Pakistan’s Agricultural Sector
Agriculture plays a key role in the economy of any country, providing food, poverty reduction, industry development, and economic progress to its people. It is important for feeding the population, generating foreign exchange, and providing goods and services to both domestic industries and the global market. The agricultural sector of Pakistan has always been an important contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) with the latest figures showing its contribution at 22.9 %, but with an annual growth of only 1.6% (which is lower than the annual population growth of about 2,4%) while employing around 37.4 % of the labour force (GOP, 2023). But a historical survey shows the problem that Pakistan is facing:
After Pakistan came into being in 1947, the agriculture sector accounted to almost 60 per cent of overall GDP. By 1950, the value had decreased to 53 per cent, to 45 per cent in 1960, 38 percent in 1970, 29 per cent in 1980, and from 1990 onwards, it steadied at around 23 per cent. As the share of both the service and industrial sectors has risen in significance over time, its value lightly dropped to the current level of 22% of GDP (Greer & Jagirdar, 2006).
As agriculture provides a living for 65 to 70 % of the total population (GOP, 2021) the low productivity of the agricultural sector is a main source of poverty and food insecurity in the country.
Pakistan has an abundance of natural resources, including agricultural land and other natural resources. The country is mainly a semi-arid country, with nine identified agro-climatic zones. It has a total area of 79.61 million hectares (ha), of which 21.41 million ha are cultivated and 23.53 million ha are uncultivated. The remainder of the land is made up of cultivated waste (7.82 million h), highly inhabited forests, and rangelands. The cropped area comprises 23.40 million ha, whereas forests make up 4.23 million ha of total land (Agriculture Statistics of Pakistan 2010-11). Nearly 80% of the cultivated area of Pakistan is irrigated, making it the country with the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world (FAO F. a., n.d.).
The agricultural/forestry/hunting and fishing sectors employ 37.4% of the total labour force (28.4% men and 67.9% women) and generate a significant portion of foreign exchange revenues, according to the Labour Force Survey 2020-21 (GOP G. o., 2021). The country’s agricultural sector is divided into three subsectors namely, the crops sector, the livestock sector and the fishing sector. According to the 2022-23 economic survey, important crops (wheat, rice, sugarcane, maize and cotton) contribute 18.23% to agricultural value addition and 4.18% to GDP, while other crops contribute 14.49% and 3.32% respectively. Livestock contributes to 62.68% to agriculture and 14.36% to GDP. The fishery sector accounts for 1.39% of agricultural value addition and 0.32% of GDP, while the forestry sector provides for 2.23% of agricultural value addition and 0.51% of GDP (GOP, 2023).
Over time, Pakistan’s agriculture has faced several serious issues. Consequently, the sector’s recent performance has been well below its potential resulting in a growth of poverty and food insecurity.
Food Security/Insecurity
Over the past few decades, academic research has begun to focus on food security. There are more aspects to food security besides simply having adequate food in households or markets. Pakistan has been one of the worst affected countries in terms of an enormous rise in the number of persistently food insecure people. It ranked at 99th position out of 121 countries in the Global Hunger Index (Global Hunger Index, 2022) and currently ranks 84th in the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) (Global Food Security Index (GFSI), 2022).
Pakistan has a global acute malnutrition (GAM) rate of 17.7%, which is higher than the globally agreed-upon emergency threshold of 15% (Pakistan Nutrition Humanitarian Overview 2022). It is equivalent to over 40 million people not obtaining enough food every single day. This is roughly double the global number of undernourished people. The 2018 National Nutrition Survey found that 36.9% of the population is food insecure due to limited economic access to a balanced nutritious diet (Ministry of National Health Services, 2018). According to GFSI, the overall score of Pakistan regarding food security is 52.6 with scores of 59.9 in affordability, 58.3 in availability, 49.4 in quality and safety, and 37.7 in sustainability and adaption. Moreover, in Pakistan, the prevalence of undernourishment is 16.9%, 36.7% of children are stunted, 23.1% of children are underweight and 7.8 % are obese (Global Food Security Index (GFSI), 2022).
Food accounts for 50.8% of a Pakistani household’s monthly expenses, making them vulnerable to shocks such as rising food costs (World Food Program, March 2023). The WFP country strategy plan 2023-2027 claims that Pakistan would require 780.7 million dollars during the specified period (2023– 2027) to help Pakistanis meet their urgent food and nutrition needs and strengthen their sustainable livelihoods (Pakistan Country Strategic Plan (2023–2027)). To tackle the situation of food insecurity, the Government of Pakistan has carried out several significant policy measures to provide food security and nutrition for its people. The most recent is the National Food Security Policy 2018 (GOP, 2018).
