There is a need to stop the utilisation of agricultural land for commercial and industrial purposes
PESHAWAR/ LAHORE: Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy. It has been observed in the recent past that housing schemes have been mushrooming on fertile agricultural land with the result that small farmers are abandoning agriculture and migrating to the cities to earn their livelihoods. Irregular urbanisation and rise of population pose tremendous risks for the environmental safety of the country. It is a serious issue, but the provincial government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been unable to stop urbanisation on private agricultural land as there is no law to restrict such construction.
There is a need to stop the utilisation of agricultural land for commercial and industrial purposes. The federal government should review proposals to protect and preserve agricultural land from conversion to other uses with the help of the provincial governments to achieve sustainable development in agriculture and livestock sectors. There is also a need to focus on promoting organic farming, preventing soil degradation, and restoring and improving degraded land. Integrated pest management needs to be promoted while discouraging indiscriminate use of agro-chemicals. Governments must also develop strategies and programmes to tackle desertification and establish national desertification control funds.
Khan Faraz
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2016.
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