The government of Pakistan, which is among the top 10 countries affected by the climate change, has decided to plant 10bn trees and construct small dams to mitigate the effects of the global phenomenon.
This was revealed by Punjab Minister for Food Samiullah Chaudhry while addressing participants at a two-day international conference on the effects of changing climate on the soil and crop health.
The event was held at the Mohamed Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan (MNSUAM).
The conference was organised under the auspices of the university’s soil and environmental department.
A large number of agriculture scientists, including from the US, China, Malaysia, Iran, and Pakistan, presented around 150 research papers over the issue and shared their views with participants.
Minister Chaudhry said that such conferences would help to create awareness among the masses.
He thanked MNSUAM Vice-Chancellor Dr Asif Ali for conducting an educational and agricultural conference.
The minister maintained that in the next few decades, agriculture in Pakistan will move into marginal lands not suitable for current crops.
“This will require a major shift in the current management practices and develop new technologies to ameliorate negative effects of extreme climate by using new chemical (plant growth regulators) and biological (growth promoting bacteria and fungi) tools,” he said.
Chaudhry highlighted that in order to increase soil organic matter and sustain soil fertility, crop residue management technique should be adopted, while the burning of residue should be avoided.
Ali said that the aim of the conference is to educate farmers and crop growers.
He said that the students would benefit from the recommendations of international researchers.
Ali said that all the research papers and recommendations would be read out to the farmers and land owners in Urdu so that they would apply those techniques in their fields.
Dr Sergey Shabala from Australia said that growing legume/cover crops can prevent soil degradation and will improve soil fertility and physical health.
“Current fertilisation practices will not work under the predicted climate change scenario. Current policies and recommendations to growers need to be adjusted, and crops with higher nutrient use under stress conditions need to be developed,” he said.
The Australian added that use of the untreated sewage water for crop production, especially vegetables, should be avoided.
“Sewage water should only be used after effective treatment,” he said.
Dr Shuo Qing Ni from China said that technological interventions and policy reforms need to be devised and implemented.
“Advanced type of fertilisers, their balanced use and precise site-specific application will lead to economic and ecological benefits while maximising fertiliser use efficiency,” he added.
The conference participants said that Pakistan will become warmer and dryer, with agricultural crop production becoming drought prone and saline.
In view of the situation, the crops will rely heavily on use of low-quality irrigation water.
This warrants the need for developing and using more drought- and salt-tolerant cultivars and species by implementing an effective, large-scale crop improvement programme for adaptation and salt tolerance, they said.
They opined that reforestation of wasted saline lands with suitable salt tolerant tree species could bring economic, environmental and social benefits, and should be considered a priority for the future.
To mitigate the effect of climate change, it is imperative that soil health be maintained so that it can sustain physical, chemical and biological function and provide ecosystem resilience, the researchers said.