As you sow, so shall you reap: food security in Pakistan
Food security rests on the fundamental pillars of stable and constant supply, and access to and utilization of nutritious food for all people at all times. There is more food produced today to feed everyone than at any other time in the history of mankind, yet about 815 million people around the globe are chronically malnourished, with malnutrition affecting one in three people worldwide.
We are living in a world that is experiencing increasing water and land scarcity, soil erosion, land degradation and loss of biodiversity, compounded further by extreme and severe weather events. To top it all, the effects of climate change on agriculture exacerbate the situation.
Pakistan is a low-income, developing country heavily reliant on its agriculture sector to ensure the provision of nutritious and healthy food to a fast-growing population, which is expected to double by 2050 if the current growth rate of 2.4 percent continues. Evidence-based research shows that while there has been a more then fourfold increase in the population during the past 60 years, the size of the cultivated agricultural area has only increased by 40 percent, which is insufficient to meet the needs of the people.
In addition, a sevenfold urban expansion has reduced the amount of cultivated land. Despite the fact that there has been a fourfold increase in the production of cereal and pulses since the early 1960s, Pakistan has been importing significant quantities of wheat, pulses and edible oil to meet domestic needs, which translates into high prices and, hence, lower economic access to food by the poor. An adequate food supply at affordable prices is the cornerstone of food security.
Pakistan is a part of the 2019 voluntary national review of the UN’s High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The Pakistani parliament has adopted as the national development agenda the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the second of which is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition.”
To set effective food and nutrition priorities and improve access to healthy, wholesome food and sustainable agriculture, Pakistan must view food security as integral to its national security.
Dr. Mehreen Mujtaba
In a nutshell, food security and the reduction of poverty and hunger are prerequisites for the economic development of the country. It is not wrong to surmise that food security and the economic growth of a country reinforce each other in the development process.
To set effective food and nutrition priorities and improve access to healthy, wholesome food and sustainable agriculture, Pakistan must view food security as integral to its national security. Food insecurity can become a catalyst for social unrest.
So what is the blueprint for addressing this immensely important issue? To effectively tackle the issue of food security, the government needs to understand the future challenges to agricultural growth in a region facing the worst effects of climate change, the impact of agricultural policies on the poor population living in rural areas, and food supply and income disparities.
The government should think creatively and develop incentives for smallholder farmers, through access to finances and technology.
To achieve food security for the masses, the government of Pakistan needs to implement: an integrated approach to address the income and productivity of small-scale farmers; climate-resilient agricultural practices and incentives; investment in research in the agriculture sector, including technologies for the genetic modification of crops; and the sustainable use of biodiversity.
A tremendous effort and commitment by the government is required to close the gap between the ever-growing population and domestic food production. The popular adage, “what you sow, so shall you reap” is quite pertinent in this context, since managing food security in Pakistan requires an understanding that the agricultural policies formed by the government not only affect the food supply and income of the poor in rural and urban areas, but also other sectors and national security.
– Mehreen Mujtaba is a freelance consultant working in the areas of environment and health. She has a keen interest in climate change and its effects on population health and human security.
