Pakistan Food Security Through Climate-Resilient Farming

Explore how climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable agriculture, and effective food policies can strengthen Pakistan’s food security, protect rural livelihoods, and build resilient farming systems in the face of climate change.

EDITORIAL

Muhammad Khalid Bashir

11/1/2026

November offers an opportunity to reflect on the future of agriculture and the responsibilities we share in building sustainable food systems. For this month’s edition, The Agricultural Economist invites researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and development professionals to contribute under the theme “From Crisis to Cure: Building Agricultural Systems that Heal Our Planet and Nourish Our Communities.” We seek evidence-based research, practical innovations, and policy perspectives that can transform agricultural challenges into opportunities for lasting change.

The urgency is evident in Pakistan. The 2025 monsoon floods demonstrated how quickly extreme weather can damage agricultural production, rural employment, and household livelihoods. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ geospatial flood impact assessment, approximately 14,498 square kilometres of agricultural land were inundated across Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, equivalent to 7.3 percent of the agricultural area across these provinces. Rice was the most affected crop, with an estimated 2,959 square kilometres inundated. The assessment also found that approximately 11.3 million people were exposed to floodwaters, including around six million in rural areas.

The damage extended beyond fields and harvests. An assessment by the International Labour Organization, covering 14 of the worst-affected districts in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, estimated that approximately 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by the floods. Rural areas accounted for nearly 78 percent of estimated employment losses and disruptions, with agriculture identified as the most affected sector. These findings underline an essential point: agricultural recovery must restore not only production but also employment, income, and the capacity of rural households to withstand future shocks.

Pakistan’s latest agricultural performance presents both progress and vulnerability. The Pakistan Economic Survey 2025–26 estimates that agriculture grew by 2.89 percent in FY2026 and contributed 23.44 percent of GDP. Wheat production was estimated at 29.61 million tonnes, demonstrating the sector’s continued importance to national food supplies. Yet aggregate production figures cannot fully capture the unequal effects of climate disasters, input costs, market fluctuations, and limited access to finance. Sustainable progress requires stronger links between agricultural productivity, farmer profitability, environmental protection, and affordable food.

The global outlook reinforces this concern. The 2026 Global Report on Food Crises, the tenth edition of this international assessment, estimates that 266 million people across 47 food-crisis countries and territories experienced high levels of acute food insecurity in 2025, representing 22.9 percent of the analysed population. The report also estimates that 35.5 million children aged 6–59 months experienced acute malnutrition, including 10 million suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Famine conditions were confirmed in parts of the Gaza Strip and Sudan during 2025. Conflict remains a major driver of food crises, compounded by extreme weather, economic shocks, displacement, and declining humanitarian resources. These realities demand solutions that connect immediate assistance with long-term investment in resilient food systems.

Pakistan’s own food-security assessments also require careful interpretation. The latest published Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis available for this editorial identified approximately 7.5 million people, 21 percent of the analysed population, in Crisis or worse conditions across 45 vulnerable rural districts during December 2025–March 2026. For April–September 2026, the report projected 6.7 million people in these conditions. However, the smaller projected total should not automatically be interpreted as a substantial improvement: the analysis covered fewer districts than the previous year, and the proportion of the assessed population facing acute food insecurity remained broadly similar.

Affordability remains another critical concern. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, national consumer price inflation reached 10.26 percent year-on-year in September 2026, while food and non-alcoholic beverage prices increased by 8.20 percent. These figures illustrate why food security cannot be measured through production alone. Households must also be able to purchase nutritious food without sacrificing healthcare, education, or other essential needs. Market transparency, efficient supply chains, responsible public procurement, and well-targeted social protection are therefore integral to sustainable agricultural development.

November’s international observances provide useful opportunities to explore these challenges from different perspectives. On 10 November, World Science Day for Peace and Development, we welcome contributions on climate-resilient crop varieties, precision agriculture, digital advisory services, artificial intelligence, and improved water-use efficiency. Research should examine not only technological performance but also affordability, accessibility, and adoption by smallholder farmers.

World Diabetes Day on 14 November reminds us that food systems must deliver nutritional quality as well as calories. We encourage work on nutrition-sensitive agriculture, biofortification, diversified diets, healthier food environments, and value chains that improve both producer incomes and public health.

For World Toilet Day on 19 November, we invite research examining the connections between water, sanitation, hygiene, food safety, and rural productivity. Safe water and sanitation are fundamental to healthy communities, responsible resource management, and sustainable food systems.

World Children’s Day on 20 November highlights the importance of investing in the next generation. We welcome contributions on youth entrepreneurship, agricultural skills, digital innovation, rural employment, and pathways that make agriculture an attractive and viable livelihood for young people.

Finally, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November calls attention to the social inequalities that undermine resilience. Women contribute substantially to agricultural and food-system activities, yet barriers to land ownership, finance, technology, training, and decision-making can limit their opportunities. We invite evidence-based studies on women’s economic empowerment, gender-responsive agricultural policies, and interventions that expand women’s access to productive resources.

Pakistan’s evolving policy environment also creates opportunities for constructive analysis. On 26 October 2026, the federal government announced a wheat price of Rs 4,500 per 40-kilogram maund under a new national wheat policy. This announcement provides a timely opportunity to examine how wheat-price policy affects farm incentives, production costs, procurement, market stability, and consumer affordability. Policy effectiveness should ultimately be assessed through transparent implementation, reliable market information, and outcomes for both farmers and consumers, not announcements alone

As the international climate agenda turns towards COP31 in Türkiye from 9–20 November 2026, agricultural resilience must remain central to discussions on adaptation, climate finance, and sustainable development. Farmers require practical support to manage water scarcity, soil degradation, extreme weather, and production risks. Such support should combine climate information, resilient infrastructure, improved seeds, accessible finance, crop insurance, storage, and extension services. Equally important are investments in research, biodiversity conservation, efficient resource use, and stronger rural institutions.

For this November edition, we invite submissions on five interconnected priorities:

Climate-Smart Agriculture and On-Farm Innovation
Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems
Finance, Insurance, and Livelihood Resilience for Smallholders
Gender Equity, Youth Employment, and Rural Entrepreneurship
Water, Soil, Biodiversity, and Evidence-Based Agricultural Policy

We particularly welcome research that moves beyond identifying problems to evaluate practical solutions, implementation barriers, and measurable outcomes. Comparative studies, field-based evidence, policy analyses, and well-documented case studies can help bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and agricultural practice.

The challenge before us is not simply to recover from the latest flood, drought, or market disruption. It is to build agricultural systems that can anticipate risks, absorb shocks, protect livelihoods, and continue nourishing communities. Resilience must become a guiding principle of agricultural research, investment, and policymaking rather than a response activated only after disaster strikes.

At The Agricultural Economist, we believe that knowledge becomes most valuable when it informs action. Let us work together to cultivate agricultural systems that are economically viable, environmentally responsible, socially inclusive, and prepared for an uncertain future.

Muhammad Khalid Bashir
Managing Editor, The Agricultural Economist

Pakistan Food Security Through Climate-Resilient Farming

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