Climate Resilience and Food Security: WFP’s Work with Farmers in Arid Pakistan
Introduction: Farming at the Edge of Survival
In Pakistan’s most climate-vulnerable regions — like Tharparkar, Balochistan, and Southern Punjab — farming is more than a livelihood. It’s a daily battle against heatwaves, droughts, floods, and shrinking water sources.
With the climate crisis worsening, traditional ways of farming no longer guarantee food or income. That’s where the World Food Programme (WFP) steps in — not just with food aid, but with tools, training, and hope for long-term resilience.
“We used to wait for the rain. Now, we build our future without it.”
— Adeel, farmer from Rajanpur
🌍 Why Climate Resilience Matters
Pakistan is the 5th most climate-vulnerable country in the world, despite contributing less than 1% to global emissions. The effects hit small farmers the hardest:
- Droughts destroy crops and livestock
- Floods wash away grain, homes, and soil
- Rising temperatures reduce crop yields
- Women farmers face unequal access to resources
Without support, climate shocks can turn into food insecurity, displacement, and poverty.
🌾 WFP’s Strategy: Resilience, Not Relief
WFP works with communities, governments, and NGOs to promote climate-smart food systems and reduce disaster risk.
Key pillars include:
- Food Assistance for Assets (FFA)
- Community-based Climate Adaptation
- Farmer Training & Technology
- Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture
Let’s break these down.
🧱 1. Food Assistance for Assets (FFA)
WFP provides cash or food in exchange for community work that builds long-term resilience.
Projects include:
- Building rainwater harvesting ponds
- Planting drought-resistant trees
- Restoring flood channels and check dams
- Soil conservation on farmlands
- Rehabilitating irrigation canals
These assets protect communities against future disasters while improving productivity.
“We earned money while building our village’s defense against the next flood.”
— Fatima, participant in FFA project, Dera Ismail Khan
🌱 2. Climate Adaptation with Local Farmers
WFP helps smallholder farmers adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, such as:
- Water-efficient irrigation (drip, sprinkler)
- Planting climate-resilient seed varieties
- Rainwater storage and management
- Crop diversification to reduce risk
- Livelihood mapping to find income alternatives
WFP also provides training on early warning systems, pest control, and farm planning.
💡 3. Digital Tools and Innovation
WFP partners with local tech groups to offer:
- Mobile apps for weather forecasts and planting schedules
- Digital vouchers to purchase seeds and tools
- Farmer field schools and WhatsApp groups for real-time info
These innovations bridge the gap between science and the soil.
👩🌾 4. Women at the Center
In many poor farming areas, women do most of the agricultural work but get little recognition or access to training.
WFP ensures that women:
- Are trained in kitchen gardening and post-harvest processing
- Get equal access to water, livestock, and microloans
- Take part in community decision-making
- Receive nutritional training to improve family health
“WFP gave us seeds and skills. Now I feed my family and earn from my garden.”
— Parveen, farmer, Khuzdar
📊 Impact Snapshot (2020–2024)
- 50,000+ people participated in Food for Assets programs
- Over 7,500 hectares of degraded land rehabilitated
- 2,000+ community ponds, flood channels, and bunds constructed
- 30,000+ farmers trained in climate-smart agriculture
- 40% of participants in resilience programs were women
🧭 Government Partnerships
WFP works closely with:
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)
- Ministry of Climate Change
- Provincial agriculture departments
- Local councils and district governments
These partnerships ensure that solutions are locally owned and nationally supported.
🚧 Ongoing Challenges
- Lack of water governance and long-term irrigation planning
- Low awareness of climate risks among rural communities
- Funding gaps that limit scale-up of successful projects
- Difficulty in reaching remote, conflict-affected zones
WFP continues to advocate for greater investment in climate adaptation, not just post-disaster aid.
🧾 Final Thoughts: From Relief to Resilience
In the age of climate crisis, food security is climate security. WFP’s work in Pakistan shows that resilience is not built with aid drops — it’s built with dams, seeds, knowledge, and dignity.
By turning food assistance into opportunity, WFP is helping Pakistan’s poorest farmers move from surviving to thriving — even in the face of climate uncertainty.
“We cannot stop the floods, but we can prepare for them. That’s what WFP taught us.”
— Community leader, Sindh
