Food Security - How Can Pakistan Ensure Its Food Security?

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Contents

Introduction        

Causes of Food Insecurity        

Consequences        

Perspectives        

Solutions        

Bibliography        

Abbreviations:        

Introduction

Pakistan's farming segment is a backbone of its economy and is basic to future changes in monetary development, livelihood, nourishment security and destitution lessening. Basically Pakistan has an Agricultural Economy. As Pakistan is still a developing country and she employees thousands of men and women in the agriculture sector the largest employed sector.  Over the previous decade, a shaky political and security environment brought on the loss of human life and human capital. The increase in floods disrupted the rural areas and destroyed a major portion of crops and farm animals which resulted in food insecurity in Pakistan.

In the world food summit 1996 by WHO Food Security was defined as:

“When all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life”

Food security is based upon three pillars:

1. Food Availability
2. Food Access
3. Food Use

Food Availability means if the food is provided to the people on a consistent basis. Food Access refers to the resources provided to obtain the food. Food use explains the proper food nutrition plan along with sanitary usage and intake of food and water. The only problem regarding food is its distribution. Pakistan is producing tones of crops but the only problem is the allocation of food to the people. Majority people in Pakistan don’t get enough food to keep them healthy. The farmers that yield the crops are also provided a minimum portion of their crops. Maximum portion is sold in the markets or is exported to foreign countries.

Causes of Food Insecurity

Number of causes has shaped food insecurity in Pakistan.

Population:

Population in Pakistan is expected to be189.39 Million by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations.

Pakistan’s urban population is increasing at a rapid rate than its rural population. Rural population is the source of harvesting crops across the country. They supply both forms of food; crops and animal meat. As the population is rising more food is required to feed the masses.  

Urbanization

More people mean more houses to build. Pakistanis are spreading all over Pakistan including the farm areas. The builders are cleaning out all the farm lands to build housing societies for the people. No farming land means more challenging situation to meet the food requirements.  

Cash Crops        

Cash crops such as tobacco, sugarcane, cotton etc are replacing the food crops because farming is becoming a profit making business. The rich people are investing more and more money in this sector creating problems for the farmers to compete. The less the farms produce the less there is for the people to consume.

GENDER ROLE

Men builds houses but women make homes. Women of the house decide what grocery to make, what food should be bought to make her family healthy. A woman is a producer, provider and accessor. Women of rural areas produce crops by harvesting and look after farm animals for food. Women are responsible for getting water from wells, sowing seeds and in the harvesting. But nowadays due to technology women are limited to their roles. All their roles are being played by machineries. Earth was made on balance and man is breaking this balance. To maintain and secure food supply women should participate more in this cycle.

usage of Chemicals

Nowadays to increase the productivity of the food chemicals are being introduced to speed up the time of crop harvesting. This is not only creating more diseases but also tilting the nature balance. All the chemicals of factories in rural areas are thrown into the rivers that irrigate the crops resulting in contaminated water supply and poisoned crops.

Nature’s balance

Deforestation, polluted water, polluted air are all contributing in natural disorders. Global warming is a major cause of this food insecurity.

Food Giants

Currently in Pakistan government has failed to protect the rights of the farmers. All the industrial giants have entered the agricultural sector and are using their power to cash on crops for their own benefit using illegal chemicals and processes to speed up food processing.