In recent years, rising food insecurity has emerged as a serious problem in Pakistan. According to a number of surveys, including those by World Food Program and FAO, over 10.5 million people or 29 percent of the population are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity.

The factors behind food insecurity include inadequate agricultural productivity, unstable rural conditions and official neglect and corruption. The poorest of the poor lack purchasing power and access to adequate food supplies. Over the last few years, Pakistan has witnessed a series of climatic crises. Since 2013, drought has become a frequent phenomenon and the 2022 floods were the worst in its history. Extreme weather conditions have affected livelihoods and household food security. This has especially been the case in parts of Balochistan and Sindh provinces. The FSC (Food Security Cluster) estimates that drought affected some 5 million people in the 26 districts of these two provinces in 2019. As a result, approximately 1.3 million people were already experiencing Crisis (IPC 3) and Emergency (IPC 4) levels of food insecurity. All were living in the drought-affected districts of Sindh province.

Overall, Pakistan is placed 92nd out of 116 countries on the Global Hunger Index (GHI), 2022. With a rating of 24.7, the country’s hunger level is grouped as ‘serious’. Pakistan’s regional neighbours, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, are ranked somewhat better, at 76th and 65th respectively.

Food insecurity and malnutrition persist despite recent improvements in food production. According to the Planning Commission of Pakistan, about half of the country’s population still suffers from absolute to moderate malnutrition. The most vulnerable groups are children, women, and the elderly in the lowest income groups.

Food insecurity denotes a lack of adequate food and nutrition for living a normal, healthy life. It results from poor availability or provision of food due to a lack of purchasing power or inadequate use of food at a household level. In Pakistan this is caused by several factors, including poverty, lack of access to farming machinery, climate change, runaway population growth, economic disability, water shortage and reliance on one food crop – wheat.

The government has taken a number of steps to improve the country’s food sustainability, including food imports, poverty reduction measures, nutritional development programmes and social welfare projects. The National Food Security Policy, Vision 2025, is designed to tackle the crisis situation and achieve food security related Sustainable Development Goals.

But despite all this, hunger in various forms is widespread. The national nutrition survey of 2018 showed that 36.9 percent of the population still face food insecurity. Further, 18 percent of people in Pakistan under the age of five suffer extreme malnutrition. Around 40 percent of those have stunted growth, and 29 percent are underweight. All complementary feeding indicators are far below acceptable levels. Also, only one in every seven children aged between 6 and 23 months receives meals with minimum dietary diversity, comprising at least four different food groups. It is also largely Pakistani children who are failing to receive the minimum number of meals per day. The basic issue is that Pakistan’s most vulnerable groups lack access to an adequate and sufficiently diverse diet, particularly women.

The question is: How can Pakistan solve the problem of food insecurity?

There is a consensus of opinion among experts that Pakistan needs to address the problem of food insecurity in both rural and urban areas with a multi-sectoral approach. There is not only need to improve production and processing of food but transport, storage, and marketing as well. Secondly, Pakistan needs to empower agriculture and livestock producers with better access to technology. This will ensure broader adoption of climate-smart agriculture.

Equally important is regular vaccination against common livestock diseases and improved regulations on stock management in order to reduce the risk of disease. Greater use of digital technologies in both rural and urban areas can make the food system more responsive, resilient and efficient. The government can also create a favorable policy environment by supporting the private sector to develop new technologies.

Food insecurity is not just about the shortage of food. It also describes the inability to supply the required amount of daily nutrition to women, children, and rural households. Income inequalities increase the number of food-insecure households. It is therefore important to devise policies that ensure a more equitable resource distribution in the country.

The creation of more cultivable land will ensure the continued availability of staples like wheat. However, the government must also encourage more efficient use of the country’s resources by promoting modern technologies in food production, and adequate access to a diverse and healthy diet for the whole population.

Around the world, food insecurity among the most vulnerable is rising due to the ongoing global food crisis. As part of its response, the World Bank is supporting countries to improve agricultural productivity and build more resilient, sustainable food systems. Pakistan should also seek the World Bank’s help in achieving food security as soon as possible.