UN agricultural agency helps Pakistan cope with natural disasters such as floods, quakes, droughts

With Pakistan suffering a multitude of natural disasters each year, including floods, earthquakes, droughts, landslides and avalanches, a United Nations development agency is teaming up with State and provincial authorities to shore up the country's agriculture, among the sectors most affected.

“This assessment is a key tool to further develop the capacity of the agriculture sector institutions to mainstream the disaster risk management, with a special focus on disaster risk reduction, in their planning and action” UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Deputy Representative in Pakistan Francisco Gamarro said of a recently finalized study on the issue.

With a 21 percent share of the national gross domestic product (GDP) and a 45 percent share of Pakistan's total workforce, it is crucial that agriculture be able to prevent and mitigate the impact of disasters.

The FAO, together with national, provincial, and regional level disaster management authorities and civil society organizations last week finalized the Institutional Assessment on integrating disaster risk management into Pakistan's agricultural sector.

The study identified areas and measures that need to be strengthened in a series of workshops with key stakeholders across the country.

Among the goals of the FAO, which seeks to achieve food security for all, is the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air and climate.