nlike the winters in recent memory, Balochistan had a long dry spell during January 2024. This will have important repercussions for agricultural yields this year.

The agricultural potential of Pishin includes apples, grapes and vegetables which are also sold in other parts of the province and the country. The land is fertile and farming practices well entrenched. However, for several decades, fruit and vegetable harvests have been declining. For the last fifteen years, the decline has been exponential.

One of the main reasons for the situation is a general neglect of planning. The population of Pishin and Balochistan has been increasing steadily. This means a rising demand for food for the local population itself. However, the improvement in productivity has not kept pace with the increase in population. In fact, in some sectors, the production has actually declined.

Some other factors have also contributed to the decreasing surpluses. For example, the groundwater table has been falling. In some areas of Pishin district, it is currently 1,000 feet below the surface. Farmers in some of these areas have abandoned the lands or are cultivating smaller areas.

Not so long ago, more than 70 percent of the local population was employed in some sort of agricultural activity.Over the past few years, a shift has been observedas more and more people have started exploring other opportunities to earn a livelihood.

Pishin’s potential for agriculture has clearly not been realised. It is necessary to evaluate the farming and marketing practices and analyse the reasons for failure. Comprehensive exercises need to be undertaken for this purpose.

The first major intervention needs to be the provision of energy for tubewells and mechanised farming. In rural areas, where most of the land available for cultivation is situated, there is no electricity for most of the day. Last month, even the urban parts of Pishinhad electricity for only eight hours a day.

In summer, the demand for electricity increases. It seems therefore that the electric power loadshedding will increase over the coming months. Given the crippling shortages in the urban areas, the situation is even worse in the villages.

If electricity cannot be provided the farmers will be unable to produce enough grains and vegetablesto sustain themselves and the community, not to talk of exporting surplus production.

If enough electricity cannot be provided through the existing transmission and distribution system, the government should look for other alternatives. Installing solar panels could possibly meet a part of the energy needs of the farmers. Moreover, it can also result in a cleaner energy mix for the country.

If the government cannot provide enough solar panels from its resources, it should at least facilitate the farmers by providing subsidies and helping with credit. This can have a considerable impact on food production within a year.Once the economic activity picks up there can be more employment opportunities for the locals.

Recently, some of the farmers have turned to tunnel farming. This is a good idea. The practice has multiple benefits. Given the severe water shortage, the irrigation savings are hugely welcome. Along with drip irrigation and other water conservation measures, this can help bring more land under cultivation. The shift from floodingof the fields to a precise application of water alone is a game changer.

This method of farming stands out especially when the rain pattern is unpredictable. Catastrophic floods in the monsoon season of 2022 destroyed many fields. In the context of a changing climate, tunnel farming is anadaptation measure.

The government should help the farmers improve the productivity of vegetable farming in tunnels. It should not only help them through knowledge transfer but also provide quality seeds and other inputs.

The pries of certified seeds have been rising exponentially. In some cases there has been a five to six fold increase from one year to the next.Such trends can be highly discouraging for the farmers whose access to credit is limited. Understanding the value of high productivity in food production is the need of the hour. If timely actions are not taken, people will continue to convert farmlands into housing societies.

Such a shift in land use gives instant cash to a few people, but will not benefit the people at large. Apart from aggravating food insecurity, it will contribute to global warming and climate change.

The summer of 2023 was highlighted as the threshold of boiling rather than warming. Unless concrete steps are taken to arrest the trends, the upcoming summers may be even hotter.

The political leaders of Pishin and Balochistanmust address the issue of energy, food security, water supplyand climate change, among others. They need to come up with detailed plans to improve the agriculture. There is an urgent need for decisive actions and clear timeline. Due importance should be given to the role of the farmers. Only then can people be prosperous.

The writer is based in Pishin, Balochistan.His handle on X is @DawoodKhanHere.