Government of Pakistan should educate farmers to adopt
biotechnology and eco-friendly farming methods to improve
food security related problems. A comprehensive national
food security strategy focusing on ensuring the food
security in the food insecure districts, must be evolved.
The World Food Summit in 1996 defined the term ‘Food
security’ as a state ‘when all people, at all times, have
physical and economic access to sufficient safe and
nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food
preferences for a healthy and active life’.
This definition encompasses five basic aspects of food
security; availability, access, stability, nutritional
status and preferences of food.
The focal point of national and global food security is
in general on the supply side of the food that whether
sufficient food is available or not.
A nation could be self-sufficient in food if it can
maintain a balance between supply and demand. However, the
availability of food cannot pledge its access to the people.
To make certain food security at the individual level,
there is a need to address access part.
Food security is very important for the health of a
nation, more so, for its independence and respectable living
among the international community.
Pakistan is facing severe food security crises even
though agriculture is the base of Pakistan’s economy
contributing 21% of the GDP.
It is a big challenge for Pakistan.
Increase in food production and improved access to food
sources can help alleviate the risk..
Population explosion is creating an immense threat of
food scarcity for Pakistan in near future leaving the
production level falling down day by day, causing increase
in price of food commodities.
According to the National Nutrition Survey 2013, around
60 per cent of Pakistan’s population is facing food
insecurity, and in these households, almost 50 per cent
women and children were malnourished.
Changes in climate is also affecting the sustainability
of agricultural systems and disrupting production, despite
the fact, that Pakistan is at the bottom in emitting
greenhouse gases.
In the face of predictions of more extreme weather,
Pakistan’s Federal and Provincial governments and civil
society organizations are responsible to protect citizens by
materializing their pledges and scaling up the development
programmes that help ensure resilience to climate-related
risks.
Food security can also be linked by agriculture methods.
Government of Pakistan should educate farmers to adopt
biotechnology and eco-friendly farming methods to improve
food security related problems.
A comprehensive national food security strategy focusing
on ensuring the food security in the food insecure
districts, must be evolved.
June, 2015
By
Rabail Malik
Source:
Pakistan Observer