Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture

Rapidly increasing trends of poverty, particularly in South Asia, have emerged as a major threat to the economic development of this region. Currently, over 500 million South Asians live in absolute poverty, while over 300 million are chronically malnourished. In Pakistan, vulnerable population of 4...

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Autores principales: Qureshi, Asad Sarwar, Akhtar, M.
Formato: Conference Paper
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: 2004
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38240
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author Qureshi, Asad Sarwar
Akhtar, M.
author_browse Akhtar, M.
Qureshi, Asad Sarwar
author_facet Qureshi, Asad Sarwar
Akhtar, M.
author_sort Qureshi, Asad Sarwar
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Rapidly increasing trends of poverty, particularly in South Asia, have emerged as a major threat to the economic development of this region. Currently, over 500 million South Asians live in absolute poverty, while over 300 million are chronically malnourished. In Pakistan, vulnerable population of 45 million makes 25 percent of those living in poverty due to economic downturn. Although food production in the region has gained momentum during the past decade (per capita dietary energy supply in South Asia has increased), the incidence of poverty and absolute number of undernourished people in South Asia has gone up. This means that crisis of food insecurity in the region is mostly related to low access rather than low availability. The major reasons for this low access are poor targeting policies of the government and inefficient public distribution system. Therefore, to ensure food security, the government should improve accessibility and distribution of food to poor, particularly those in far-flung areas. Three quarters of the world?s total irrigated area is in developing countries where smallholder agriculture still predominates. No wonder, then, that increased agricultural production is considered a key to poverty reduction in many developing countries. Irrigated agriculture is regarded to be vehicle for the provision of basic needs and reduction in vulnerability to food insecurity. Irrigation development can bring a range of potential benefits at regional and national level. Therefore, by advances in irrigation management, better understanding of the environment in which poor people live, right choices of irrigation technologies, better defining production functions and creating profitable markets can make a significant contribution to crop production and poverty reduction. This paper discusses illusions in different poverty estimates and introduces a framework to increase regional food security. The paper is also aimed at finding the ways to reduce poverty through improving irrigated agriculture.
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spelling CGSpace382402025-11-07T08:34:19Z Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture Qureshi, Asad Sarwar Akhtar, M. food security poverty indicators irrigated farming Rapidly increasing trends of poverty, particularly in South Asia, have emerged as a major threat to the economic development of this region. Currently, over 500 million South Asians live in absolute poverty, while over 300 million are chronically malnourished. In Pakistan, vulnerable population of 45 million makes 25 percent of those living in poverty due to economic downturn. Although food production in the region has gained momentum during the past decade (per capita dietary energy supply in South Asia has increased), the incidence of poverty and absolute number of undernourished people in South Asia has gone up. This means that crisis of food insecurity in the region is mostly related to low access rather than low availability. The major reasons for this low access are poor targeting policies of the government and inefficient public distribution system. Therefore, to ensure food security, the government should improve accessibility and distribution of food to poor, particularly those in far-flung areas. Three quarters of the world?s total irrigated area is in developing countries where smallholder agriculture still predominates. No wonder, then, that increased agricultural production is considered a key to poverty reduction in many developing countries. Irrigated agriculture is regarded to be vehicle for the provision of basic needs and reduction in vulnerability to food insecurity. Irrigation development can bring a range of potential benefits at regional and national level. Therefore, by advances in irrigation management, better understanding of the environment in which poor people live, right choices of irrigation technologies, better defining production functions and creating profitable markets can make a significant contribution to crop production and poverty reduction. This paper discusses illusions in different poverty estimates and introduces a framework to increase regional food security. The paper is also aimed at finding the ways to reduce poverty through improving irrigated agriculture. 2004 2014-06-13T11:40:59Z 2014-06-13T11:40:59Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38240 en Open Access application/pdf Qureshi, Asad Sarwar; Akhtar, Mujeeb. 2004. Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture. In Jehangir, Waqar A.; Hussain, Intizar (Eds.). Poverty reduction through improved agricultural water management. Proceedings of the Workshop on Pro-poor Intervention Strategies in Irrigated Agriculture in Asia, Islamabad, Pakistan, 23-24 April 2003. Lahore, Pakistan: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). pp.227-239.
spellingShingle food security
poverty
indicators
irrigated farming
Qureshi, Asad Sarwar
Akhtar, M.
Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
title Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
title_full Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
title_fullStr Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
title_full_unstemmed Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
title_short Targeting food security: reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
title_sort targeting food security reducing poverty through irrigated agriculture
topic food security
poverty
indicators
irrigated farming
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/38240
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