Daily Times

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and co-financing from the Governments of Punjab and Sindh, inaugurated an Eddy Covariance Flux Tower at the Central Cotton Research Institute in Multan on August 31, 2024.

The flux tower installation is a key element in the project’s objective to enhance Pakistan’s capacity to monitor, analyze, and disseminate crucial climate, water, and agricultural data, essential for adapting to the impacts of climate change through a better understanding of climate and ecosystem dynamics.

The inauguration ceremony was jointly led by Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Secretary Agriculture, and Florence Rolle, FAO,s Country Head in Pakistan. As part of an ongoing project that spans five districts in South Punjab and three in Sindh, FAO recently installed different state-of-the-art climate and water data collection instruments to transform current agri-food production systems.

The Eddy Covariance Flux Tower, a new generation scientific instrument, measures the exchange of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, water vapour, and methane between the land surface and the atmosphere. The data it collects is vital for understanding carbon fluxes, evapotranspiration, and the energy balance within agricultural ecosystems. This information is crucial for assessing crop health, productivity, water use efficiency, and the environmental impact of agricultural practices.

Florence Rolle, during her speech, emphasized the importance of precise information and data for effective decision-making for government, research institutions and farmers in the face of climate change challenges. “The installation of this flux tower and other sophisticated instruments highlight FAO’s commitment to support the digitalization of agriculture in Pakistan”, she said.

Iftikhar Ali Sahoo also highlighted the tower’s role in advancing sustainable agricultural practices in Pakistan. “The data we gather from this flux tower will empower our workforce and farmers to make informed decisions, ensuring that we continue to enhance agricultural productivity while mitigating the impacts of climate change,” he noted.

Emphasizing on flux tower’s significance, he underlined that the datasets will also be used to calibrate a model aimed at assessing the optimal use of water during a cropping season and therefore move towards precision agriculture.

The ceremony was attended by several prominent officials, including Malik Muhammad Akram, Director General On-Farm Water Management Punjab, Abdul Hameed, Director General Agriculture Extension and Adaptive Research, Dr. Yusaf Zafar, Vice President of Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, Dr. Ishtiaq A. Rajwana, Vice Chancellor of MNS University of Agriculture Multan, Shahzad Sabir, Director Agriculture Extension Multan Division, and Engr. Ashraf Bhatti, Chief Irrigation Multan, Punjab Irrigation Department.

This project represents a collaborative effort between FAO, GCF, and the Agriculture Department, aimed at ensuring the sustainability of Pakistan’s agriculture sector in the face of growing climate change and water shortage challenges. Moving forward, the project will continue to focus on enhancing the country’s adaptive capacity through leveraging similar state-of-the-art technology and the development of comprehensive data management systems.