Food Insecurity: An Imminent Threat to Pakistan

By Farahnaz Farooq Ahmed

In “The Coming Famine: The Global Food Crisis and What We Can Do to Avoid,” Julian Cribb put out a categorical picture of impending planetary crisis–a global food shortage that threatens to hit by the mid-century and would dwarf any in our previous experience. This threat is maybe trivial for developed countries. However, the underdeveloped countries are going to face the worst-ever food shortage crisis. Among the underdeveloped or the developing countries, Pakistan is going to be the central point.

 In the previous decade, Pakistan faced a very striking pressure only due to the food shortage and food security. A research paper published in the Pakistan Development Review, entitled, “The state of food security in Pakistan: Future challenges and coping strategies,” pointed out, “Despite significant improvement in the aggregate food supply, malnutrition is a widespread phenomenon in Pakistan. Rather, it has been argued that per capita food intake in the country has been higher than the recommended average at the national level. Nevertheless, one-third of all pregnant women were malnourished and over 25 per cent of babies had low birth weight in 2001-2. Malnutrition was a major problem responsible for more than 30 per cent of all infant and child deaths in the country in 2001-02.”

This shortage of food and food security has become worsened over time. It may have been better in the previous decades but in this decade, Pakistan is facing a low standard internationally. The third-quarter report of State Bank of Pakistan in 2019 warns Pakistan about food shortage due to climate change and increase in population. As climate changes have affected Pakistan incredibly for the last few years, they have also left a massive influence on agricultural productivity. The rapidly growing population requires food and other essential resources to survive while agriculture has changed its structure negativity and country is enduring through food shortage.

Once, Bangladesh also suffered through the same issue. But later it became attentive towards the issue and has now brought multiple changes in its food aspects. Even though Bangladesh was greatly vulnerable to climate change than Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan was one of the major exporters of wheat and basmati rice. But haplessly, due to climate change and unchecked population, it has now reached a position of food shortage.

Paradoxically, climate change has led to the consequences of food shortage. According to a UN report, Pakistan has occupied the fifth position, which has the risk of hard climate change. And it is, for sure, that the climate change will leave no opportunity in impacting agriculture, and it is doing so. Besides, as the population is increasing, people are moving towards cities in the search of jobs, better education and improved lifestyle. It is blinking to the fact that the enormous growth in population is impacting cultivable lands. Thus, the lands for agriculture are being converted to houses as everyone requires a roof over their heads. And they also require food to eat.

Climate changes have left a massive influence on Pakistan’s agricultural productivity over the years

It is known by all that inflation in Pakistan is touching the sky. Now that the wheat crisis has engulfed Pakistan from all sides, the food insecurity has burgeoned. The centre and province are at loggerheads. In between, the common man, as always, is suffering very acutely. Therefore, Pakistan is turning into a “capitalist hole.” Here, only the rich can afford to buy expensive food while the poor remain hopeless.

It is painful to narrate that the less vulnerable lands of KPK and Punjab are still achieving a net gain in agriculture. However, other parts of the country, including Balochistan, Sindh and some parts of southern Punjab have been hit worst by climate change and food shortage, which promotes child mortality and malnutrition. Balochistan, Sindh and other drought-hit areas are creating malnutrition and maladjustments. As usual, the sense of deprivation is increasing rapidly.

There are a bundle of factors leading to such an imminent threat to Pakistan. Among those factors, governance remains on the top. Secondly, the country is hopelessly corrupt. This corruption is creating hurdles in smooth and functioning management. Also, at the heart of the problem are the non-serious agricultural policies. Collectively, this nonchalant behaviour of the government in the centre and the lack of interest of the provinces are leading the country into miseries. This is not the ‘Tabdeeli’ (change) that the entire country had dreamt of.

The government and public need to work together to fight against harsh climate change. There is a dire need to halt the overpopulation and unplanned urbanisation to protect agriculture and save the citizens from food shortage. Or else, the shortage of food, increasing population and provincial disharmony would lead the country into chaos. Indeed, Pakistan, at this moment, is not in the position to face any other crisis because the already fragile economy has given it a tough time. It is rather better to do what is quoted by great musician Bono, “If you want to eliminate hunger, everybody has to be involved.”