SBP backs urban agriculture to tackle Pakistan’s food and heat crisis

Mettis Global reported that the State Bank of Pakistan wants urban agriculture built into city planning, citing its Half Year Economic Report. The central bank's view is that shrinking farmland, a growing population and hotter cities are raising the threat of food shortages and heat-related stress in urban areas. The report argues that growing food within cities could both secure supplies and cool heavily built-up areas.

Dense cities such as Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad are cited as places where concrete intensifies heat, and Pakistan is described as the world's most polluted country, with fine particulate levels often above health limits. The report points to overseas examples: urban gardens in Havana supply 90% of the city's yearly fruit and vegetable intake, while in Nairobi such farming provides 60% of leafy vegetables and 70% of milk and poultry. The report adds that such success depends on steady policy and community ownership.

Suggested models for Pakistan include rooftop gardens, container farming, raised beds using organic growing media, and basement mushroom cultivation, which needs little space or energy. The report also notes that policy bottlenecks slow adoption, since their rollout of provincial urban forest policies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is still weak. Its recommendations include formal planning rules, leasing idle public land to cooperatives and public extension training for citizens.