Although food security has been a major challenge for Pakistan’s government in the past, during the COVID-19 pandemic, its deficiencies became more apparent. These weaknesses revealed the supply and demand sides of the food system, as well as problems in policies, the capacity of institutions, and responsive methods. The biggest challenges to national food security, the food supply chain during covid-19 pandemic were caused by obstacles in food trade and transport, unemployment, and the negative impact on agricultural production (Salik, 2021).
Pakistan is currently facing a severe food crisis among others as a result of massive flash floods in 2022. The floods affected 33 million people, killed around 1,600 people, and injured approximately 12,800. This has resulted in widespread food insecurity, hunger, and malnutrition across the country (Liaqat & Abbasi, 2023).
Food insecurity is also catalyzed by the current political and economic instability that Pakistan is facing. If the prevailing economic and political crisis intensifies, increasing the consequences of the 2022 floods, widespread food insecurity in Pakistan is expected to intensify significantly in the upcoming months. A most recent report jointly published by FAO and WFP identifies Pakistan as a ‘’very high concern’’ region in food insecurity over the time frame of June to November 2023 (FAO & WFP, 2023). Micronutrition deficiency is another dimension of food insecurity which is pervasive in Pakistan. Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals needed by the body in small amounts. However, their impact on a body’s health are critical, and deficiency in any of them can cause severe and even life-threatening conditions. Deficiencies in iron, vitamin A and iodine are the most common, particularly in children and pregnant women. They can cause visible and dangerous health conditions, but they can also lead to less clinically notable reductions in energy level, mental clarity and overall capacity. This can lead to reduced educational outcomes, reduced work productivity and increased risk from other diseases and health conditions.
Factors causing decrease in agricultural production and food insecurity
There is a number of factors responsible for the current situation.
Climate change and natural disasters
Severely impacts the food security situation in Pakistan. Global warming, floods, droughts, irregular rain, and water scarcity damage crops and minimize agricultural production resulting in increased food insecurity in Pakistan. According to the economic survey 2022-2023, the monsoon rains and floods in 2022 significantly impacted Pakistan’s rural population, affecting their basic needs and livelihoods, particularly those dependent on agriculture. The floods have severely affected over 33 million people including the farmlands, farmers, and infrastructure in 116 of the 154 districts of Pakistan. Over 1,700 people lost their lives, 7.6 million fled homes, and agricultural infrastructure was damaged. Sindh and Baluchistan were severely impacted, with 14.6 million people needing emergency assistance for agriculture and food security. The agricultural sector suffered the most severe damages and losses, with crops ruined on 4.4 million acres and 1 million livestock killed. The sector suffered 43% of the total damages and losses. The agricultural sector required 4 billion US dollars (25%) of the overall 16 billion dollars needed for recovery and rebuilding (GOP, 2023). Agriculture losses impact livelihoods, poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition, especially among vulnerable rural populations, causing widespread damage and displacement.
Water scarcity
Agriculture productivity in Pakistan is declining as a result of a shortage of natural water resources leading to water scarcity, which is caused by climate change, pollution, silting in reservoirs, leaching, and salinity. Agriculture in the country is mainly reliant on irrigation, but limited water supplies and ineffective practices are causing serious issues. Insufficient water supply, groundwater depletion, and water-intensive crops like rice and sugarcane are all contributing to the problem. Climate change and global warming have a significant influence on crop production in Pakistan since seasonal rains are regularly used to irrigate agricultural areas. Pakistan has a total 96.9% soil area, with water reserves accounting for 3.1%. However, 90% of Pakistan’s total cultivated area of 23.04 million hectors is irrigated, whereas only 10% is rain-fed (Nasreena & Ashraf, 2021). Canal water for irrigation is heavily subsidized, leading to the cultivation of water-intensive crops like sugarcane and rice at the expense of cotton, which provides more employment opportunities with lower water consumption. The fixed share-based water allocation, influenced by political rather than economic factors, leads to sub optimal water distribution and contributes to waterlogging and salinity problems in some regions. Implementing proper water pricing would encourage a more efficient cropping pattern with higher profitability and increased employment opportunities.
Land degradation
Land degradation is one of the major hurdles faced by the food and agriculture sector in Pakistan. With the growing problem of land degradation, Pakistan’s cultivable land is shrinking. An estimated 85.4 per cent of Pakistan’s soils are vulnerable to degradation and desertification due to a variety of policy-related, land management-related, meteorological, and socioeconomic issues. Soil erosion, deforestation, salinity, soil fertility loss, impact of grazing, waterlogging, soil pollution and socioeconomic causes all contribute to land degradation (Mahmood, Hamed, Kataoka, Turgay, & Namli, 2019).
Technology adoption and innovation
There are numerous obstacles to technology adoption and innovation in Pakistan’s food and agricultural sector. Lack of accessibility and affordability, poor infrastructure and connectivity, fragmented land holdings, traditional farming methods, lack of technical support and training, and lack of supportive laws and regulations are some of the factors that contribute to the issue. The inability to develop and act on innovations worsens the poor performance of the food and agriculture sectors. Stakeholders involved, are either incapable or unaware of the advantages of utilizing innovative production, assessment, and processing techniques, resulting in limited adoption prospects and low return (Abedullah, 2020). This causes hurdles in coping with the domestic demand for agriculture and food products, its exports and low yields.
