The Government of Pakistan is set to enhance its agricultural sector’s resilience to climate change through the strategic use of nuclear technology, following a comprehensive assessment mission by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the Atoms4Food Initiative. This marks the first such mission in the Asia-Pacific region, highlighting Pakistan’s commitment to leveraging advanced science to address its pressing food security challenges.
The mission, conducted in response to a request from the Pakistani government, found significant potential for the country to optimize and broaden its adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices. The findings will form the basis of a national Atoms4Food action plan, designed to deliver targeted support in research, technology transfer, and capacity building for a more robust and resilient agri-food system.
Key Findings and Recommendations of the Assessment Mission
Climate change, with its associated rising temperatures and erratic weather patterns, poses a dire threat to Pakistan’s food production. Staple crops such as wheat, rice, and cotton, along with the livelihoods of millions, are at risk. The IAEA assessment mission provided a detailed roadmap for addressing these issues:
- Efficient Resource Use: The mission identified opportunities to enhance soil fertility and health through capacity building in efficient nutrient and water use, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of fertilization.
- Advanced Breeding Techniques: It highlighted the potential to integrate advanced technologies like speed breeding and biotechnology into Pakistan’s existing mutation breeding programs for key crops, building on decades of successful cooperation with the IAEA.
- Pest and Disease Control: Future cooperation will focus on upgrading local capabilities to use nuclear technologies for the detection, characterization, and monitoring of animal diseases and antibiotic resistance, as well as for producing safe and effective animal vaccines.
- Seed System Revitalization: The mission recommended training national institutions and stakeholders to scale up the distribution and use of improved seeds, ensuring that climate-resilient crop varieties developed with IAEA and FAO support reach farmers effectively.
- Food Safety and Exports: To overcome bottlenecks in agricultural exports, the mission recommended scaling up monitoring capabilities and establishing a national plan to ensure food safety across the value chain, specifically for testing mycotoxins, veterinary drugs, and microbes.
- Nutritional Assessments: The team noted further opportunities to use stable isotope techniques to inform evidence-based nutrition policymaking.
Strengthening Pakistan’s Food Security
Speaking on the initiative, Secretary of National Food Security, Amir Mohyuddin, emphasized Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change despite its minimal contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. “The agricultural sector, crucial to the Pakistani economy, faces dire consequences, with some projections indicating a potential substantial loss in production if current practices continue,” he said. The Atoms4Food initiative is a critical step towards mitigating these effects and securing the nation’s food future.
Muhammad Yussouf Saleem, Director General and Chief Scientist of the Agri & Biotech division of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), highlighted the country’s existing success. “Pakistan has used mutation breeding to create pest-resistant and drought-tolerant crops like chickpea, rice and cotton,” he noted. “The initiative will further expand our cooperation by engaging new partners and breaking silos across sectors with a whole value-chain approach.”
This comprehensive approach will not only help Pakistan adapt to the immediate effects of climate change but also strengthen its agri-food system for long-term sustainability and economic growth.
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