Food security and nutrition information system will be established by FAO at NFSR: Syed Fakhar Imam

Islamabad, August 11, 2020 (PPI-OT): Food Security and Nutrition Information System (FSNIS) will be established by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) at Ministry of National Food Security and Research (NFSR).This was said by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Syed Fakhar Imam on Tuesday while meeting the delegation of FAO. Due to FSNIS agricultural data, from 1997 till now, will be available electronically. He said that we need to upgrade our seed technology. FAO delegation briefed minister about the Hand in Hand Initiative (HiHi).

This initiative represents a bold step to eradicate poverty and end hunger and all forms of malnutrition by accelerating agricultural transformation and sustainable rural development. In doing so, the Initiative contributes to the attainment of all the other Sustainable Development Goals. Hand in Hand is designed to work in countries that have multiple donors and existing coordination mechanisms, as well as in those that lack broad or strong donor support.

In the first case, which is the situation in most developing countries, FAO will offer its multidimensional GIS data platform to host countries and the existing international partners to identify critical areas of policy intervention and public investment to unlock the potential for ending poverty and hunger. The goal is to complement existing information and bolster existing coordination mechanisms. In countries that lack strong donor support, Hand in Hand will identify new donors and give them access to the GIS data platform. Central to Hand in Hand is the use of data and modelling to target investments.

Poverty maps are widely used tools to guide rural development policies, and maps of agro ecological zones have helped prioritize agricultural investments. But Hand in Hand is the first of its kind that combines poverty, market, agro ecological and farm level information to identify agricultural areas where there is potential for farmers to achieve their potential income and move out of poverty.

The topography platform can also estimate returns of investments and match resources with needs. In addition, FAO will provide all the policy tools it has to bring solutions to areas where there are significant opportunities for farmers to increase their income; for areas where agriculture in its current conditions is not a feasible solution, it will bring alternative solutions that could stimulate non farm incomes and attract investments. In case of HiHi, Pakistan comes under food crisis and highly populated country.

For more information, contact:
Principal Information Officer,
Press Information Department (PID)
Tel: +92-51-9252323, +92-51-9252324
Fax: +92-51-9252325, +92-51-9252326
Email: piopid@gmail.com
Website: www.pid.gov.pk