ABSTRACT
High prevalence of undernutrition, particularly severe among women and children, has led to the poor ranking of Pakistan in the Global Hunger Index (GHI). The food security situation in the country is worsened by increasing exposure to climate hazards and natural disasters. Pakistan has improved productivity of certain crops, particularly cereals, and has transformed into a net exporter of these crops. However, diversification of food baskets continues to be a challenge along with issues of food utilisation due to inadequacies of access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities. This chapter finds critical areas of improvement in the national food security policy framework and indicates topics of regional cooperation interests for Pakistan, including agricultural research and integration of food markets.
