FAISALABAD, September 29: Agriculture experts have called for stronger coordination among researchers, universities, government extension services, farmers and the private sector to address the growing challenges posed by climate change, declining natural resources and rising food demand.
The call was made at a meeting of the Regional Agriculture Forum, Central Punjab, chaired by University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali.
The meeting discussed agricultural research, technology transfer and climate resilience, with participants reviewing issues related to wheat, cotton, rice, sugarcane and other major crops.
The participants stressed the need to strengthen research-extension-farmer linkages so that scientific research can be effectively translated into practical solutions for farmers. They also highlighted the importance of greater industry participation in developing technologies and products suited to farmers’ needs.
Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali said the challenges facing agriculture could not be addressed without close cooperation among universities, research organisations, government departments, extension services, farmers and industry.
He said research should be converted into technologies and farming practices that farmers can easily adopt, particularly as changing climatic conditions and growing pressure on land and water resources continue to affect agriculture.
The participants also discussed the promotion of climate-smart agriculture to improve farm productivity while conserving natural resources and strengthening farmers’ livelihoods.
They emphasised that stronger interaction between scientists and farming communities could help ensure that research priorities reflect the actual problems farmers face in the field.
Dean Agriculture Dr Ghulam Murtaza, Dr Babar Shahbaz, Dr Ahmad Sattar, Dr Kashif Saleemi, Dr Bushra Sadia, Dr Rao Sabir, Dr Muhammad Aslam, Progressive Grower Syed Faisal Hassan Shah, Director Agriculture Extension Punjab Khalid Mehmood, Dr Khurram Zia and other stakeholders attended the meeting.
The forum highlighted the importance of connecting scientific knowledge with field-level action to build a more productive, resource-efficient and climate-resilient agricultural sector.
