Chowrangi

As the time is passing, the explosion of population is getting louder and louder. Not equally louder, but the louder nonetheless is the explosion of development, mainly due to the aid and loans from the other nations. This population growth and hollow development is taking its toll from the natural resources of Pakistan.

Challenge of food security in the developing country as Pakistan has put the land and water resources under disparate kinds of pressures. This is mainly for the infrastructure (houses, roads, industrial areas) and for core agriculture to take care of the needs of expanding populations. Due to this alarming and unchecked growth, the viability and usefulness of resources is diminishing like never before.

The overall impact of degradation is that it reduces maximum crop yield, lower actual yields, if little fertilizer is used (weaker input use efficiency, less profit and it increases the risk of crop failure) These factors make production costs higher and generation of income is more difficult and investment in agriculture less attractive. So degradation tends to decrease rural household food security indirectly.

As many as almost 2 billion people live in areas with some noticeable land and water degradation, which reduces livelihoods and household food security. There is pressing need for better information at local, national and global scales on these relationships. In order to transform degradation into rehabilitation and improve the lives of especially living in rural areas, a value-based mechanism and use of technology is required to preserve the land and water resources.

Other posts by Commoner

• Eyeball to Eyeball - November 18th, 2008
• No Surprises There - November 18th, 2008
• Yousuf Ready to Leave "Power" - November 18th, 2008
• OGRA Website Hacked By Indian Hackers - November 17th, 2008
• Friends Of Pakistan Again Disappoints - November 17th, 2008
• New But Old Dimensions - November 17th, 2008
• After the Loan - November 16th, 2008
• Locals Lashkars Against Taliban - November 16th, 2008
• Swat Keeps on Smouldering - November 15th, 2008
• Slaves of US - November 15th, 2008