Brainstorming ideas: ‘Develop agriculture to combat food insecurity'
Poor crop production amongst factors that affects food security .
PHOTO: APP
FAISALABAD:
Food insecurity in the country has been aggravated by natural disasters, land degradation, water scarcity and climate change, speakers at an International Centre for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) PhD workshop being held at University of Agriculture Faisalabad said.
The workshop is being funded by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Researchers and scientists from eight countries are participating in the three-day event.
Speakers said poor crop production and poor public health had also worsened food insecurity.
Dr Andreas Burkert from University of Kassel, Germany, said consolidated efforts were needed to combat food insecurity. “There are many organisations willing to work with the government on this issue.”
He said often good policies enacted by governments failed to filter down to the ground. “The government has made many commitments to combat food insecurity but numbers keep deteriorating.”
He said researchers should come up with innovative ideas to address the issue.
He said the ICDD was focusing on five core research subjects, including decent work along agricultural values chains, organising the informal economy, rural welfare, rural-urban linkages, livestock and social protection and rethinking development cooperation.
Dr Christoph Scherrer from University of Kassel, Germany, said the rural-urban linkages were vital for success of development projects.
“Poverty cannot be reduced unless the quality of life in rural populations is improved,” he said.
The ICDD is a network of universities from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. He said its researchers were working on increasing income opportunities for rural and urban populations of developing countries. Dr Asif Ali said there were 570 million people living below the poverty line in Asia. He said in Pakistan, agriculture was the backbone of the economy.
“Developing agriculture is linked to poverty alleviation,” he said. “There needs to be a greater focus on farming communities and their needs. They are the ones directly contributing to availability of food in the country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2015.
Food insecurity in the country has been aggravated by natural disasters, land degradation, water scarcity and climate change, speakers at an International Centre for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) PhD workshop being held at University of Agriculture Faisalabad said.
The workshop is being funded by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Researchers and scientists from eight countries are participating in the three-day event.
Speakers said poor crop production and poor public health had also worsened food insecurity.
Dr Andreas Burkert from University of Kassel, Germany, said consolidated efforts were needed to combat food insecurity. “There are many organisations willing to work with the government on this issue.”
He said often good policies enacted by governments failed to filter down to the ground. “The government has made many commitments to combat food insecurity but numbers keep deteriorating.”
He said researchers should come up with innovative ideas to address the issue.
He said the ICDD was focusing on five core research subjects, including decent work along agricultural values chains, organising the informal economy, rural welfare, rural-urban linkages, livestock and social protection and rethinking development cooperation.
Dr Christoph Scherrer from University of Kassel, Germany, said the rural-urban linkages were vital for success of development projects.
“Poverty cannot be reduced unless the quality of life in rural populations is improved,” he said.
The ICDD is a network of universities from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. He said its researchers were working on increasing income opportunities for rural and urban populations of developing countries. Dr Asif Ali said there were 570 million people living below the poverty line in Asia. He said in Pakistan, agriculture was the backbone of the economy.
“Developing agriculture is linked to poverty alleviation,” he said. “There needs to be a greater focus on farming communities and their needs. They are the ones directly contributing to availability of food in the country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, April 18th, 2015.