Multi-facet approach for food security in Pakistan

Business as usual will not be enough to tackle the critical issue of having sustainable increase in agricultural productivity and food security, which Pakistan is facing at the moment and in future it can become very alarming. Innovative approach is essential for food policy, for enhancing agriculture productivity on sustainable basis and ensuring food security. This paper figures out how sustainable increase in agriculture productivity and food security is linked with a comprehensive food policy. Agriculture productivity respond to the external environment more than tailor made targeted schemes for agriculture. New Growth Strategy GOP (May, 2011) includes all the basic ingredients, which are important for changing this external environment. These include growth of prosperous cities which derive demand for food upward and compel market activities sequentially create employment, connectivity which makes the flow of market information process efficient besides reducing the cost of transportation as well as reduce post harvest losses, entrepreneurship in agri-business leads to fair market competition and standardization and certification of products. These external aspects complement in enhancing productivity as well as solve the problem of food insecurity by augmenting the purchasing power of the masses. In addition there should be a National strategy in which federal and provincial governments should develop a strategy of bringing hunger to zero level in next 5 to 8 years.