ater is a finite but substantially valuable natural resource. Without it, there would be no food and no life. Water is essential to life on Earth. It covers the majority of the planet’s surface, makes up over 50 percent of our bodies, produces our food and supports livelihoods.

Water is a driving force for people, economies and nature and the foundation of our food. Indeed, agriculture accounts for 72 percent of global freshwater withdrawals, but like all natural resources, fresh water is not infinite.

Keeping in view the importance of water in life, World Food Day 2023 will focus on the theme, Water is life -Water is food, Leave No One Behind.

The theme aims to highlight the critical role of water for life on Earth and water as the foundation of our food. It also seeks to raise global awareness about the importance of managing water wisely as rapid population growth, urbanisation and climate change threaten water availability.

Food insecurity is not just about the shortage of food, it also signifies people’s inability to purchase the required amount of food to sustain a day. Food insecurity affects women, children and rural households disproportionately, which leads to socio-economic inequalities and increases the number of food-insecure households. Thus, it is imperative that the governments devise their policies to ensure equitable economic growth and wealth distribution in the country.

Observed in more than 150 countries since its inception, the World Food Day stands out as one of the most widely incorporated occasions on the United Nations calendar. It serves as a poignant reminder of the crucial need for food security and the collective commitment to eradicating hunger.

Although the world produces enough food to feed the population, one in nine people suffer from starvation, approximately 820 million people. On the other hand, one-third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted.

It is sad to note that roughly 60 percent of the world’s hungry people are women. 70 percent of the world’s extremely poor reside in rural areas, primarily relying on agriculture. Hunger claims more lives annually than malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS combined. Approximately 45 percent of infant deaths are linked to under nutrition, affecting 151 million children under five with stunting. Across the globe, countless individuals cope with hunger, a challenge that demands our attention.

This day serves as an opportunity to advocate for a stronger commitment to realising Sustainable Development Goal 2: “to end poverty in all its forms, everywhere.” The SDGs are a call to action for all countries to foster prosperity while protecting the planet. Therefore, the targets include tackling poverty and developing strategies that address people’s social needs, such as health, education, social protection and employment opportunities and food needs.

Pakistan needs to address food insecurity in both rural and urban areas with multi-sectoral interventions. These will improve production, processing, transport, storage and marketing. Government policies can also help the food production industry deal with shocks, including those caused by climate change.

Over the years, Pakistan has been a food surplus country and a major producer of wheat. However, the National Nutrition Survey 2018 showed that 36.9 percent of the population faced food insecurity. Approximately 18 percent of children under five suffer from acute malnutrition. 40 percent of children in the same age group suffer from stunted growth. According to a Pakistan Bureau of Statistics Report, 16 percent of the population is experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity.

Pakistan needs to address food insecurity in both rural and urban areas with multi-sectoral interventions. These will improve production, processing, transport, storage, and marketing. Government policies can also help the food production industry deal with shocks, including those caused by climate change.

Pakistan must empower agriculture and livestock producers with better access to technology. This will ensure broader adoption of climate-smart agriculture. The country has a large volume of livestock with substantial viral and bacterial loads. It is therefore, important for the government to take concrete steps to improve its livestock capital.

Food security is threatened by many factors in Pakistan, including poverty, political instability, climate change and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic.

For several years, Pakistan has been severely hit by extreme climate change and global warming side effects. Floods, droughts, earthquakes and locust attacks have affected Pakistan’s food production. Damaged infrastructure, amplified economic losses and increased poverty levels have all contributed to the food insecurity.

The migration of rural populations also leads to food insecurity. Moreover, the waste of food due to inefficient measures, inadequate storage facilities and poor transportation also aggravate the situation.

About one-fourth of Pakistan – 170 million people – are already living below the poverty line. Food inflation reached 30 percent in 2007. An average Pakistani household spends 50.8 percent of monthly income on food. This makes them particularly vulnerable.

It has been experienced that due to high population growth, rural to urban migration, low purchasing power and price fluctuations, a situation of food-crisis prevails in the country.

Pakistan has a long way to go before it can meet the Sustainable Development Goals challenge. In 2021, it ranked 125 out of 163 on the SDGs index and had a score of 59.3, which is lower than the region’s average of 65.9.

In 2018, the government started working with the World Food Program to implement programmes to reduce hunger across the nation in order to make progress toward SDG-2. These efforts include supplying food and nutrition aid after disasters to the most vulnerable groups through cash and food transfers.

Qu Dongyu, the Food and Agriculture Organisation director general, said in a video message on Food Day “This year’s Food Day celebrates one of the planet’s most precious resources, water. Water is the centre of life and livelihood.

“The climate crisis, population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation and the social and economic development are putting increasing pressure on water resources. I ask each and every one of us to renew our collective commitment and take concrete action to improve the situation.”

The writer is a playwright and freelance journalist. He can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com