Pakistan's Path to Food Security and Sustainability

Food security, defined as consistent access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food, is not only a fundamental human right but also a cornerstone of national development, social stability, and public health. However, despite technological progress and global economic growth, the world continues to struggle with hunger. In 2022, over 828 million people faced food insecurity, with the vast majority residing in rural areas where livelihoods depend heavily on agriculture (FAO, 2023). This paradox is especially stark in Pakistan, a country whose economy is deeply rooted in agriculture, yet which ranks 92nd out of 116 countries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI, 2023). This ranking reflects critical challenges including poor food distribution, malnutrition, and declining agricultural productivity.

Pakistan’s food security is undermined by a convergence of climate change, land degradation, water scarcity, and inconsistent policy implementation. Increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall are already reducing yields in key crops like wheat and rice, while soil fertility continues to decline due to overuse of chemical inputs and inadequate crop rotation. These environmental pressures are compounded by fragmented agricultural policies, limited investment in rural infrastructure, and weak support for smallholder farmers.

This study explores how targeted rural economic policies, such as climate-smart agriculture, farmer cooperatives, and price stabilization mechanisms, can improve resilience. Drawing on global best practices, particularly from countries like China and South Korea, it highlights how strategic state investment in rural development, research and extension services, and land reform played a transformative role in their food systems. In Pakistan’s case, enhancing food security will require not just increased agricultural output, but a more equitable and sustainable system, one that empowers small farmers, invests in innovation, and integrates environmental and nutrition goals. Ultimately, food security must be viewed as both an economic strategy and a moral obligation to protect human dignity and national stability.

The Global and Local Context of Food Insecurity

Food insecurity has long been a global concern, with its roots traceable to historical debates such as those initiated by Thomas Malthus in 1798, who warned of population growth outpacing food supply. However, the modern concept of food security gained prominence in the 1970s following widespread food crises that prompted the international community to consider access, availability, and affordability of food as core development priorities. In recent years, the interplay of conflict, climate change, and economic instability has caused a resurgence of food insecurity globally. A stark example is North Korea, where 40% of the population was undernourished in 2022 due to a combination of international sanctions, droughts, and poor agricultural policies (WFP, 2023). This case illustrates how geopolitical and environmental pressures can compound governance failures to create widespread hunger.

In Pakistan, the situation is equally pressing but shaped by different dynamics. With a population growth rate of 2.4% per year, the country must increase its food production by at least 50% by 2050 to meet future demand (UNPD, 2023). This task is complicated by Pakistan’s high vulnerability to climate change; ranked as the fifth most affected country globally by extreme weather events (Germanwatch, 2023). Crop yields, especially of staple grains like wheat and rice, have already suffered losses of up to 20% due to floods, droughts, and heatwaves (World Bank, 2023).

Moreover, economic pressures are pushing food further out of reach for many. Food inflation in 2023 peaked at 47%, driven by currency devaluation, global supply chain disruptions, and domestic production shortfalls (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics). These conditions have deepened both urban and rural hunger, increasing reliance on expensive imports and eroding household purchasing power. Addressing food insecurity in Pakistan thus requires systemic reforms that respond to both global trends and deeply entrenched local vulnerabilities.

Key Barriers to Rural Food Security

Rural food security in Pakistan faces multifaceted and escalating challenges, with climate change, soil degradation, water scarcity, and policy inefficiencies forming a complex web of interlinked barriers. Climate change remains one of the most pressing threats, with projections indicating that a 2°C rise in global temperatures could slash Pakistan’s agricultural GDP by 8–10% (IPCC, 2023). The devastating 2022 floods serve as a stark reminder, having submerged over 4.4 million acres of cropland and inflicted $30 billion in damage (NDMA, 2023), crippling rural food systems and pushing millions into hunger.

Soil degradation further undermines agricultural productivity. According to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR, 2023), approximately 75% of the country’s soils are deficient in essential nutrients. Soil erosion alone is estimated to reduce wheat yields by 3.5% annually (FAO, 2023), jeopardizing the staple food supply and rural incomes. Compounding this is a deepening water crisis. Per capita water availability in Pakistan has plummeted from 5,260 m³ in 1951 to less than 900 m³ in 2023, well below the scarcity threshold. Inefficient practices, like flood irrigation, waste up to 60% of available water (IWMI, 2023), further stressing an already fragile system.

