The global acute malnutrition rate of Pakistan is 17.7 % which exceeds the emergency threshold. The major reasons for malnutrition include monsoon rains and floods in all provinces, higher percentage of people facing food insecurity, lack of access to basic services such as health and nutrition. The Global Hunger Index 2022 ranks Pakistan as 99th out of 121 countries in food insecurity. The report indicated that Pakistan has a serious level of hunger.
Flash floods in 2022 created an enormous food crisis in Pakistan which destroyed millions of acres of agricultural land and affected crops and livestock. According to an estimate, the flood caused an additional 2.5 million people into extreme hunger. Food security crisis particularly intensified in flood-hit areas of Sindh and Balochistan province. Floods also created a scarcity of basic food items which in turn escalated food prices.
The Food and Agriculture Organization stated that flood 2022 destroyed 1.7 million hectares of agrarian land and major agricultural products and livestock in Pakistan. FAO estimates indicated that around 14.6 million people in the country require food security and agricultural assistance in flood-affected areas whereas around 0.5 million people are on the brink of severe food insecurity. The International Rescue Committee pointed out that floods during 2022 affected 65% of Pakistan’s major food crops.
The capacity building of national and provincial disaster management authorities is required to better forecast and prepare for natural calamities.
Droughts in Pakistan are also causing the issue of food insecurity due to extreme variations in rainfall. The rainy monsoon days in some regions have reduced and make these areas prone to drought. As per Pakistan Meteorological Department, droughts conditions can be observed in certain districts of Sindh and Balochistan. The intensity of rain, on the other hand, has also intensified which is a major cause for floods in Pakistan.
The report by Pakistan Business Council on the agriculture sector stated that due to food inflation rate, accessibility towards food of low-income groups have been affected. Then, due to the foreign exchange reserves crisis, the government is unable to import food required to fulfill the demand. Water scarcity is another major challenge for the agriculture sector and Pakistan may face further water scarcity by 2025 and become the most water-stressed country in South Asia by 2040. This will be detrimental for agriculture production which will decrease considerably due to shortage of water.
Wheat production in the current year is affected as the government couldn’t ensure the availability of agriculture inputs such as fertilizer and urea. The rising population is another challenge as it is becoming difficult to fulfill the rising demand due to population growth. Pakistan faced a shortfall of more than two million tons of wheat during 2023 which is expected to increase around three million tons by 2024.
The government has taken various measures including National Food Security Policy, Vision 2025, to tackle the crisis situation and achieve food security related Sustainable Development Goals. However, in Pakistan the federal government must focus on drastic climate change and its adverse impact on the agriculture sector. To achieve SDG-2 targets, it is necessary to develop the institutional capacity to deal with emergency situations. Utilizing the available data for decision-making, policy formulation and stakeholder collaboration is important to develop food systems in Pakistan.
The federal government should provide sufficient funding to the provincial governments to deal with the emergency situation. The capacity building of national and provincial disaster management authorities is required to better forecast and prepare for natural calamities. Besides, the government should take immediate measures to reduce the inflationary pressure especially for basic food items to improve the accessibility of lower-income households. Provision of basic inputs including fertilizers and addressing the market distortions for farmers can help to increase agriculture production and reduce food prices.
It is required to promote modern measures in the agriculture sector to boost productivity to ensure sufficient production domestically which will also reduce the dependence upon imported goods. Besides, the private sector and other stakeholders should also play their part to mitigate the food security crisis. The opportunities must be created for entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector to support new ideas and solutions to resolve the food security crisis in Pakistan.
The writer is a senior research associate (Sustainable Development Policy Institute) and can be reached at [email protected].