Sir:
Through the columns of the newspaper I want to highlight an important issue that is the downfall of agriculture in Pakistan.
Pakistan is an agriculture country and agriculture plays an important role in the country economy. Sixty percent of population of Pakistan is directly or indirectly reliant upon rain fed agriculture. With climate change effecting all over the world, it has also affected our agriculture system. Currently all-arable land is under cultivation in Pakistan as the country strives to meet the food need for rapidly growing population. Climate change has increased temperature resulting in changes in rainfall pattern which is closely linked to agricultural production. Rainfall distribution and intensity have change drastically. This has also resulted in floods that damage fertile land. Many parts of the country are receiving less than 250 mm rainfall per annum that requires further enhancement of farming and irrigation infrastructure including water canals dams for water storage.
Climate change is threating the crop production of our major food crops. According to 2020 report of global climate risk index, Pakistan is the fifth among the countries highly vulnerable to global warming and climate change. Many studies suggested that the temperature increase will shift Pakistan copping
seasons and could permanently erase some crops. Pakistan need to develop and adopt climate smart crop management strategies. Water conservation measures are need to implement as well as using the best irrigation scheduling technologies. With changing temperature all over the world Pakistan need to develop strategies and techniques to overcome its challenges.
Yours sincerely
Muzammil Bin Nasir
Islamabad
Email: [email protected]