Limited land for cultivation
Out of Pakistan’s total 79.6 million hectares, only 24.1 million are used for agriculture whereas, 8.28 million hectares of land is unusable and barren. Large land holdings are highly fragmented, making it difficult to use modern technology in agriculture (Khan A. , 2023). This is a key issue faced by the sector as this vast barren and underutilized land can be used for agriculture and food production.
Agriculture finance and credit shortages
Pakistani farmers are poor and make little income, and agricultural financing facilities are scarce. Non-institutional sources of financing are unreliable due to their high rate of interest. Landlords are the source of credit for 50.8% of Pakistan’s underprivileged population, and there are insufficient agricultural credit facilities in Pakistan due to a high rate of interest and irregular timing of payments (Khan, et al., 2022). This makes it difficult to obtain loans and agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and food production machinery. Lack of funding makes it difficult to invest in modern techniques for agriculture, which results in lesser yields and a decline in food production.
Trade balance deficit and Regional connectivity
Pakistan’s direct agricultural exports are only $5 billion, led mainly by rice. Meanwhile, food and agricultural imports have climbed to $10 billion, resulting in a $5 billion yearly trade deficit in food and agriculture (Hussain, 2023). This is only adding to the hurdles already faced by the food and agriculture sector in Pakistan. Regional connectivity can not only increase trade but also help in building a secure and prosperous region. There are many obstacles to building a trade network within the region. This includes inconsistent regional policy and trade barriers, technical and administrative barriers, changes in the rate of tariffs, preferential treatment, and conflicts of political and trade interests with other countries. Organisations like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) must engage all countries to resolve transboundary conflicts and build common markets with no or minimum tariffs. Regional cooperation and action is a hope for people which is only possible with common interests and firm resolution to look forward and end conflicts with neighbouring countries.
Traditional agricultural cultivation and Seed Shortage
Due to old cultivation and harvesting methods, Pakistan has a poor yield per acre, indicating that its average crop production is a quarter the size as compared to developed countries. Poor harvesting and post-harvesting techniques result in substantial revenue losses due to decreased costs as a result of declining quality of production of agricultural goods (Khan, et al., 2022). Breeders working in the public sector have no incentive to develop new varieties/ breeds. More than one ministry is involved in the approval of Genetically Modified (GM) varieties. The cumbersome approval process discourages international companies from developing GM varieties. The food and agriculture sector faces a significant issue of certified seed shortage in Pakistan. While lack of certification doesn’t necessarily imply poor quality, it does contribute to the country’s low agricultural productivity. The shortage of certified seeds, particularly for crops like pulses and vegetables, creates barriers to the introduction of new varieties and inhibits investment in research and development (R&D). This lack of investment further hampers the improvement of crop quality and productivity. Moreover, the stagnant growth of certified seeds in the market suggests that the current system is hindering growth rather than promoting it. Indirect subsidies on fertilizers and water lead to market distortions and inefficient resource allocation.
Seed Certification
The Federal Seed Certification & Registration Department (FSC & RD) is an attached department of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research. In the contemporary agriculture marketing landscape, a brand’s reputation holds more value than approvals from the FSC&RD. The government spends more than Rs 800 million annually on FSC&RD, but its certification does not translate into market value. Only 37% of seeds are certified in Pakistan, the excessive government footprint has made the private sector reluctant to invest in Research and Development within the seed sector. This reluctance stems from the fact that FSC&RD relies on the National Agricultural Research Center (NARC) to conduct trials for new varieties seeking approval. Moreover, the institutes developing their varieties like the National Agriculture Research Center (NARC) are also involved in regulating private companies, which is a direct conflict of interest.
Diseases of Plants and Livestock
Agriculture’s annual productivity is decreased as various crops in Pakistan including rice, tobacco, wheat cotton and sugarcane, are regularly harmed by pests and insects. Excessive rainfall and harsh weather conditions have caused a 20% decline in productivity in Pakistan (Khan, et al., 2022). Livestock, which makes up 62.68 per cent of agriculture and 14.36 per cent of GDP, increased by 3.78 per cent in fiscal year 2022-23 (GOP, 2023). Also, Pakistan is the world’s fourth-largest milk producer. Animal diseases significantly impact Pakistan’s food security, causing livestock population losses, decreased availability of animal-based goods, disrupting supply chains, and negatively impacting the livelihoods of small-scale farmers. These diseases also threaten nutritional variety and food safety, especially in vulnerable communities. Pakistan’s livestock and dairy sector faces challenges due to nutrition, animal husbandry, and limited vaccination and veterinary services. Common diseases affecting the livestock sector include Foot-andMouth Disease (FMD), Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR), avian influenza, mastitis, hemorrhagic septicemia, blackleg parasite infections, and hemoglobinuria (Ghafar, et al., 2020).
