“Climate-Resilient and Adaptive Water Management at Farm Scale”.

FAISALABAD June 10: Pakistan's greatest untapped opportunity for water conservation lies in the enormous volume of water lost between canal outlets and crop root zones. Experts warned that the country loses approximately 50 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually at the farm level due to inefficient irrigation practices—an amount roughly equivalent to the storage capacity of five Tarbela Dams or seven Mangla Dams. The issue was highlighted during a policy roundtable on “Climate-Resilient and Adaptive Water Management at Farm Scale” held at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). The event was organized by the Agricultural Policy, Law and Governance Center (APLGC), UAF, in collaboration with the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), CSIRO Australia, the Centre of Excellence for Public Policy and Economic Development (CEPPED) under Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC). Prof. Dr. M. Asif Kamran, Director APLGC, said that national water debate often focus on large infrastructure projects, while the real crisis and solution exists at the farm level where irrigation efficiency remains around 50 percent. He stressed that Pakistan's water challenges cannot be resolved through infrastructure development alone and called for stronger focus on farm-level interventions, climate-smart agriculture, efficient pricing for market solutions, sustainable groundwater management, and evidence-based policymaking.