Smart agri-practices

Our economic growth is facing major challenges. We need climate-smart agricultural practices to increase our rice, wheat, maize, potato, pulses and vegetable production. A huge labour force – millions of people – is employed in agriculture but it does not register remarkable contribution towards the GDP.

Unfortunately, the land available for agriculture is shrinking due to rapid urbanization, population explosion and lack of city regional planning in the country. As personal incomes rise, per capita food consumption increases, food demand goes up, as does wastage which is why heaps of garbage and lifter are visible in every village, town and city in this country. Then there is also the impact of climate change. Pakistan is one of the countries more vulnerable to climate change. Thus, there is a need to increase the productivity of the agriculture sector and effectively mitigate the impacts of climate change, but nothing is being done by the relevant ministries and divisions at the federal level and departments at the provincial level. In many South Asian and other countries where agriculture is not neglected like ours, autonomous robots, drones or UAVs, and sensors and the Internet of Things (IoT) and others tools, techniques, devices and appliances are being used for smart farming. But who cares in this country where parasitism and consumerism is being promoted by persons in authority positions?

Hashim Abro

Islamabad