Population growth and food security
Pakistan is currently the fifth most populous country in the world with its population reaching a whopping 241 million people according to the 7th Population and Housing Census 2023 (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2023). The rapidly rising population of Pakistan exerts enormous pressure on the food production system. With over half of Pakistan’s population experiencing food insecurity, this tremendous population explosion is raising serious questions about food scarcity in Pakistan (Kassem, Safdar, & Naeem, 2021). Low agricultural production is directly responsible for Pakistan’s food insecurity. Food consumption is rising quicker than agricultural productivity, resulting in an increasing food supply-demand imbalance.
Poverty and income disparity
Poverty and inequality are a major issue regarding food security in Pakistan, resulting in limited access to a sufficient and nutritious diet. Low agricultural productivity is also linked to poverty, particularly for small-scale farmers who lack both financial resources and access to modern agricultural goods and technology. 18% of Pakistanis have been estimated to experience acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), which places the overall food insecurity rate at 43 per cent. The WFP asserts that accessibility to nutrient-rich food is the “greatest barrier to achieving a nutritious diet,” identifying that the majority of Pakistanis are unable to buy it (Kamal, 2021).
Global disease outbreaks (Covid-19)
Like everywhere else in the world, the Covid-19 epidemic has had a direct impact on people’s access to food and livelihoods in Pakistan. Before the pandemic began, food insecurity was already causing serious problems for policymakers, and it has only become worse since. The pandemic has highlighted important policy, institutional, and response mechanism flaws as well as supply and demand side vulnerabilities in the food system of Pakistan (Suleri, et al., 2022).
Inadequate Infrastructure
In Pakistan, inadequate food storage and distribution infrastructure leads to post-harvest losses and food waste. This can result in delays, product quality degradation, increased transaction costs, and limited market accessibility, compromising food quality and safety. The poor condition of infrastructure used by the relevant stakeholders (farmers, transporters, contractors, agricultural-related government employees etc.) is also an issue regarding food and agriculture sector development in Pakistan.
The availability of roads, facilities, transportation, and electricity in rural areas is insufficient to facilitate agricultural activities. Farm-to-market roads are short and in bad condition, and there are no metaled roads in many areas (Khan A. , 2023). Inadequate infrastructure always leads to low agriculture production thus affecting food security in the country. Currently, a significant portion of root crops, vegetables, meat, dairy, fish, and cereals are wasted annually, contributing to malnutrition and stunting among the population. With a projected population of 330 million by 2050, it’s imperative to reform the agriculture supply chain, which is currently inefficient and contributes to food wastage.
Inefficient Subsidies
The government is heavily involved in setting prices and providing subsidies for various agricultural inputs such as irrigation water, electricity, and fertilizers. This intervention occurs at different stages of production and sales, including setting a minimum support price and procuring wheat. While the government has focused on promoting wheat production, this approach has led to a neglect of other essential crops like coarse grains, pulses, and oilseeds.
The significant support and subsidies provided for wheat, including price support and fertilizer subsidies, have resulted in bumper crops. However, the government’s involvement in distributing wheat flour at subsidized prices and providing cheap Roti has distorted the market and led to the emergence of mafias and cartels. It has also placed a burden on the government’s finances. The government currently stores approximately 80% of marketable wheat and spends around Rs. 50 billion annually. This discourages the participation of the private sector in wheat marketing and storage.
Political instability
The growth of all economic and social sectors in Pakistan has been hampered by political instability. The country is currently suffering from an unstable political environment, causing farmers to be hesitant about selling their agricultural goods as raw materials to other firms. Investors, on the other hand, are reluctant to invest in the food and agriculture sector because of the ongoing political uncertainty (Khan A. , 2023).
In order to deal with the deficiencies of Pakistani agriculture a thorough reform of that sector is necessary. The following measures are proposed:
Short Term Initiatives
1. Incentivize the private sector to set up agriculture input supplies super stores and offer a five to seven-year tax holiday to the private sector involved in the agricultural input supply chain. Abolish indirect subsidies and open up input markets to local and international investors to promote competition. Cease fixing minimum support prices and allow private sector entry into procurement, storage, and transportation. Trade liberalisation with effective implementation of rules and regulations will bring trade benefits.
2. The government must gradually exit from output markets to allow for market-based price determination and private sector participation. Implement agriculture market regulatory authorities to improve market transparency and efficiency. Initially, the government must exit from wheat and sugar markets – no fixation of minimum support price and no purchases by the government from the farmers. The private sector is not allowed to establish agricultural output markets – farmers are bound to sell their produce in the public sector markets where prices are controlled by the Deputy Commissioner/ local government. It is required to amend the law to allow the private sector to establish markets where farmers can sell their produce at the price determined through the supply-demand mechanism.
