ISLAMABAD (Khyber Mail): “There is no blueprint to solve food and nutrition insecurity under changing climate, solutions have to be contextualized and adaptation mechanism drawn by integrating multi-sectors and engaging range of actors,” remarked Dr. Omer Ahmed Bangash, Sector Advisor for Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security (SFNS) at Welthungerhilfe-Pakistan (WHH-Pakistan).
Dr. Bangash spoke at the Institute of Regional Studies (IRS), Islamabad, on ‘Resilient Food Systems under Climate Change’.
During his in-depth presentation, Dr. Bangash evaluated the situation of food and nutrition security (SFNS), the concept of Food Systems, and the impact of climate change on SFNS.
He shared alarming predictions for South Asia in the face of climate change, highlighting that an additional 181 million people will be at high risk of hunger by 2050. He added that the yields of staple crops such as maize, rice, and wheat are expected to decrease by 30 percent, and freshwater availability will also diminish significantly. Dr. Bangash noted that while the Global Hunger Index improved from 36.7 in 2000 to 26.6 in 2023, the progress fornreducing hunger has largely stalled since 2015 and the level of hunger in the country is termed, serious.
This is mostly because of overlapping crises, including fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war, economic turmoil, and climate disaster, i.e., 2022 floods. Given that the world is expected to be subject to increased weather shocks in future years, particularly as a result of climate change, the effectiveness of disaster preparedness and response is likely to become increasingly central to the outlook on food security.
In light of these critical statistics, he offered approaches to practical actions and policy recommendations, emphasizing the need to work with existing food systems while integrating new research. He advocated for localized solutions to address this global problem, stating that site-specific, farmer-oriented, and locally adapted agriculture was the way forward. He said that there exists an excess of policies, with some commendable examples such as the National Food Security Policy, the National Climate Change Policy, and the National Water Policy. However, he stressed that progress can only be made once the ‘right to food’ is in essence considered a basic human right under the Constitution of Pakistan given the UN Resolution ‘ Right to Food’ that has been endorsed by the Government of Pakistan.
Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, President IRS, drawing upon his experience as Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IFAD and World Food Program (WFP) highlighted the urgency of building resilience in food systems as the South Asian population continues to rise rapidly and current systems falter. Ambassador Saleem particularly emphasized the role of youth as the inheritors of these food systems and future decision-makers. “The gravity of the challenge is not fully realised,” he remarked. “The governments in South Asia need to take cognizance of this impending crisis.”