbs/plants in English for the general public. This booklet will help the readers understand the conservation, cultivation and medicinal uses of medicinal herbs and plants. It would also help to conserve the indigenous knowledge on use of medicinal plants. However, there are few serious concerns raised by some partner organizations on the scope and the book. Serious discussion are going on how the rights of local communities could be safeguarded, as this publication means putting the community knowledge in the private domains. Various multinationals can get pap tent rights on various products by using this knowledge, thus it would deprive the communities from the local use rather as a source of extra income.

Seed Bank

AMHRWO has launched a major program, aimed at establishing a local Seed Bank. The seed bank will collect the quality seeds of local varieties for the purpose of conservation and cultivation and will later provide it to mountain communities at low prices. Preliminary result is satisfactory.

Protectin biodiversity

Mountain people are the guardians of mountain bio-diversity. Over the centuries, they have learnt the importance of shifting cultivation, cultivation of terraced land, sustainable resource use, recognition of plants with healing powers and others which could be used as fodder or for fuel wood purposes. Yet this extraordinary knowledge is often unappreciated or ignored. This needs to be acknowledged at various forums. AMHRWO is organizing exposure visits of foreigners and local people from the down country to give them an idea of local techniques evolved within the centuries by some of the mountain area's communities.