Terminate all subsidies and only provide targeted subsidies for essential agricultural inputs like fertilizers, seeds, and pesticides. A system can be attached to the Benazir Income Support Program for data collection on poor farmers. The targeted subsidies and social safety of only poor farmers are required. This can be combined with digital vouchers for greater transparency and efficiency.
3. Focus on Small Farmers: Initiate special TV and Radio programs for awareness of farmers especially designed for small farmers that educate on climate-smart practices, access to microloans, and technical assistance for better yields, introduce digital farming and use of technology in agriculture, especially for digital payments through QR codes and use of banking services like Asaan Mobile Account (AMA) and RAAST.
4. The government must remove unnecessary checkpoints and trade barriers to streamline transportation logistics. Rural road networks for farmers to have access to markets are required. This will facilitate easier movement of agricultural produce within the country.
5. To reduce the information gap between producer and consumer digital networking and enforcement of a proper labelling system is essential. The Agriculture Market Regulatory Authority (PAMRA) Act in Punjab and Sindh should be implemented in letter and spirit. This act allows the establishment of agriculture produce markets in the private sector and reduces the powers of market committees. Food should be obligated to be sold in packages with labeling indicating various quality parameters and enforcement of proper labelling regime will help to solve the problem.
6. Digitization also plays a crucial role in supply chain reforms. Companies like Tazah Technologies and Easyfresh Technologies are working on digitizing the agriculture value chain and connecting farmers with retailers to improve efficiency and eliminate middlemen. The government must encourage them and facilitate farmers by allowing more firms to build cold storage houses as competition in the market will reduce the prices of service providers and it will benefit small farmers.
7. Price irrigation water adequately to encourage efficient water use and crop selection. Also, the government must repair and upgrade irrigation canals to minimize water losses. As the agriculture sector is consuming a major chunk of water it is necessary to educate farmers on water conservation practices in agriculture. The government must formulate a regulatory framework for efficient utilization of groundwater and to avoid overexploitation of the aquifer. It can be done by allocating water to different areas in provinces and regions after an open auction so that water can flow where it has the most economic benefit.
• For efficient use of water the following technology and approaches must be implemented: drip irrigation systems and sprinkler irrigation systems. These systems can reduce water usage by 30% to 70%. Drip irrigation has low water wastage as seepage loss and evaporation loss as it provides dropby-drop water and it is efficiently used by plants. The sprinkler water technique is used in developed countries like the US, China, and Russia by large land-holding farmers. This method is effective in arid areas, Pakistani farmers are still using traditional methods of irrigation: flood, furrow, and basin irrigation. These methods are less effective. In water shortage areas especially, this can be a game changer for farmers. It reduces water wastage, distributes water efficiently, irrigates water in a short time, and is easy to operate, this can be adopted by Pakistan farmers with large land-holdings easily.
• Install soil sensors or provide specific information on soil determining the status of roots, indicating when to hydrate and when no water is required, which will prevent water loss and nutrient loss. There are agricultural systems available which can be attached to devices to analyse soil data.
• Drone thermal cameras are used to detect leaks and evaluate if crops are getting insufficient or excessive water. Data management of irrigation water is a field that needs skilled labour equipped with technology to get a high return on crops. EXCLUSIVE FOR DEFENCE JOURNAL 35 Pakistan must invest in the skills of farm labourers and give incentives to young people to work on farms.
• Educate farmers about using irrigation management Mobile apps. The internet availability in many rural areas is of no use if farmers are only watching TikTok or YouTube for entertainment. There are mobile applications like Field Net Mobile that enable farmers to monitor irrigation required based on changing weather conditions. Local weather stations and water required by different crops depending on soil conditions are recommended by smartphone apps on irrigation.
8. Adopt conservation tillage for sustainable and productive agricultural practices. This include limited tillage, no till, and strip-till that helps in conservation of soil water. This decrease in tillage and crop residual remains on the soil surface to some extent which minimizes water loss from the soil. It also cools the soil and reduce the drying of soil due to tillage.
• Educate farmers with the help of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and USAID which are active in promoting the conservation tillage. Initiate programs to educate farmers about the benefits and methods of conservation tillage, often through field demonstrations and hands-on training.
• Conservation tillage practices have been introduced and are being promoted in Pakistan, though their adoption varies by region and farmer awareness. The Pakistan Agricultural Re search Council (PARC) and provincial agricultural universities are involved in the research and dissemination of conservation tillage techniques. They conduct trials and demonstrations to show the benefits of these practices. Conservation tillage practices have been introduced and are being promoted in Pakistan, though their adoption varies by region and farmer awareness. Several initiatives and organizations are working to spread knowledge and implementation of conservation tillage methods in the country. However, the extent and effectiveness of these practices can be uneven due to various challenges, including limited resources, traditional farming practices, and lack of widespread education and support for farmers.