Institutional and policy gaps significantly hinder effective response. Fertilizer subsidies, meant to support small farmers, are disproportionately captured by large landowners, 80% of benefits go to this group (IMF, 2023), exacerbating rural inequality. Simultaneously, agricultural research and development remains chronically underfunded, with less than 0.5% of agricultural GDP allocated to R&D (PARC, 2023). This stifles innovation and slows the dissemination of climate-resilient farming techniques.

Together, these barriers not only reduce food availability and affordability but also erode the resilience of rural communities, making food security an increasingly elusive goal without structural reforms and climate-smart investments.

Rural Economic Policies for Food Security

Rural economic policies form the foundation for achieving sustainable food security in Pakistan. Effective strategies must address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term resilience. Direct policy interventions have already shown measurable impact. For example, targeted farmer subsidies in Punjab led to a 12% increase in wheat production in 2022, mirroring the success of India’s PM-KISAN scheme. Similarly, Vietnam’s 1993 land reforms transformed the country into a major rice exporter, boosting rice exports by 300% within a decade. Farmer education also proves vital: Bangladesh’s Farm Field Schools have helped farmers adopt climate-smart practices, increasing yields by up to 30% (CIMMYT).

Infrastructure investments play a critical role. Efficient irrigation systems, such as drip irrigation, can reduce water usage by 50% (World Bank), essential in a water-scarce nation like Pakistan. Meanwhile, the lack of storage infrastructure results in the loss of 40% of perishable produce. Expanding cold storage facilities could save the economy $1 billion annually (POST, 2023), improve food availability, and stabilize prices.

Technological innovation further supports food security. With over 500,000 farmers now using mobile apps for weather forecasts and agronomic advice (PTA, 2023), tele-agriculture is bridging knowledge gaps. Biofortification, like zinc-enriched wheat developed by HarvestPlus, can reduce malnutrition by 20%, making crops both productive and nutritious.

Strategically, Pakistan must adopt phased policy implementation. In the short term (0–3 years), expanding social protection programs such as Ehsaas Ration to 20 million households and distributing heat-resistant seeds to one million farmers would provide immediate relief. In the medium term (3–10 years), land reforms capping landholdings at 50 acres and reforms in water governance, such as penalizing groundwater overuse and promoting solar-powered tubewells, can boost equity and sustainability. Over the long term (10+ years), integrating agro-ecology into school curricula and leveraging regional cooperation through China’s Belt and Road Initiative for agri-tech transfers can future-proof Pakistan’s agricultural sector.

Conclusion

Pakistan's journey toward food security demands a comprehensive rethinking of rural economic policies rooted in sustainability, equity, and resilience. Despite its agricultural base, Pakistan continues to face rising hunger and malnutrition due to climate stress, degraded soils, water shortages, and fragmented policies. Structural reforms are crucial, not just to increase production, but to build a more inclusive and climate-resilient food system. Lessons from countries like China, South Korea, and Vietnam demonstrate that targeted investments in land reform, farmer training, infrastructure, and technology can significantly improve food outcomes.

In Pakistan’s context, policy must focus on empowering smallholder farmers, expanding rural infrastructure such as storage and irrigation, and investing in innovation including biofortification and digital agriculture. Short-term social protections must be paired with medium-term institutional reforms and long-term vision in education and regional cooperation. Only by aligning environmental sustainability with rural development and nutrition goals can Pakistan break the cycle of rural poverty and food insecurity.

Ensuring consistent access to nutritious food is not just a development challenge but a moral imperative tied to national stability, public health, and human dignity. A future of food-secure Pakistan lies in proactive, inclusive, and evidence-based policymaking that transforms rural landscapes into engines of resilience and prosperity.

References: FAO: World Bank: IMF; HarvestPlus; GHI; WFP; UNPD; Germanwatch; Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; NDMA; IPCC; PCRWR; IWMI; IMF PARC; CIMMYT; POST; PTA

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

The writer is affiliated with the Institute of Agricultural and Resource Economics, and National Institute of Food Science and Technology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan

Related Stories