Arshad Mahmood Awan
In 2024, over 18.2 million children were born into hunger globally — that’s 35 every minute. Tragically, Pakistan alone accounted for a staggering 1.4 million of these births. This heart-wrenching statistic was recently revealed by Save the Children, and it paints a grim picture of the state of our nation’s food security. Pakistan ranks second globally, only after the Democratic Republic of Congo, with over 20% of its population facing undernourishment. This alarming data underscores a failure of the state and society to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition.
As one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries, Pakistan finds itself trapped in a vicious cycle of environmental disasters, economic instability, and pervasive poverty. The unprecedented floods of 2022 were not merely a temporary disruption but a stark warning of the climate-induced challenges that continue to jeopardize our agricultural capacity and food security. The relationship between climate vulnerability and hunger is no longer hypothetical — it is playing out daily across the country, exacerbating an already dire situation.
In rural areas, where the majority of Pakistan’s population lives, mothers face the cruel reality of making impossible choices every day. Many are forced to reduce portion sizes, skip meals, or decide which child will receive enough food — a moral dilemma no parent should have to endure. Behind each distressing statistic is a family struggling to provide basic nutrition for their children. This suffering is compounded by the skyrocketing prices of food, limited access to healthcare, and an overall lack of government support for struggling communities.
Pakistan’s most vulnerable populations continue to suffer from chronic malnutrition, stunting, and the negative long-term effects of inadequate nutrition. Although the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has offered vital assistance to many families, it is clear that these efforts fall short of what is needed to tackle the scale of hunger that exists across the country. The Ehsaas Nashonuma programme, which focuses on combating stunting in children, is a commendable initiative but remains limited in scope. The fact that millions of children are born into hunger every year, while these programmes exist, points to a significant gap in both their coverage and effectiveness.
To address this crisis, Pakistan’s government must urgently scale up these initiatives, enhance their targeting, and expand their reach to the millions who are still left behind. The Ehsaas Nashonuma programme should be rolled out more extensively to ensure that every child, especially in rural and remote areas, benefits from its nutritional interventions. Furthermore, the government should revive and update the National Food Security Policy, integrating climate adaptation strategies and modern agricultural practices into the policy framework. This will help increase resilience against future food crises, driven by unpredictable weather patterns and natural disasters.
Food security is not only a matter of availability but also one of access and utilization. To make a real impact on nutrition, Pakistan needs to strengthen its early warning systems for food insecurity. This involves improving the monitoring and prediction of food shortages before they occur and coordinating responses across both federal and provincial levels. Furthermore, Pakistan’s network of lady health workers should be mobilized more effectively to deliver nutrition-specific interventions and education on the importance of proper child nutrition and care. Coordinated action is crucial if we are to mitigate the widespread malnutrition affecting millions of children.
Equally critical is the role of the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) in tackling food insecurity. The PPAF must focus on providing agricultural microfinance to farmers, particularly those in vulnerable communities, to help them adopt climate-smart farming techniques. These interventions will improve crop yields, build resilience to climate impacts, and enable farmers to provide better nutrition for their families. This form of assistance could reduce the dependency on international aid and empower local communities to weather the storm of climate challenges.
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However, the situation is not just about external aid. Domestic resource mobilization is essential for addressing the root causes of food insecurity. The government must significantly increase its investment in the health sector, with a specific focus on nutrition programmes. This includes investing in preventive health measures, food fortification, and public awareness campaigns about the importance of proper nutrition. Without a long-term, sustainable investment in health and nutrition, Pakistan will continue to struggle with its food security challenges.
In addition to health, the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) must be enhanced and better equipped to respond to the growing frequency of climate-induced food crises. The NDRMF needs to be more proactive in planning for future disasters, ensuring that Pakistan’s agricultural and food systems are prepared for sudden shocks. Strengthening Pakistan’s capacity to adapt to climate change should be a priority for both the government and international partners.
The fact that millions of babies are being born into hunger today — more so than in previous years — signals a national emergency that demands urgent action. This crisis is not just a humanitarian issue; it is an existential threat to Pakistan’s future. If we do not act decisively now, we risk condemning an entire generation to a life of hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. The future of Pakistan’s children and the nation’s prosperity depends on the actions we take today.
It is clear that Pakistan must not only expand its existing programmes but also focus on addressing the systemic issues that perpetuate hunger and malnutrition. This means building resilience to climate change, creating jobs, and investing in sustainable farming practices that protect both the environment and the food supply. The combination of these strategies will require collaboration across the public and private sectors, as well as active engagement with international donors and organizations.
At the heart of these efforts must be the recognition that hunger and malnutrition are not just temporary setbacks; they are long-term challenges that have deep social, economic, and political consequences. If Pakistan is to overcome these challenges, we must prioritize food security as a national issue, one that requires sustained attention and action at the highest levels of government.
In conclusion, Pakistan stands at a crossroads. The country’s future — and the future of its children — hinges on our ability to address the hunger crisis, particularly in the face of climate change and economic instability. It is imperative that Pakistan’s leaders take immediate action to scale up food security initiatives, invest in climate-resilient agriculture, and ensure that every child in the country has access to the nutrition they need to survive and thrive. Failure to do so will have dire consequences for generations to come.
