Innovation, digitalisation in regional trade to promote food security

Islamabad : Innovative indigenous solutions and digital integration of agriculture data can play a pivotal role to unlock the potential of regional agriculture trade and support progress towards food security and SDG2, said speakers at a report launch.

The report on “Potential of innovation for food security and regional trade in agriculture" was launched here by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI).

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Haroon Sarwar, Economic Consultant, Ministry of National Food Security & Research, said the participation of startups from Balochistan and even Afghanistan was a promising sign for food security. He emphasised that the current problems confronting agriculture in Pakistan and region is the poor access of small holding farmers to finances. He said that bridging the gap between small farmers and financial institutions can help scale up their profitability and ultimately reduce food insecurity in the country. Highlighting the regional trade potential, he said, there is a natural appetite for agriculture trade between Pakistan and Afghanistan with both countries having much to offer to each other. However, the trade potential is obstructed by political and strategic barriers.

Dr Samreen Babar, Associate Professor, Behria University, said that the Hackathon DPI provided a platform to students and startups to pitch their innovative ideas and bridged them to mentors for guidance. She said that bridging the gap between academia, startups, mentors, and partners can help bring innovative indigenous solutions. Building on the idea of data sharing and consolidation, she suggested that developing a mobile application connecting buyers and sellers to facilitate bilateral agriculture trade cannot only boost food security but also support economic development.

Dr Vaqar Ahmed, SDPI Joint Executive Director, remarked that recurrent climate events, pandemic and supply chain disruptions caused food price inflation shocks and exacerbated food insecurity in Pakistan and across the region. Considering these novel challenges, agricultural productivity and regional food security can be leveraged by technological innovations and strengthening regional agricultural trade, he said highlighting that 2022 floods severely undermined the ability of 73% of households in flood affected areas to afford basic nutrition, stalling the progress towards SDG2.