9. Improve Crop Rotation Technique
this technique is commonly used in Pakistan. It must be approved by investing in new technologies and equipment. Introduce Precision Agriculture (PA), a modern technology for crop rotation, which provides precise information on planting pattern that improves efficiency. Data Analysis (DA) to make decisions about crop selection and rotation with the use of historical and real-time data. This will increase overall productivity. Crop rotation must be used for diverse crops and not only rotating wheat and rice. In Punjab province, crop rotation is adapted for diverse crops. It results in improved soil fertility, increased yields, and pest control.
10. or Livestock export, De-cap milk and meat prices, allow export slaughterhouses to also sell in the domestic market, and allow live animal imports for halal meat exports.
11. Develop and implement a national plant and livestock disease surveillance system utilizing remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and mobile technology for real-time monitoring and reporting. Set up regional diagnostic laboratories equipped with the latest technology to quickly identify and respond to disease outbreaks. Livestock contributes almost 62% of the agricultural GDP of the country. To increase the profit of the sector and well well-being of 8 million families associated with it, increase funding for veterinary services to improve training, provide modern equipment, and ensure adequate staffing. Implement nationwide vaccination programs targeting common livestock diseases, ensuring vaccines are accessible and affordable. Build and upgrade infrastructure for disease detection and response, including laboratories, quarantine facilities, and cold storage for vaccines. The government must regulate the sector and ensure that adequate resources are allocated for rapid response teams to act immediately upon detecting disease outbreaks.
12. The government must protect Consumers from Food Adulteration by strengthening regulations and enforcement to prevent food adulteration. Implement strict actions against those found guilty of adulteration. Conduct frequent inspections and testing of food products and impose heavy fines on those involved in food adulteration.
13. Reorganise and strengthen the Agriculture Policy Institute (API) and provincial research centers to include digital farming, improve economic analysis and give them the mandate to handle macro-level issues by contributing to trade and policy analysis. Allocate increased resources to research on drought-resistant crop varieties and climate-resilient agricultural practices. Also increase farmer training Programs on modern agricultural techniques, including soil management, integrated pest management, and efficient irrigation methods, and sustainable practices.
• Establish the National Commission on Farmers (NCF) with clear mandates and operational autonomy. Appoint members with diverse expertise in agriculture, technology, policy, and economics. This must have representation from farmers, agriculture scientists, and the private sector so that they can devise a national food security strategy. The commission’s mandate should be to improve agriculture yields, to further develop high-yielding varieties of wheat, rice, and other crops, the digital literacy of farmers, and the well-being of farmers.
• The commission must initiate broad research projects to identify key issues faced by farmers. Collect data on regional agricultural practices, productivity levels, and economic challenges. Draft a comprehensive strategy for food and nutrition security.
• Set measurable goals and timelines for achieving food security and enhancing agricultural productivity. Provide resources and support to help farmers transition to environmentally friendly techniques. The focus should be on facilitating farmers by providing all information on seed quality, harvesting techniques, soil fertility, appropriate use of fertilisers and availability of
• Facilitate partnerships between technology providers and farmers. Promote the use of digital platforms for market access, information dissemination, and financial services. Incentivize farmers to move towards digital farming, using various startups like Ricult, Tazah, Cowlar, AgriDunya, and ConcaveAgri which aim to work for smallholder farmers using technology. AgriDunya is a Pakistani online application designed specifically for farmers. It acts as a central hub for agricultural information, helping farmers stay informed about market fluctuations in prices, production, and demand for various crops. The app also provides a comprehensive knowledge base on best practices, statistics, and details on major crops grown in Pakistan. This wealth of information empowers farmers to optimize their practices, potentially leading to increased yields and improved overall efficiency
• The future is digital farming, it is time to incentivize and encourage youth to work in agriculture and tap its potential of high profitability through technology. Provide scholarships, grants, and mentorship programs for young farmers. Invest in infrastructure improvements, including irrigation systems, storage facilities, and transportation networks to support agricultural innovation and sustainability
14 Establish a countrywide network of specialized soil testing laboratories with micronutrient deficiency detecting facilities. To find out why per acre yield is less as compared to neighbouring countries.
The following steps must be taken to improve seed quality and thus agriculture output
15. Abolish Stringent Seed Certification: Remove strict seed certification requirements to attract private sector investment and encourage growth in the seed market to prevent low-quality seeds that affect agricultural productivity. Shift from a centrally controlled variety approval system to a free market mechanism and facilitate unrestricted entry and exit for seed companies.
• The role of FSC&RD must be revised and they maintain records of registered seed firms. Companies must submit a bank-issued surety bond to FSC&RD for registration. FSC&RD is required to issue registration on the same day upon receiving the surety bond to save time and develop of efficient certification system. Banks will hold the surety bond amount until the company cancels its registration with FSC&RD.
