Agricultural and water experts and progressive farmers have emphasized the need for conserving water in the lower areas of Sindh and promoting urban and vertical agriculture. They said the drip irrigation system should be used for agriculture on 50pc Sindh’s uncultivated agricultural land.
They were speaking at a consultation seminar titled “Food-Water Nexus: Connecting Dots,” hosted by the Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) in collaboration with the Research and Development Foundation (RDF) and Welthungerhilfe, a German organization, held at the Senate Hall.
SAU VC Dr. Fateh Marri said there had been no significant development in agricultural production for the past 30 years, so there was a need to promote technologies related to urban agriculture and more efficient use of water. He said that modern agricultural technology must be adopted by farmers due to the growing population and possible water shortage.
Syed Nadeem Shah, a progressive farmer, and Sindh Abadgar Board leader, said that vertical farming and food preservation were practiced in the developed countries while everyone grew vegetables for their domestic needs in China. He expressed concern that farmlands were being converted into colonies.
Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan, general manager (transition) at the Sindh Irrigation and Development Authority (Sida), said students should be involved in research on agricultural, economic, and water policies while the government, private institutions, and farmers should jointly work on water.
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