Pakistan is facing a serious challenge of food insecurity and malnutrition, with millions of people suffering from hunger, stunting, wasting, and micronutrient deficiencies. According to the latest report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Pakistan ranks 88th out of 107 countries in the Global Hunger Index, with 37.6% of its population undernourished.
How Pakistan is Using a Food System Dashboard to Overcome Food Shortage
To address this challenge, the Government of Pakistan, in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), has launched the “Pakistan Subnational Food Systems Dashboard”. This is a web-based tool that provides data and information on various aspects of the country’s food system, such as food production, consumption, availability, affordability, quality, safety, and environmental impact.
The dashboard aims to help policymakers, researchers, civil society, and private sector stakeholders to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses of the food system, identify priority areas for intervention, and monitor the progress and impact of policies and programs. The dashboard also supports the country’s participation in the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, which seeks to transform the global food system to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Benefits of the Food System Dashboard
The food system dashboard is a valuable tool for Pakistan to achieve its national and international commitments on food security and nutrition. Some of the benefits of the dashboard are:
- It provides a comprehensive and holistic picture of the food system at the national and subnational levels, covering all dimensions of food security and nutrition.
- It enables evidence-based decision making and policy formulation by providing reliable and up-to-date data and indicators on various aspects of the food system.
- It facilitates cross-sectoral coordination and collaboration among different stakeholders involved in the food system, such as agriculture, health, education, environment, trade, and social protection.
- It helps to identify gaps and opportunities for improving the food system performance and outcomes, such as increasing productivity, reducing losses and waste, enhancing quality and safety, promoting dietary diversity and healthy eating habits, and minimizing environmental impact.
- It supports the tracking and accountability of action plans that support food system transformation, such as the National Food Security Policy, the National Nutrition Strategy, and the Zero Hunger Programme.
The food system dashboard is expected to contribute to Pakistan’s efforts to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030. By using this tool, Pakistan can also learn from the best practices and experiences of other countries that have similar challenges and opportunities in their food systems.
We hope you found this article informative and useful. If you have any feedback or views on the food system dashboard or Pakistan’s food security situation, please share them with us in the comments section below. Thank you for reading!