Steps for climate-resilient agriculture explored

Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Wednesday met with Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Representative to Pakistan Florence Rolle.

The meeting focused on enhancing cooperation to address Pakistan's agricultural challenges, ensure national food security and improve climate resilience across the sector.

During discussion, both sides expressed concern over the increasing impact of climate change on Pakistan's agriculture, including erratic weather patterns, prolonged droughts and pest outbreaks, which have disrupted crop cycles and affected smallholder farmers the most.

The minister noted that Pakistan, as an agro-based economy, was highly vulnerable to climate-induced stresses and it was critical to adopt innovative and sustainable approaches to protect crops and livestock.

Rana Tanveer Hussain highlighted the government's initiatives aimed at improving agricultural productivity such as facilitating the availability of certified seeds and fertilisers, introducing mechanised farming techniques and promoting modern irrigation methods.

FAO's Florence Rolle emphasised the importance of joint actions to improve food value chains, reduce post-harvest losses and promote digital technologies for farming communities.

She also called for focusing more on enhancing the capacity of farmers, especially women and youth, through training programmes and awareness campaigns.