Climate change, water scarcity and declining soil health are putting growing pressure on Pakistan’s farmers, prompting calls for smarter resource use and stronger agricultural resilience.
LAHORE: Syngenta Pakistan has called for greater investment in climate-resilient agriculture, warning that water shortages, declining soil health and changing weather patterns are increasingly threatening crop productivity, farmer incomes and Pakistan’s long-term food security.
Speaking at the Pakistan Agriculture Coalition’s Agri-Connections 2026 conference in Lahore, Syngenta Pakistan Country General Manager Zeeshan Baig said the country needed to strengthen the resilience of its agricultural system as farmers faced growing challenges to producing food consistently and profitably.
Agriculture contributes 23.44 percent to Pakistan’s GDP. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2025-26, the sector grew by 2.89 percent during FY2025-26, while important crops posted growth of only 0.65 percent. Gains in sugarcane, wheat and rice were partly offset by declines in cotton and maize.
Baig said climate-related disruptions were adding to the existing pressures on farmers, particularly through declining water availability, deteriorating soil health and changing patterns of pests and diseases.
“We don’t just need more food, we need more sustainable and resilient food,” Baig said, stressing that agricultural productivity could no longer be viewed separately from the environmental and resource challenges confronting farmers.
Water Scarcity Emerges as Major Agricultural Risk
Water remains one of the biggest vulnerabilities for Pakistan’s agriculture, which depends heavily on irrigation. Declining water availability and changing climatic conditions are increasing pressure on farmers to produce more efficiently with fewer resources.
Baig said the challenge was not simply to increase agricultural output but to improve the efficiency with which farmers use water, land and other inputs.
The issue is particularly significant in Punjab, which accounts for around 73 percent of Pakistan’s total food production. Greater resilience in the province is therefore closely linked to national food supplies, rural livelihoods and the wider economy.
The World Bank has also highlighted the importance of improving agricultural water productivity, climate resilience and farmer incomes in Punjab as part of efforts to strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural system.
Rising Population Adds to Food-Security Pressure
Pakistan’s growing population is expected to place further pressure on already constrained agricultural resources.
“By the next 30 years, our population is expected to increase by almost 50 percent. Today, we are already at a weak deficit or marginally meeting the food demand of the local economy,” Baig said.
He noted that rising food demand combined with increasing climate pressures would require Pakistan to protect agricultural productivity against both sudden climate shocks and longer-term environmental stresses.
According to Baig, climate resilience should become part of everyday farming decisions, including water management, soil-health practices, crop protection, pest and disease management and responses to changing weather conditions.
Laser Land Levelling Could Improve Resource Efficiency
Baig cited laser land levelling as one practical intervention that could help farmers use scarce resources more efficiently.
Figures presented during his address indicated that the technology could reduce water consumption by approximately 20 to 30 percent while increasing crop yields by around 10 percent.
He said agricultural resilience did not necessarily depend solely on complex technologies. Greater benefits could come from combining improved agronomic practices with digital advisory services, crop diagnostics, weather information, crop protection and biological solutions tailored to farmers’ specific needs.
“Until we empower farmers to make the right decisions, we will never be able to solve food security in Pakistan,” Baig said.
Coordinated Action Needed
Baig emphasized that building climate-resilient agriculture would require coordinated efforts involving government institutions, academia, researchers and the private sector.
He said farmers needed better access to knowledge, technology and practical solutions that could help protect productivity under increasingly challenging climatic conditions.
The economic case for such investment is also gaining importance. A recent World Bank assessment covering the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region estimates that an additional $12 billion annually in water-efficient irrigation and agricultural innovation, combined with policy reforms, could substantially increase domestic food production and raise cereal yields by 72 percent by 2050.
For Pakistan, Baig said strengthening agriculture against climate stress was no longer only an environmental concern. It was increasingly connected to protecting crop production, farmer livelihoods, national food supplies and the broader economy that depends heavily on agriculture.