Regional training on developing climate-smart agriculture begins

Islamabad:A 10-day regional training course on developing climate-smart agriculture using nuclear and isotopic techniques in Pakistan kicked off here at National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) on Monday, says a press release.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan is organizing this course through the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC). The Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB), Faisalabad being the premier agriculture research institute of the PAEC is the organiser of the training course. The inaugural session was held at the NARC Auditorium.

Dr. Raja Ali Raza Anwar, Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, was the chief guest on this occasion. He said, “I am delighted to be part of the regional training course. As Chairman of the Commission, two subjects are very close to my heart: one is Nuclear Medicine and the other is Agriculture. I am glad to see a distinguished gathering of scientists from around the world attending this training course. We often talk of climate change since we are among the most affected nations hit by this calamity. But if we don’t change our ways, our next generation will bear the brunt of it.”

Dr. Ali Raza further said, “Climate change is taking a heavy toll on our crops and their yields. If we fail to adopt modern techniques of agriculture like drip irrigation and don’t abolish conventional practices, research shows that our crop yields will go down 50% by 2050 in Pakistan.”

He added that seasons are changing and, owing to rising temperatures, we have recently witnessed the worst hailstorm in the capital, causing a lot of damage to vehicles and buildings. Growing trees can mitigate rising temperatures and reduce carbon emissions, he added.

“With support from the IAEA, we are engaged in several Technical Cooperation projects using nuclear techniques. This regional training course marks a milestone.” He also mentioned the contribution of PAEC in the generation of nuclear power, which is endorsed by the IAEA as an effective solution to mitigating climate change. He shared that, to date, PAEC’s six operational nuclear power plants have supplied 170 billion units to the national grid. Although the total installed capacity of these NPPs is just 7.7%, they have contributed as much as 25% of the total electricity produced by all sources in the energy mix during winters.