According to a statement from the World Bank, the money will be used to revolutionize the agricultural sector of the nation by implementing climate-smart technology to raise small farmers’ earnings, increase water usage efficiency, and increase resilience to extreme weather events.
“The agricultural sector in Punjab is central to Pakistan’s economy and food security as it accounts for 73% of the country’s total food production,” according to the lender.
The Punjab Resilient and Inclusive Agriculture Transformation Project (PRIAT), according to the World Bank, would boost agricultural output by providing small farmers with fair and effective access to water. According to the World Bank, the program would assist farmers in Punjab to adopt climate-smart agricultural techniques and technology, which will increase crop yields and preserve water resources.
According to Najy Benhassine, the World Bank’s Country Director for Pakistan, “In recent years Pakistan’s agriculture sector has suffered from losses in crop yields and livestock, damage to irrigation infrastructure, and food shortages due to climate change, particularly severe droughts in the Punjab province,”
This initiative is in line with the Punjab Agriculture Policy 2018, which encourages a significant increase in water conservation measures, improving sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change, and enlisting the aid of the private sector to increase the productivity of the sector.
According to the World Bank, the project would help 1.4 million acres of irrigated land in rural areas around the province, as well as roughly 190,000 small, family-owned farms. Small- and medium-sized farm owners will also receive training on water conservation and more environmentally friendly, climate-resilient agricultural methods, particularly for women, according to the statement.
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