Pakistan's Fertile Ground: Addressing Soil Degradation and Policy Gaps

A new FAO assessment reveals Pakistan's soil struggles, noting low fertility and widespread nutrient shortages. The report recommends a cohesive national soil policy, legal reforms, and improved enforcement. Addressing these gaps could combat erosion, pollution, and adverse impacts of intensive agriculture, with a focus on sustainable practices.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has issued a revealing assessment on World Soil Day, highlighting the pressing challenges faced by Pakistani soils, as reported by Dawn. Characterized by low fertility and significant nutrient deficiencies, the analysis points to alarmingly low organic matter levels that compromise soil structure and water retention.

Covering approximately 36 million hectares, Pakistan's agricultural land is reeling from issues of alkalinity, salinity, and sodicity, particularly in irrigated farming regions. The FAO assessment underscores the necessity for a comprehensive national soil policy to address these challenges. Such a policy should guide stakeholders in refining soil governance practices, with recommendations for legal amendments addressing overgrazing, mining impacts, and urbanisation.

Further recommendations include fostering formal interagency coordination and confronting agricultural nutrient depletion, exacerbated erosion, and land tenure issues that hinder sustainable soil management. Insightful reviews of current soil-related strategies reveal a crucial need for improved oversight and policy execution, with a call for enhanced enforcement to combat industrial pollution and logging, and bridge existing knowledge gaps.

(With inputs from agencies.)