Climate-resilient farming critical for global food security: Romina

ISLAMABAD  -  Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Cli­mate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam emphasized the necessity of sustainable agricultural practices to combat climate change, which is vital for global food se­curity and the well-being of populations.

In her World Food Day message, PM’s aide highlighted that climate change ad­versely affects food security and sustain­able agriculture through interconnect­ed mechanisms. Increased temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, and extreme weather events jeopardize agricultural productivity, leading to higher food pric­es and increased vulnerability for low-in­come communities. Projections indicate that millions more could face hunger by 2050 due to these impacts.

Emphasizing the critical need for cli­mate-resilient farming, she highlighted that Pakistan, being one of the most cli­mate-vulnerable countries, faces severe impacts from extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves, which threat­en agricultural productivity and food se­curity.

Khurshid Alam noted that rising agri­cultural demands intensify competition for resources, necessitating a transfor­mation in farming practices to support a growing population while addressing cli­mate challenges.

She advocated for adaptation strategies, such as crop rotation and drought-resist­ant varieties, which enhance resilience against climate variability and contrib­ute to carbon sequestration and stressed the importance of community engage­ment, asserting that empowering local communities through education on sus­tainable practices strengthens local food systems and reduces dependence on ex­ternal markets.

Ms Alam also pointed out that climate change affects nutritional quality and food availability, particularly in vulner­able regions, exacerbating malnutrition and poverty levels and stressed urgent action to create sustainable food sys­tems that can withstand climate impacts while ensuring nutritional adequacy for all populations.

“The effects of climate change dis­proportionately impact marginalized groups, including women and low-in­come farmers,” she stated, emphasizing the need to address these disparities for improved food security and community resilience.

She concluded that diverse cropping systems can enhance ecological perfor­mance, soil health, and biodiversity, ul­timately playing a critical role in achiev­ing food security amidst climate change challenges.