he global acute malnutrition rate of Pakistan is 17.7 percent, which exceeds the emergency threshold. The major reasons for malnutrition include excessive rains and floods in all the provinces, a higher percentage of people facing food insecurity, lack of access to basic services, such as health and nutrition. The Global Hunger Index 2022 ranks Pakistan as 99^th out of 121 countries in food insecurity. The report has indicated that Pakistan has a serious level of hunger.

Flash floods in 2022 created an enormous food crisis in Pakistan. It destroyed millions of acres of agricultural land and affected crops and livestock. According to an estimate, the flood pushed an additional 2.5 million people into extreme hunger.

The food security crisis particularly intensified in flood-hit areas of Sindh and Balochistan province. The floods also created a scarcity of basic food items which, in turn, led to higher food prices.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation has stated that floods in 2022 destroyed 1.7 million hectares of agrarian land besides major agriculture products and livestock in Pakistan. FAO estimates indicated that around 14.6 million people in the country required food security and agricultural assistance in flood-affected areas. Around 0.5 million people were on the brink of severe food insecurity. The International Rescue Committee has pointed out that floods affected 65 percent of Pakistan’s major food crops.

Droughts are also causing food insecurity due to extreme variations in rainfall. In some regions, the number of rainy days has dropped. This has made these areas prone to drought. As per Pakistan Metrological Department, drought conditions can occur in some districts of Sindh and Balochistan. In other districts, the intensity of rain has intensified and is causing floods.

A Pakistan Business Council report on the agriculture sector has stated that due to high food inflation, accessibility of food for low-income groups has been affected. Due to the foreign exchange crisis, the government is unable to import food required to meet the demand.

Water scarcity is another challenge for the agriculture sector. Pakistan may face deeper water scarcity by 2025 and become the most water-stressed country in South Asia by 2040. This will be detrimental for agriculture and cause yields to decrease considerably.

Wheat production this year has been affected as the government was unable to ensure the availability of fertiliser and pesticides. The rising population is another challenge. It is becoming difficult to fulfill the rising demand due to population growth. Pakistan faced a shortfall of more than two million tonnes of wheat during 2023. This is expected to increase to around three million tonnes in 2024.

The government has taken various measures including National Food Security Policy, Vision 2025, to tackle the crisis situation and achieve food security related Sustainable Development Goals. The federal government must focus on drastic climate change and its adverse impact on the agriculture sector.

To achieve SDG-2 targets, it is necessary to develop the institutional capacity to deal with emergency situations. Utilising the available data for decision-making, policy formulation and stakeholder collaboration are important to develop secure food systems in Pakistan.

The federal government should provide funding to the provincial governments to deal with the emergency situations. The capacity building of national and provincial disaster management authorities is necessary to better forecast and prepare for natural calamities. Besides, the government should take immediate measures to reduce the inflationary pressure, especially for basic food items to improve the accessibility of lower-income households.

The provision of basic inputs including fertilisers and addressing the market distortions for farmers can help increase agriculture production and lower food prices.

There is a need to promote modern techniques in the agriculture sector to boost productivity to ensure sufficient domestic production. This will reduce the dependence upon imported goods. Besides, the private sector should also play its part to mitigate the food security crisis.

Opportunities must be created for entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector to support new ideas and solutions to resolve the food security crisis in Pakistan.

The writer is a researcher based in Islamabad