• Reform the marketing process by shifting to a US-based model, ensuring proper labelling and brand governance. Engage third-party verification for seed labelling to ensure quality control and authenticity
• An online complaint system at FSC&RD where farmers can file complaints if seeds do not match the labelled characteristics. Proven violations can lead to license revocation and seizure of the surety bond amount. The seized bond amount can compensate consumers or be given to the government to settle disputes. If a complaint is false, the complainant must pay a fine covering all procedural expenses. Establish special courts for intellectual property rights disputes.
• All seed supply firms should be required to accurately label products to bridge the information gap. Breeders should be encouraged to develop new varieties and breeds. When selling or transferring intellectual property rights of new varieties or breeds to the private sector, a fixed proportion of the income should be allocated to all public sector scientists involved in innovation. This will not only motivate them to innovate further but will also discourage them from releasing the variety illegally.
It is recommended to remove public sector control over seed variety approval, seed production business, and price regulation. Moreover, the government need to build capacity for the effective implementation of regulations. Merely having regulations on paper is insufficient if there isn’t the capability to enforce them.
16. High Population growth is a challenge for food security. The government must strengthen existing family planning programs. Implement programs aimed at educating adults about reproductive health and family planning. Focus on regions with high fertility rates and low literacy levels. Ensure that all children, particularly girls, have access to quality education. Education is a critical factor in reducing fertility rates, as educated women are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth.
• Provide economic incentives for families that choose to have fewer children. This could include tax benefits, subsidies, or direct financial support. Implement strict Child labour laws and encourage and support women’s participation in the workforce. Ensure the safety of women and implementation of laws and provide facilities at all government and private offices such as maternity leave, childcare services, and workplace flexibility. Empowered, economically active women tend to have fewer children.
• Enhance Family Planning Services: Integrate family planning into primary healthcare services. Train healthcare providers to offer comprehensive reproductive health services, including counselling and education on family planning options. Engage religious clergy (Molvis like Bangladesh did to create awareness on family planning).
• Community Outreach and Education: Launch nationwide campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of family planning. Utilize media, religious leaders, community health workers, and educational institutions to disseminate information and debunk myths surrounding contraceptive use. Ensure that contraceptives are widely available and affordable in both urban and rural areas. Expand distribution channels through public health facilities and partnerships with private pharmacies.
It is not only food security but other natural resources that are also scarce and the high population growth rate is a threat to the overall development process as limited resources are available.
17. Malnutrition and Stunting: Start School meal programmes in the country, especially in rural areas. These are globally recognized as effective tools for the promotion of children’s education and their nutritional status through increased enrolment, retention rates reduced micronutrient deficiencies, short-term hunger, and gender disparity.
Media awareness campaigns to engage parents, caregivers, and community members in the planning, implementation, and monitoring of school meals programs. Community involvement fosters ownership, accountability, and sustainability of the programs, while also promoting awareness about the importance of nutrition and education. Initiate targeted nutrition support programs focusing on vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, lactating mothers, infants, and children under five, to address malnutrition and improve health outcomes.
Long-Term Strategy
Genetic Improvement of Livestock Projects
Invest in genetic improvement of livestock projects. Encourage Public-Private partnerships for investing in infrastructure such as breeding centres, research facilities, and laboratory equipment to support genetic improvement activities and research in livestock genetics. The government must formulate supportive policies and regulatory frameworks to facilitate the adoption of genetic improvement technologies and practices, including incentives for farmers to participate in breeding programs and quality assurance mechanisms for livestock genetics.
Establish Farmer Organizations
The government should establish Professional Farmers’ Organizations (PFOs), make Public-Private Producer Partnerships (4Ps), and Farm Service Centers (FSCs) to improve service delivery. Investment in rural women and youth for skills development and start-up capital activities is also essential. In the KPK province, there are 550 PFOs, 20 4Ps, and 35 farm service centres, potentially impacting 785,000 households (4.35 million people). This bottom-up approach can be replicated in Punjab and Sindh.
PFOs consist of 300-500 farmers each, who will receive training and support from the PFO management. Additionally, these farmers will have access to in-kind loans for inputs and services and could receive funding from the government or private sector for agri-business development. Their focus should be on value addition, market access, and training on climate-smart practices and technologies, potentially increasing a farmer’s income from $1000 to $2000.
A Farm Service Center (FSC) should be established per district, offering input supply, technical advice, and marketing services. Collaboration between the government and private sector is crucial for capacity building, extension services, research, management, and sustainability of FSCs. Support for ultra-poor households and providing them with startup capital is important, with special attention given to women and youth to engage them in the formal economy. These organizations should focus on agribusiness development, skills development, and employment promotion in rural areas to improve the lives of rural communities. By working with the private sector, government, and the community, better solutions can be found for the issues identified by farmers on this platform. The promotion of digital payments and training in using technology in agriculture can be achieved by establishing Professional Farmers’ Organizations (PFOs), making Public-Private Producer Partnerships (4Ps), and Farm Service Centers (FSCs) countrywide.
