THE development of Sindh and this country is associated with agriculture.
Agriculture is the main source of food and income for more than 70% of the population. Sindh’s agricultural potential is enviable but till today it has utilized only 3.8 million hectares of its land for cropping which constitutes 17% of Pakistan’s total cropped area. Sindh is a major contributor to national food security, producing key crops like rice, wheat, cotton and sugarcane.
Irrigation is a vital component of Sindh’s agricultural sector. The potential for irrigation expansion is very vast in Sindh, but shortage of water, counterfeit seeds, fake fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides, coupled with erratic weather caused by climate change, is declining interest in irrigation among small-scale farmers. Due to significant water supply shortages, Sindh could actually irrigate only about 2.44 million hectares, with 2.5 million hectares being net sown and 3.3 million hectares harvested in the 2004/2005 season.
Sindh needs sustainable irrigation to boost socioeconomic development, particularly in poorer regions, by creating jobs and increasing incomes. Sindh needs modernization of the irrigation system to create opportunities for national and foreign exporters. Farmers must be educated and encouraged to purchase localized, pivots, and mobile sprinklers to replace outdated flood and furrow techniques. With a focus on innovation, there can be growing opportunities for smart irrigation systems with sensor-based, IoT, solar-powered, and drone integrations.
So far nothing has been planned carefully to avoid adverse impacts on the environment and human health in the irrigation. The relevant provincial departments have yet to empower agriculture through efficient water management. The departments have yet to enhance and strengthen water efficiency in the province, increase productivity and incomes, and improve their livelihoods.
However, collective and individual action is needed at all government levels- from the private sector, and among farming communities – to expand irrigation across the province —from small-scale schemes to farmer-led innovations and large-scale irrigation systems.
Sindh’s smallholder farmers face increasing challenges due to unpredictable rainfall and climate variability. By enabling solar-powered irrigation, the project not only boosts agricultural productivity but also strengthens livelihoods, reduces operational costs, and supports the country’s environmental goals. Our agricultural experts must teach our farmers how to grow different crops for food security. Practical steps should be taken to overcome challenges and hindrances like land salinity, water scarcity, Climate Change and flooding, land abandonment, investment in infrastructure, climate-smart and regenerative agriculture.
Moreover, the federal and provincial governments must support in the form of subsidies, loans, and consistent agricultural policies for farmers to stimulate production, and encourage continued farming and mechanization. Above all, key technologies and practices such as Drip Irrigation, Wastewater Recycling, Precision Agriculture, Automation and Monitoring must be introduced.
Sindh has very gifted and world famed agro-experts, in all domains and disciplines of agriculture and irrigation, but without any proper government backup and funding both from the federal and provincial governments as well as the world bides like the WB, the FAO and others, these green brains would be sitting like sitting ducks and cannot reform agriculture and irrigation in the climate age crisis. The world bodies shouldn’t leave farmers in these crucial times.
—The writer is contributing columnist, based in Islamabad.
