Securing Food Future

Summary

• Pakistan’s National Climate Change Policy (2012) and National Food Security Policy (2018) both emphasize the urgent need for climate-resilient agriculture to secure food security and national stability.
• Climate change is eroding the foundations of food security, but solutions exist and must be scaled up.
• International organizations have provided frameworks and resources, while national policies such as the National Food Security Policy and National Water Policy already outline corridors.

AI Generated Summary

Pakistan’s agriculture sector contributes about 20 percent to GDP and engages nearly 65 percent of the labor force, yet it is increasingly vulnerable to climate extremes. The floods of 2022 affected 33 million people, destroyed 1.7 million hectares of crops, and caused damages estimated at 14.9 billion USD. According to the National Nutrition Survey, 37% of households are food insecure, while UNICEF reports that 40 percent of children under five are stunted. The Indus Basin irrigation system, the largest contiguous irrigation network in the world, sustains 80% of cultivated land, but mismanagement, water scarcity, and climate shocks have eroded resilience. Pakistan’s National Climate Change Policy (2012) and National Food Security Policy (2018) both emphasize the urgent need for climate-resilient agriculture to secure food security and national stability.

Government pledges to promote climate-smart agriculture are frequent, yet doubts remain about their sincerity. Are these commitments driven by genuine concern for farmers or by the need to attract donor funding from institutions such as the World Bank, IFAD, and the Asian Development Bank? Why has crop diversification remained minimal despite repeated warnings from FAO? Why do water-intensive crops such as rice continue to dominate in water-scarce regions, despite the National Water Policy of 2018 calling for efficiency and conservation? Without clarity of motive, reforms risk remaining superficial rather than transformative.