Pakistan's alarming soil decline signals a looming food security crisis

Islamabad [Pakistan], November 20 (ANI): Pakistan may not be named in the latest State of Food and Agriculture 2025 report, but the warning signs outlined by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) mirror the country's worsening agricultural realities.

The report, described as a wake-up call, highlights how human-driven land degradation is cutting crop yields worldwide and threatening the livelihoods of 1.7 billion people.

FAO notes that while wealthier nations often mask soil damage through heavy input use, low-income countries face far harsher consequences.

Pakistan is firmly headed down this dangerous path due to the longstanding mismanagement of land and water resources, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, since independence, Pakistan's farm growth stemmed from more cultivated land, better yields, and higher cropping intensity.

But limited water availability has slowed land expansion, leaving it far behind population growth. Yield improvements have also plateaued, except in a few crops, pushing farmers to squeeze more seasons into the same soil.

Short-duration varieties, machinery, and economic pressure, especially on smallholders owning less than 2.5 acres, have normalised three-crop cycles across irrigated regions.

This relentless approach has erased fallow periods, locked farmers into rigid crop patterns, and severely undermined soil health. Continuous wheat-on-wheat or rice-on-rice cultivation has become widespread.

Simultaneously, reliance on chemical fertilisers like urea and DAP has soared, while traditional organic matter has nearly vanished. This imbalance has stripped soils of their organic content, driving levels below 0.5 per cent in many parts of Punjab.

Rising soil alkalinity, often above pH 8, now restricts nutrient uptake. Crop-residue burning kills soil organisms and adds to Pakistan's winter smog. Groundwater exploitation has further worsened irrigation quality, accelerating salinity and reducing productivity.

Excessive tillage, too, is breaking soil structure, promoting erosion, and reducing biodiversity, a combination that FAO warns can cripple long-term agricultural viability, as cited by Dawn.

Experts argue that Pakistan can no longer afford reactive governance. With shrinking farm sizes and mounting cropping intensity, sustainable tillage, efficient water use, and balanced fertilisation must become national priorities.

Farmers need training in organic techniques, while biogas and composting plants supported through public-private partnerships could convert the country's massive municipal waste stream into affordable fertiliser, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)

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