Pakistan among top 10 countries affected by climate change

Speakers say it is essential to take soil and crop improvement initiative

MULTAN: Pakistan is among the top 10 countries affected by the climate change. The present government has decided to plant 10 billion trees and to construct small dams for the preservation of water to mitigate the effects of climate change.

This was said by Provincial Minister for Food Samiullah Chauhdry while addressing the participants at two-day international conference on the effects of changing climate on the soil and crop health. The event that concluded on Friday was held at Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan (MNSUAM) on Friday. The conference was organised under the auspices of soil and environmental department of the university. A large number of agriculture scientists from America, China, Malaysia, Iran and Pakistan presented around 150 research papers over the issue and shared their views with the participants.

Minister for Food Samiullah said that such conferences would create awareness among the masses and we should provide latest equipment and technology to counter the challenges of climate change.

He added that Punjab Food Authority was taking stringent measures for the elimination of adulteration mafia.



He congratulated MNSUAM Vice-Chancellor Dr Asif Ali for conducting a successful educational and agricultural conference.

The minister maintained that in the next few decades, agriculture in Pakistan will move into marginal lands not suitable for current crops. “This will require a major shift in the current management practices and develop new technologies to ameliorate negative effects of extreme climate by using new chemical (plant growth regulators) and biological (growth promoting bacteria and fungi) tools,” he mentioned.

Samiuallah highlighted that in order to increase soil organic matter and sustain soil fertility, crop residue management technique should be adopted, while burning of residue should be avoided.

MNSUAM VC Asif Ali said that the aim of conducting international conference was to educate the farmers and crop growers. He said that the students would benefit from the recommendations of international researchers. He said that all the research papers and recommendations would be read out to the farmers and land owners in Urdu so that they would apply those techniques in their fields.



Dr Sergey Shabala from Australia said that growing legume/cover crops can prevent soil degradation and will improve soil fertility and physical health. “Current fertilisation practices will not work under predicted climate change scenario. Current policies and recommendations to growers need to be adjusted and crops with higher nutrient use under stress conditions need to be developed,” he elaborated.

The Australian expert added that use of untreated sewage water for crop production, especially vegetables should be avoided. “Sewage water should only be used after effective treatment,” he said.

Dr Shuo Qing Ni from China said that technological interventions and policy reforms need to be devised and implemented. “Advanced type of fertilisers, their balanced use and precise site-specific application will lead to economic and ecological benefits while maximising fertiliser use efficiency,” he added.

Meanwhile, the participants said that Pakistan will become warmer and dryer and agricultural crop production in the country will become drought prone and saline. In view of the situation, the crops will rely heavily on use of low-quality irrigation water. This warrants the need for developing and using more drought and salt-tolerant cultivars and species by implementing an effective, large-scale crop improvement programme for adaptation and salt tolerance, they said.

They opined that reforestation of wasted saline lands with suitable salt tolerant tree species could bring economic, environmental and social benefits and should be considered as one of the top priorities for a future.

To mitigate climate change effect, it was imperative that soil health was maintained so that it could sustain physical, chemical and biological function and provide ecosystem resilience, the researchers recommended.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 1^st, 2018.