ISLAMABAD: Agriculture being the biggest employing sector supports Pakistan’s economy and addresses food security challenges. However, this sector has not improved in the last three decades and has adversely been impacted by climate change, urbanisation and population growth.

This was stated in the report, ‘Solving the great puzzle: Pakistan’, which was launched at a national multi-stakeholder dialogue on food systems. A statement said the event was organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Pakistan at a hotel in Islamabad on Tuesday.

According to the report, an average Pakistani household spends around 50 per cent of their monthly income on food, making them particularly vulnerable to shocks such as high food prices. It also indicated that Pakistan had the highest rate of malnutrition in South Asia.

Crop yields over recent years have suffered from water availability issues which were expected to worsen over the coming decades. It also warned that rising population and warmer temperatures resulting from climate change would affect the agriculture sector.

The report recommended steps to transform the food system, which could be achieved through improvement of natural resource management, enhancement of governance models, promotion of scientific knowledge and increased public awareness and redirection of agriculture-related subsidies.

Crop yields suffer from water availability issues that are expected to worsen in coming decades

It proposed that large improvements in supply chains and transportation systems were required to reduce food losses and waste which will help ensure food safety and improve production quality.

Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan, said Pakistan was primarily an agrarian economy, but food security was increasingly becoming a concern due to rapid population growth and climate change vulnerabilities. He highlighted the role WWF-Pakistan was playing in creating sustainable food systems and livelihoods. He said the report provided key insights into transforming food systems to ensure food security and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change.

Dr Saleem Mohsen, Food Commissioner Ministry of Food Security and Research, said it was pivotal to investigate the intricacies of food systems, particularly within the context of Pakistan.

“We must learn from global best practices and understand the need for localisation of initiatives to resolve local issues,” he added.

Mohammad Ali Kemal, Chief of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, said achieving sustainable food systems was not only crucial for addressing hunger but also for promoting economic growth and combating climate change. Despite the current progress in agriculture, 37 per cent of the country’s population is food insecure.

“We need a multi-faceted approach that improves agricultural practices, addresses technological challenges, improves agricultural policies and enhances supply chain management to transform our food systems,” he added.

Asad Imran, Director of Food and Markets WWF-Pakistan, said about 100,000 farmers from Punjab and Sindh had been trained to adopt climate-smart agriculture. Moreover, he gave an overview of the incoming initiative on the regenerative production landscape in Pakistan, which aimed to unite stakeholders for a common vision to co-create and work for climate change and landscape resilience.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024