Training Workshop

“Sustainable water and land use in arid regions with RS-GIS applications support based on Chinese expertise”

Funded by ANSO, Beijing, China

Held from 12-16 August 2024

Venue: office # 365 (third floor), Tole Bi Street 59, Kazakh British Technical University (KBTU), Almaty, 050000

COMSATS University Islamabad and The Xinjinag Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), Urumqi, China, joins hands with the Kazakh British Technical University (KBTU), Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) for the subject training. This training workshop was supported by Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), China and free of cost to participate both online and offline.

The aim of this training program was to share the XIEG knowledge with the developing countries in Central Asia, set up user-friendly dual TVET (technical and vocational education and training), a combination of online and offline training programs with the application of open source remote sensing and GIS technologies, including QGIS tools, and connect to the  Free online training courses such as Coursera, https://www.coursera.org/, edX, https://www.edx.org/school/wbgx, Green Central Asia, droughtmap,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wv9abOIWqQ, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5g1auC0FuE, by making these training programs available for many people, including students, researchers, farmers in not only Central Asia and other developing countries worldwide but also for the member states of COMSATS Headquarters. The balanced use of natural resources, eco-friendly technologies, including sustainable agriculture, the responsible attitude to nature, the environment, biodiversity, and social responsibilities are complicated issues and require the proper TVET capacity building support programs on a permanent basis with regular investment support. Many training programs are missing practicality, connection to the people's real needs, current emergencies, and practical scientific support for the local people's needs, and TVET support with biodiversity emphasis is missing in many regions. The proper connections between Communities-School-Biodiversities-College-Industry-University (CSBSIU) are also missing in many countries. China is powerful in TVET CSBSIU connected programs. We planned to set up free online training courses for sustainable water, and land use in arid regions with RS-GIS applications based on Chinese expertise within this cooperation program.  To overcome the language issue and to train individuals from a beginner to an expert, this training was proposed in multiple languages such as Chinese, English, Urdu, Persian, Kazakh, and Russian. A team of experts in GIS and RS analysis took the sessions with the help of hands-on exercises and lectures in different languages. The main language was English, but it was explained in the local language.

Resource persons from different countries, including China, Belgium, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Iran, Tajikistan, joined hands and deliver the training as per their expertise in the fields. The main objectives of the training were:

?       Training of the trainers especially for college university instructors and practitioners, who work on environmental issues, with communities, farmers.

?       Based on Chinese expertise in RS-GIS applications, modeling is to provide support for communities in emergency events (EE) mitigation, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and agriculture.

More than 350 Students, researchers, practitioners working in the field of Environment, Hydrology, Biology, Biodiversity, Agriculture, Climate change, EE Mitigation, DRR, Emergency preparedness, and many other relevant fields registered for this training workshop and more than 76 participated both online and offline from more than 15 countries including Belgium, China, Iran, Pakistan, Tanzania, Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Jamaica, Benin, Senegal etc. Eighteen (18) sessions covering applications of RS-GIS for agriculture, EE mitigations, water and land resource management both online and offline mode by the trainers. Both theoretical and practical sessions as well as dual language mode was adopted for the training workshop.

Dr. Toqeer Ahmed, Principal Investigator of the training workshop gave the welcome remarks and Ambassador Dr. Muhammad Nafees Zakaria, Executive Director of the COMSATS Headquarter, Islamabad delivered the opening remarks.

Relevance to the UN SDGs:

RS-GIS applications with emphasis on sustainable agriculture supporting biodiversity have several applications to address different SDGs, like:

• SDG 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”
• SDG 4: “Quality Education”
• SDG 6: "Ensure availability and Sustainable Water management for all"
• SDG 11: “Sustainable Cities and Communities”

All the presenters/ trainers delivered the presentation and conducted training as per the schedule. Eighteen (18) presentations were delivered covering applications ofRS-GIS for agriculture, EE mitigations, water and land resource management both online and offline mode by the trainers from different countries like, Belgium, China, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia etc.