Climate change and water scarcity have made Pakistan vulnerable to food insecurity. This was shared by an expert at the “International Workshop on Integrated Use of Space Technologies for Food and Water Security,”which began on Monday.

Planning Commission Member Food and Agriculture Muhammad Javed Malik said the country’s per capita water availability has decreased to 1,000 cubic metres from around 5,000 cubic metres in 1951. “The lack of water and population explosion could affect future food production and food security in the country. But studies based on space technologies could prove to be building blocks for improving food production.”

Sharing his study’s findings, Ibrarul Hassan Akhtar, a researcher for the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), said cultivated area in Pakistan’s Punjab province is twice the size of cultivated land in Indian Punjab, yet the yield from the neighbouring state’s farms is 1.6 times that of Pakistani Punjab’s yield. Using satellite imagery data spread over 19 years, he estimated that Indian Punjab farmers begin their wheat sowing season around 30 days earlier than their counterparts across the border.

Change in farming strategies along with land reforms, subsidies for small farmers and a satellite-based crops intelligence system, which informs farmers of changing weather patterns and optimum sowing period during the year, could help improve yields, Akhtar said.

SUPARCO is using satellite remote sensing and space technology applications to work on crop yield estimation, water course management, digitisation of land records and early warning systems for disaster management and mitigation. Satellite remote sensing is the use of satellites to acquire information about the Earth’s surface.

Several national and international experts shared their work on space applications for water security, water management, agriculture and food security. Douglas Cripe, a water expert at the Group on Earth Observations, briefed participants about an Asian “water cycle integrator” initiative, in which 18 countries including Pakistan are collaborating to improve river basin management.

Muhammad Jawad of SUPARCO gave a rather ambitious presentation on storage and management of excess water. Jawad used satellite remote sensing to suggest a water storage site near Chashma Barrage which could store floodwater diverted from the barrage through the Chashma-Jhelum Link Canal.

Chief Guest Moazzam Ali Khan Jatoi, Minister of State for National Food Security and Research, said food and water security are one of the biggest challenges in today’s world. Several government departments are already using SUPARCO’s satellite-based services for policy decisions, he said.