International Seminar titled “Climate Changes Adaption Strategies to Ensure the Food Security”

Pakistan is facing worst climate changes impact and has been placed at eight number in climate changes-hit countries. The country temperature would have risen to 2.8 C in day timing by 2070 that would boost up the threat of food insecurity. This was stated by speakers at International Seminar titled “Climate Changes Adaption Strategies to Ensure the Food Security”. The seminar was arranged by the Department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad in collaboration with Agriculture Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMiP) at New Senate Hall. Chairing the inaugural session, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan said that glaciers are melting which is causing the floods and in the years to come, the situation of famine can also emerge. He said that water scarcity was the area of the major concerns for survival. The country is dumping 80 percent of the water into sea. The remaining 20 percent of water is resulting in brining 15 billion in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through agriculture. If we increase the water saving capacity, the agricultural productivity can be increased manifold Qamr-uz-Zaman Ch, Ex Director General, Pakistan Metrological Department, said that climate changes are not only posing the threats for the environment but creating development and agri production challenges. He was of the view that the agri scientists need to enhance their role by developing the heat tolerant varieties to ensure the food security. World Bank former chief economist Manzoor A Khan said that we had failed to construct the big dam for the last 40 years. He said that climate changes were the manmade crisis. The deforestation and heavy emission of smoke from factories were aggravating the situation. Washington State University Scientist Dr Gerrrit Hoogenboom said that joint efforts are needed to cope with increasing carbon dioxide. The high resistant crops are the need of the hour to fight the climate changes and increasing CO2. He called for expediting the efforts on the part of world science community in the regard. AgMip Principal Investigator and UAF Prof Dr Ashfaq Ahmad said that carbon dioxide was likely to increase form 390 to 571 ppm in the future. He said that climate changes can reduce wheat production by 14 percent and rice 15.2 percent in the future. Keeping in view, we have to adopt the modern trend in agriculture and to enhance efforts to curb the climate changes. Dr Daniel Alderman from CIMMYT Global Wheat Production, Mexico said that they had trained the 200 scientists in Pakistan so far. He said that joint efforts will address the issue to ensure the food security. Dr Ghulam Rasool, Dy. Director General , PMD said that the last century saw the 1 Centigrade increase in the temperature. The first decade of the century had witnessed one centigrade. He said that temperature of the world can go up 2 Centigrade by 2050.