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Nourishing a Nation - Food Security in Pakistan

by Momina Ahsan | 21-08-2023 00:06 recommendations 0

Ensuring adequate food and water for its citizens is a significant challenge faced by nations across the globe, including Pakistan. With a population of over 220 million, providing sufficient food and clean drinking water is a top priority for the country. This article examines the current food and water security status in Pakistan, focusing on the challenges, potential solutions, and innovative strategies implemented to ensure the populace is well-nourished and hydrated.

According to the World Food Programme, 22.2 million people in Pakistan are facing acute food insecurity, meaning they do not have enough to eat. This number is expected to rise to 30 million by the end of the year due to the ongoing economic crisis and the impact of climate change. The majority of people suffering from hunger in Pakistan are women and children. In rural areas, 40% of children under the age of five are stunted due to malnutrition. Likewise, According to the Borgen Project, almost 17% of Pakistan's population is undernourished. Sadly, children are among the most impacted, with nearly 40% of children under five experiencing "stunting" or having low height due to inadequate nutrition.

Here are a few reasons impacting Food Shortage in Pakistan:

1. Population Pressure: Pakistan's rapidly growing population is one of the primary challenges to food and water security. The demand for food and water resources continues to escalate, putting immense pressure on the country's ability to provide for its people.

2. Climate Change: Pakistan is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. These events disrupt agricultural activities, leading to crop failures and water shortages.

3. Agriculture Dependency: Most of Pakistan's population depends on agriculture for livelihood. However, the agricultural sector is plagued by issues like outdated farming practices, lack of modern technology, and insufficient access to credit, all hindering food production.

4. Poverty: Poverty is a major problem in Pakistan, and it makes it difficult for people to afford food.

5. Inequality: The distribution of wealth in Pakistan is very unequal. This means that a small number of people control a lot of the wealth, while the majority of the population is poor. This inequality makes it difficult to ensure that everyone has access to food.

6. Government policies: The government of Pakistan has not done enough to address the issue of food insecurity. The government's agricultural policies are not supportive of small farmers, and they do not do enough to promote food security.

Being the ambassador of Climatic Change, it is the duty of every person residing to search innovative solutions for the challenge dangling our life structure. Here are a few solutions that can create a sustainable impact in our lives.

  • Investing in climate-resilient agriculture
  • Improving water management
  • Promoting sustainable agricultural practices
  • Reducing poverty and inequality
  • Ensuring that everyone has access to food.
  • Investing in research and development to develop new crop varieties that are resistant to climate change and pests.
These actions can be taken at individual level and impact our lives greatly. We need to promote initiatives like Urban farming that are gaining traction in cities like Karachi and Lahore. Rooftops and community gardens provide fresh produce to urban dwellers and reduce the strain on rural food supplies. Likewise, Educating the public about the importance of food conservation and responsible usage is critical to Pakistan's food security strategy. 

Saving the food and reducing food wastage can create a massive impact in the lives of poor. By doing so, at individual level, we can feed a single person daily, that can create a mass impact when adopted at a lager level. It is our duty to take appropriate actions for food conservation. Its like a food chain that needs human hands to accomplish a bigger picture and feed every single belly. 

Like the campaign, No-one sleep hungry!

 

MominaAhsan

  • Pakistan Former E-gen Ambassador Momina Ahsan
 
 
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2 Comments

Yewon Mentor

  • Yewon Mentor says :
    Hello again Momina! This is your mentor Yewon.
    In this report, you have written about food security in Pakistan, which was our theme for August.
    You mentioned six causes of food shortage in Pakistan, and I hope those problems are solved so that Pakistan can secure food security!
    Thank you for your meaningful report! Great job!
    Posted 31-08-2023 05:48

  • James Mentor says :
    Hello Momina! This is your mentor James!

    I think this is well written article on Pakistan's current food security. You seem to be well aware of the problems Pakistan is facing, their causes, and solutions.

    Thank you for your fantastic work! Let's keep it up with your next report as well.
    Posted 22-08-2023 14:54

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