ISLAMABAD: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has said that area under agriculture crops in Pakistan has stagnated, and no expansion is foreseen due to dwindling water resources.

“Protecting the soil is to secure the future of Pakistani generations,” emphasised the FAO Representative in Pakistan, Mina Dowlatchahi, on the occasion of the World Soil Day.

The FAO says that soils in Pakistan are low in organic matter and many essential plant nutrients. The parent material of the soils is predominantly calcareous alluvium and loess. In general, 90 per cent of the soils are poor in organic matter, 85pc low in phosphorus and 40pc low in potassium.

The deficiency of zinc and boron is now widely reported at above 50pc in field crops. Iron deficiency in deciduous fruits is also of common occurrence.

Out of the 80 million hectares of total geographical area of Pakistan, about 22m hectares are presently cultivated, which is slightly more than 25pc.

In addition to the stagnation in cropping area, there is pressure on land in peri-urban areas where agriculture land is being converted into real estate, the FAO said.

Ms Dowlatchahi suggested that only an integrated approach of soil, water and input management could address the challenges posed by climate change and promote rural development.

Lasting development could only be ‘people- and natural resources-centred’, and “we should promote sustainable indigenous best natural resources management practices across different production systems, and present cost-effective solutions for its adoption, especially by the small land holders,” she said.

As the population of Pakistan, according to the census, touched the figure of 208m, FAO says that achieving food production for all has become the greatest challenge faced by humanity including Pakistan. There will be a challenge to grow more and nutritious food per unit of land for food security and economic development, the UN agency says.

FAO Pakistan in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture, food security ministry and Pakistan Agricultural Research Council is building capacity of federal, provincial agriculture departments, national fertiliser companies, farmers’ associations and other stakeholders in soil fertility management by promoting the concept of 4R nutrient stewardship parallel to the theme of “save and grow”.

Development of soil fertility atlases is one of the key deliverables. The atlases of Punjab and Sindh have been developed and the series will be continued for the remaining provinces to provide a complete coverage of the country.

These atlases provide a comprehensive account of the soil types and their current fertility status, native best management practices, fertiliser use trends at the farm-gate level, and management strategy for normal and constrained soils for resource-based improvement.

Additionally, the information compiled on soil classification, dominant soil series and parent material is rarely available from a single source. Most of the findings can help design further detailed investigations for agricultural development under the changing scenario of climate.

In the meantime, the FAO has launched the most comprehensive global map to date showing the amount of carbon stocks in the soil. Soil organic matter, with carbon as its main component, is crucial to soil health and fertility, water infiltration and retention as well as food production. As a major carbon storage system, conserving and restoring soils are essential for both sustainable agriculture and climate change mitigation.

The map shows that globally, the first 30cm of soil contains around 680 billion tonnes of carbon — almost double the amount present in our atmosphere. This is a significant amount compared to the carbon stored in the whole vegetation (560 billion tonnes).

More than 60pc of the 680 billion tonnes of carbon is found in 10 countries (Russia, Canada, the US, China, Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Argentina, Kazakhstan and Congo). This means that steps should be taken to protect these natural carbon-rich soils to avoid emissions to the atmosphere, the FAO says.

The degradation of one-third of the world’s soils has already prompted an enormous release of carbon into the atmosphere. Restoring these soils can remove up to 63 billion tonnes of carbon, significantly reducing the effects of climate change.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2017