improve household food security 7% by 2030

Food security is a key challenge in Pakistan due to high population growth, rapid urbanisation, low purchasing power, high price fluctuations, erratic food production and inefficient food distribution systems. According to the National Nutrition Survey 2018, 37% of Pakistani households are suffering from food insecurity, out of which 18% are severely food insecure. Pakistan is an agrarian country, and hence, agricultural development is a prerequisite for achieving food security. For balanced food intake, there is a need to focus on the production of diverse foods – for example, vegetables, fruits, nuts, oilseed, pulses and livestock products. These not only contribute around 50% of dietary energy but also significantly contribute to nutritional food security. The following approaches/interventions will be adopted to address the issue on food security:

• Food systems reform.

• Agriculture transformation programme.

• Building local skills and traditions on indigenous knowledge and empowering various stakeholders to serve for the development of farmers.

• Promotion and strengthening of climate smart agriculture and adaptation under a climate change scenario.

• Development of commodities and a commodity chain.

• Generation of modern technology and its dissemination to farming communities.

• Building capacity of agriculture livestock and fish farmers to explore various market avenues for trade enhancement and fetching better market prices.

• Encourage a public-private partnership.

• Support women farmers in kitchen gardening and value addition of fruits and vegetables.

• Diversify local fruit and vegetable production.

• Introduce new production techniques in fish farming to improve fish production.

The key methodologies include:

• Capacity-building of women farmers in healthy, hygienic and nutritious food production at the household level in the agriculture sector.

• Development of agriculture-sector information, education and communication material with a focus on dietary diversity and food security aspects of kitchen gardening and fruits/vegetables value-add.

• Kitchen gardening, food preservations value addition and food processing and backyard poultry birds.

• Introduction of grapes and lychee orchards and layout of guava orchards.

• Establishment of trout fish farms.

• Capacity-building of 300 tunnel farmers.

• Off-season vegetable cultivation.

• Establishment of walnut and cherry orchards.

• Distribution of bee hives.

• Village food bank procuring wheat and pulses and establishing other food banks.

• Cash transfer for agriculture/livestock inputs.