Rizq, Pledges and Sona Welfare Foundation Partner for Farmer Rehabilitation & Training in Khanewal.

On 8th July, 2026, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between Rizq, Sona Welfare Foundation (SWF), and Pledges Inc. to work together on Farmer Rehabilitation & Training Initiatives in Kabirwala, District Khanewal in Punjab. This tripartite intervention builds on Rizq’s “Kissan Dost Program” which has proved successful in supporting disaster-affected small-holder farmers, especially in South Punjab. Expanding on the successful completion of Rizq and Pledges’ Smallholder Farmers Upliftment Program in Khanewal, Sona Welfare Foundation (SWF) is brought in as a strategic co-financier and operational partner. Together, Rizq, SWF and Pledges support approximately 150 to 170 smallholder farmers through one 6-month maize crop cycle – with an expanded training curriculum enabled by SWF’s partnership.

Sona Welfare Foundation is the implementing arm of Fauji Fertilizer Company, working to improve quality of life for underserved communities through sustainable interventions. In this partnership, SWF brings in co-financing alongside deep agricultural infrastructure. Pledges is working across developmental projects by empowering organizations to expand their impact. It contributes monetarily as a continuation of their existing partnership with Rizq. Lastly, Rizq contributes in operational and in-kind support while leading full program design, field implementation, training delivery, monitoring and reporting.

Rizq’s Kissan Dost Program was launched after the 2022 floods to break the debt cycle smallholder farmers find themselves in by providing zero interest loans in the form of agricultural inputs. To date, the program has completed 7 cycles improving yield by an average 35-40% yield across 11,200 acres of land. 1000+ farmers have achieved financial security through increased earnings, leading to a 98% loan recovery rate. Beyond one-time input distribution, Kissan Dost Program is a season-long partnership between Rizq’s field teams and the farmers, delivering consistent, measurable results.

In 2025, Rizq and Pledges brought KDP to Khanewal for the first time, enrolling farmers across 350 acres in Tehsil Kabirwala for a full maize crop cycle. The first cycle has now been completed, with field performance tracking approximately 50% yield improvement over unaided farmer benchmarks. The Khanewal cycle has demonstrated that the KDP model transfers effectively to this geography, and that the infrastructure needed to operate is already in place.

The addition of Sona Welfare Foundation as a tripartite partner allows scaling up within the same geography, enabling operational efficiency while reaching a larger population of flood-affected farming households. The project aims to rehabilitate flood-affected farmers through interest-free input financing, agro-advisory, as well as land development and harvesting. The 2025 Pakistan floods proved to be extremely devastating for the agricultural sector, affecting over 1.3 million acres of farmland. The real impact of this has been felt by the small-holder farmers through a loss of produce, infrastructural damage, and soil degradation which will impact future crops. District Khanewal is among the most severely flood-affected districts, where waterlogging persisted for extended periods.

“Ever since we began KDP, we were hopeful it would expand to all parts of the country, reaching farmers all across. Today, we are witnessing this hope turning into reality, supported with some of the biggest names in the country. It is a win for every farmer in Pakistan!” said Musa Aamir, co-founder Rizq at the signing ceremony.

With SWF’s agriculture infrastructure in place, Rizq’s operational expertise, and Pledges’ commitment to farmer rehabilitation, this tripartite structure positions the expanded KDP as one of the most substantive structured agricultural rehabilitation interventions in post-flood Khanewal.