Digitization of Agriculture
Pakistan must pave the way towards a digitally enabled agricultural sector, ensuring a more prosperous future for its farmers and consumers. The following actions are to be taken by the government:
Educate farmers and consumers on digital agriculture. Short courses or crash programmes in colleges and community centres, use mosques and schools in villages to educate farmers with digital skills in agriculture. Teach them to use apps like in India where soil fertility and crop selection are done digitally. Weather updates and other digital skill literacy are required to adopt digital solutions in the agriculture sector. Both farmers and consumers must be informed in the agricultural sector about digital payments and data-driven decision-making. By digitizing transactions between farmers, input suppliers, and buyers, a credit history for farmers can be established, enabling better access to capital. Moreover, reliable market intelligence data can aid policymakers in making informed decisions, particularly regarding trade and agriculture policies. Building transparency in the supply chain can enhance trust between farmers and buyers, reducing the need for subsidies and improving overall efficiency. For all this to happen the first step is that the government should prioritize improving broadband penetration and affordability. The recent approval of a Telecom infrastructure sharing framework is a step in the right direction, but more measures are needed to enhance connectivity.
Improvise the Land Information Management System (LIMS) to rationalize data gathering and availability across farmers, industry, and academia. The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) launched the LIMS as a part of the Green Pakistan Initiative that is propelling corporate farming and capital into the country. This needs regulation by the government to ensure a trickle-down effect for small farmers. Invest in center-pivot irrigation, drones, digital farms, smartphones, and other advanced machinery then agriculture will be happening at a scale to justify the use of.
The small farmers in Pakistan are not able to imagine beyond the right prices for their inputs and outputs, they have no realization of agri-tech apps or high-tech sensors in the field. Therefore, digital literacy is essential and execution of B2C digitization in agriculture is only possible through B2B. To improve critical thinking and digital literacy among the youth, digital skills in primary and secondary level curricula must be initiated immediately.
To address malnutrition issues
• Mass nutrition advocacy and awareness at all levels by engaging influencers such as mainstream media, social media, academia, religious institutions and other public and private departments
• Encourage urban agriculture initiatives such as rooftop gardens, community gardens, and vertical farming to increase local food production, improve access to fresh produce, and enhance food security in urban areas.
• Initiate projects on gender inclusion in the agriculture sector by promoting women’s participation and leadership in agriculture through targeted capacity building, and access to land, credit, and resources. Start debating on gender-sensitive policies and programs to empower women farmers and enhance household food security. Legislation on women on farms for their safety and access to a market where they can sell their products directly to consumers. Set up markets for women farmers only with special storage facilities to encourage women’s participation in the agriculture market.
• Pakistan must roll out a holistic Early Childhood Development (ECD) agenda (Policy, Governance, Programme Development and Implementation) that lays the foundation for the health and well-being of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens. It is recommended to develop a national school nutrition, health & meal policy and governance structure for program development and implementation. Set up inter-ministerial committees or task forces to coordinate ECD efforts across different sectors, such as health, education, and social welfare. It is required to give training and start capacity-building programs for government officials, practitioners, and community leaders involved in ECD. Development of multi-sectoral national nutrition policy
• Establish a multi-sectoral national nutrition information system. Implementation of a Comprehensive food system that includes food safety policy including harmonization of standards, its implementation, and entrepreneur development for homegrown food production and preservation, and Private Sector engagement in food security.
• Excessive Taxes may be imposed on sugary beverages and utilise this budget for nutrition interventions and Research & development in agriculture sector. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the big enterprises may be earmarked for nutrition improvement.
Conclusion
Food security in Pakistan is intricately linked to the functionality and resilience of its food systems, which play a pivotal role in addressing food insecurity, malnutrition, and diet-related health issues. Several critical challenges need to be addressed to maintain sustained access to safe and nutritious food. These include optimizing the allocation of land and resources, diversifying cropping systems, improving access to fresh produce in rural areas, reducing food loss and waste, and enhancing food safety and nutrition through private and public awareness campaigns. Additionally, the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices and climate-resilient techniques is imperative to ensure long-term food security by creating a modern and diversified agriculture sector, reducing post-harvest losses, protecting agricultural land, and adopting climate-resilient measures. It is time to shift towards sustainable food systems throughout the entire food value chain. Strategic planning and policy development, coupled with capacity-building initiatives, are crucial for achieving these goals. By focusing on sustainable practices and integrating modern technologies, Pakistan can build a robust and resilient agricultural sector capable of meeting the nutritional needs of its population and ensuring food security for future generations.
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Contributed By:
Fahad Rasheed
He is currently working as a Research Assistant in Pathfinder Group and have an interest in International Relations, Politics, Foreign Policy and Pakistan’s Defence Relations with Major Powers.
