Food security needs innovation and social support, experts say

KU seminar highlights farmers’ role and sustainable food systems as PMA calls for nutritional assistance and mental health support for distressed families

IV Report

KARACHI: Food security requires sustainable food systems, modern research and farmers’ participation, alongside measures to protect vulnerable households from hunger, malnutrition and economic distress, speakers at a University of Karachi seminar and the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) have emphasised.

The seminar, held on Thursday to mark World Food Day 2026, highlighted the need to combine local knowledge with scientific innovation, while the PMA, in a statement issued on Friday, warned that persistent inflation, food insecurity and financial hardship were aggravating public health and mental health concerns.

Organised by KU’s Department of Food Science and Technology at its Master Conference Hall, the seminar was titled “World Food Day 2026: Innovate Today, Nourish Tomorrow”.

FAO Pakistan Programme Coordinator Botagoz Nartayeva said food systems encompassed land, water, biodiversity, employment and farmers’ welfare. She identified climate change, water scarcity, floods and extreme heat as major challenges requiring locally tailored solutions.

She said the Food and Agriculture Organisation was working with farmers on practical innovations, including the use of discarded banana parts in the textile industry to reduce waste. Congratulating KU on its 75th anniversary, she stressed the importance of combining modern technology with the knowledge of small farmers, women and marginalised communities.

Associate Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Ghufran Saeed highlighted the scale of global hunger and food deficiencies, citing estimates of 645 million people suffering from hunger and 2.69 billion facing food deficiencies. He also referred to the annual wastage of more than one billion tonnes of food.

Chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology Dr Abdul Haq said tackling hunger required modern technology, food safety measures and reliable supply chains. He also highlighted food contamination and nutritional deficiencies, citing anaemia among adolescent girls in Pakistan as a concern.

Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Prof Dr Haris Shoaib stressed the importance of export-oriented strategies and stronger supply chains amid population growth and climate-related challenges. A panel discussion concluded that collaboration among institutions, scientists and farmers, supported by reliable data, was essential to achieving food security goals.

Separately, the PMA linked food insecurity and economic hardship with worsening mental health concerns, calling for urgent government intervention. Secretary General Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said rising food prices and declining household purchasing power were placing increasing pressure on families already struggling to meet basic needs.

The association cited Pakistan’s nutritional challenges, including stunting among more than a third of children under five, and warned that inadequate nutrition threatened children’s physical and cognitive development.

Referring to recent tragedies involving entire families in Karachi’s Bin Qasim and Ahsanabad areas, the PMA said economic hardship, debt and social isolation underscored the need for stronger support systems for vulnerable households.

It called for mental health services, psychiatric emergency support and clinical nutrition interventions in public healthcare facilities, alongside subsidised treatment, essential medicines and nutritional assistance. It also urged authorities to establish targeted support for families facing severe debt, food insecurity and housing instability, while encouraging communities to help people experiencing distress without stigma.

Photos courtesy: KU

With an uninterrupted 23-year career in daily journalism (1991-2013), the author/editor of this blog currently serves as Editor of Social Track, a weekly newspaper focused on social sectors, based in Karachi. Holding a master's degree in Mass Communications from the University of Karachi (1990), his professional experience includes roles as senior reporter at Daily Dawn, Karachi (May 2001-August 2013) and Chief Reporter at The News International, Karachi (April 1991-May 2001). He has a strong background in development journalism, he has an extensive portfolio of news stories, analytical reports and features covering a wide range of sectors. He has had the privilege of covering numerous high-profile figures, including Pakistani presidents, prime ministers, army chiefs, foreign dignitaries, and VVIPs and attending conferences and workshops abroad. He began his journalism career in the early 1980s. Throughout his career, he has received several national awards from government and private organisations. He has contributed to various radio and TV/channel broadcasts and has also served as a trainer at workshops in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad, focused on training journalists.

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