Author page: NFG Admin

Unexpected temperature variability and extreme weather events have resulted in a reduction in the nutritional value of staple crops in Pakistan. The yield of rice reduced drastically in rice-growing areas of upper Sindh in 2020 and 2021, and the produce also lacked the required nutritional value due to extreme weather variability. While commenting on the…

Flooding in Pakistan continues to threaten the livelihood, nutrition, and food security of smallholder farming families. This climatic catastrophe has impacted over 33 million people and more than 1,730 people are reported to have lost their lives. The loss of household income and assets coupled with rising food prices and disease outbreaks are negatively impacting…

A three-day national dialogue engaged multi-sectoral specialists on diversification and sustainable intensification of climate resilient crops and food and nutrition security. In collaboration with HarvestPlus and other partners, the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council organized the dialogue, themed ‘Harnessing Agriculture Potential to Boost Pakistan’s Economy’. It provided a platform for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to deliberate…

The first varieties of zinc-enriched wheat recently became available for farmers to grow in the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where 20 percent of rural children do not have adequate zinc in their diets and rates of stunting are alarming. The two biofortified varieties, Tarnab Rehbar and Tarnab Gandum-1, contain on an average 40 percent more zinc…

The more farmers learn about nutrient-enriched crops, the more they want to grow them. In Pakistan, increased awareness among farmers and value chain actors about biofortification has rocketed the zinc-enriched wheat variety Akbar 2019 into popularity as a “mega variety” in Punjab province. Universities, the government, civil society, and other partners are joining HarvestPlus to speak up…

Authorities in Pakistan anticipate considerable climate-related decline in wheat production for the 2022-2023 season. And yet, food and agriculture experts are hopeful that production of zinc-enriched biofortified wheat will rapidly increase to approximately 5.4 million metric tonnes (MT) in the wheat cropping season of 2023, up from 3.5 MT in 2022. Zinc wheat has the…