Imagine a world where farming not only feeds humanity but also heals the earth. Where the soil is richer each year, water runs clearer, and farms thrive even in the face of climate change. Well, this isn’t just imagination anymore; it’s the promise of regenerative agriculture. While conventional farming often drains the land of its vitality, regenerative practices breathe life back into the soil, turning barren fields into productive ecosystems. The goal of regenerative agriculture is not just to sustain current productivity but to actively improve the land, making it more resilient to climate change and helping sequester carbon, thus contributing to environmental sustainability.
In Pakistan, regenerative agriculture is still in its early stages, but there’s a growing need for sustainable agricultural practices amid the growing population of over 240 million with heightened food security and economic needs. The country faces significant challenges from climate change and resource scarcity, with the World Resources Institute warning that Pakistan could become one of the most water-stressed nations by 2040. Addressing these issues through sustainable interventions is crucial to ensuring food production while conserving resources and mitigating the impacts of climate change. While some smallholder farmers, MNCs, and NGOs are trying to revive traditional practices like crop rotation and organic farming, large-scale adoption of regenerative techniques remains limited.
The government has introduced climate-smart initiatives, but there’s no cohesive policy specifically promoting regenerative agriculture, and without strong incentives, farmers struggle to transition from conventional methods. Many smallholders still struggle with limited access to technology and lack the necessary infrastructure to fully utilize these innovations. To fully realize the potential of agriculture in Pakistan, there is a pressing need for broader adoption of technology, supported by government and policy frameworks.
During her recent visit to Lahore, Malu Nachreiner, Head of the Asia Region for Bayer’s Crop Science Division, emphasized two key elements. The first was increasing yield and productivity: increasing yields while cultivating the same amount of land, and meeting demand is essential, which can only be accomplished through the use of innovative solutions.
The second element she emphasized was environmental restoration: using innovation to lp grow more with fewer inputs, reducing the demand for scarce resources like water, and focusing on practices and techniques that improve soil health, demonstrating that sustainable agriculture can both enhance productivity and protect the environment.
Technologies like agricultural drones for crop scouting and spraying, already in use globally, can boost productivity through better pest management, and precision, and by addressing labor shortages. Similarly, genetically modified (GM) crops, such as maize and cotton, offer a pathway to significantly enhancing agricultural output and profitability for smallholder farmers. The success of hybrid maize highlights the need to increase yields, especially as demand continues to grow despite limited arable land. However, there are concerns about the long-term ecological impacts of relying on hybrid and genetically modified seeds. Critics argue that these solutions can lead to a dependency on specific products, which may not always align with the principles of regenerative agriculture that emphasize biodiversity and soil health.
The journey towards a regenerative future in agriculture is a complex one, requiring efforts from all corners of industry. “Pakistan could become one of the biggest agricultural countries in the region in the next ten years”, shared Malu Nachreiner while talking about Pakistan’s prospects.“I believe that with sustained effort, in time, Pakistan can become a reference for agriculture in the region in terms of better yield – producing more within the same area we have now by adopting the new technologies”, she added.
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