MULTAN, PAKISTAN: The Islamabad-based think-tank Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF) Pakistan in collaboration with the MNS University of Agriculture, Multan organized a roundtable discussion on the topic of “Food Security vis-à-vis Sustainable Agriculture in Pakistan: Policy Outcomes and Prospects” on 7th July 2021.
The purpose of the event was to discuss the issue of food security in Pakistan with a special focus on agricultural productivity and sustainability. The roundtable discussion attempted to provide research-based policy recommendations on how to maintain and sustain the food supply chain and enhance agriculture growth in Pakistan. Eminent Pakistani experts and governmental officials from relevant departments presented their views on topics ranging from food security, climate change, data science, information technology and innovation in agriculture.
Dr. Steffen Kudella, Resident Representative, HSF Pakistan stated that food security is negatively influenced by multiple factors, but the “Right to Food” is fundamental and necessary for the enjoyment of other human rights. He said:
Since food is a necessity for the survival and well-being of people, food security must be ensured by the people. Moreover, adaptation strategies and policy responses to food security risks must be developed.
Prof. Dr. Asif Ali (TI), Vice Chancellor, MNS University of Agriculture, Multan highlighted:
There are several non-traditional security challenges that Pakistan is facing. Food security is becoming an alarming challenge for Pakistan.
Prof. Dr. Asif Ali stressed on the importance of specialized research and new innovation to tackle the non-traditional security challenges climate change and food security in Pakistan.
Dr. Ayesha Hakim, Assistant Professor, MNS University of Agriculture, Multan discussed the role of Data Sciences and Information Technology (IT) in accelerating sustainable agriculture and food security. She stated:
It is the need of the day to introduce new practices of data sciences and IT. By deploying the new practices, we will get greater results in lesser time and will also have better environmental outcomes.
Pakistan being an agricultural country generates most of its exports from cotton, rice, fruits and other agricultural products. The jobs of 64% of the Pakistani population rely on agriculture.
The roundtable discussion was attended by more than 60 participants. The participants were high-level bureaucrats, officials from different relevant government departments, policy makers, farmer representatives, experts from academia, members of the civil society, and development professionals.
The findings from the roundtable discussion will guide the two organizations to a follow-up conference in the near future, and the results of this collaboration shall be presented to a broader audience as well.
You may find event photos and more speaker quotes at https://twitter.com/HSF_Pakistan. For more information on CGSS please visit https://cgss.com.pk/, and on HSF Pakistan https://pakistan.hss.de. Press contact: islamabad(at)hss.de.
