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HYDERABAD, Dec 08 (APP): Experts from national and international agricultural organizations have warned that climate change is accelerating the degradation of the country’s soil health, posing serious threats to food security, agricultural productivity and urban sustainability.
Speaking at a seminar held at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam to mark World Soil Day 2025, specialists highlighted that the rapid loss of beneficial soil microorganisms, shrinking green spaces, uncontrolled urbanization and the absence of a national soil policy are pushing the country toward a dangerously non-productive future.
According to the SAU spokesperson, organized by the department of soil science in collaboration with the soil science society of Pakistan, the seminar, titled “Healthy Soils for Healthy Cities,” began with a cake-cutting ceremony and an awareness walk, culminating at the A.M. Shaikh Auditorium on Monday.
Presiding over the session, the Vice Chancellor Engr. Prof. Dr Altaf Ali Siyal said Pakistan’s cities were steadily turning fertile land into concrete, resulting in rising urban temperatures and the formation of heat islands, where temperatures were 3–4°C higher than surrounding areas. He warned that plastic use, deforestation and poor soil management practices were further damaging soil health. Dr. Siyal stressed that if climate change adaptation measures and soil restoration programs were not initiated immediately, food security and the future of agriculture could be seriously threatened.
Director General Agriculture Research Sindh Dr Mazharuddin Keerio highlighted that extreme heat, erratic rainfall, prolonged floodwater stagnation and widespread tree loss have damaged soil structure and reduced the activity of crucial beneficial soil microorganisms responsible for nutrient cycling. Declining organic matter, he noted, was threatening the survival of these organisms, while his department continues research on soil fertility, bio-fertilizers and vermicomposting to rehabilitate degraded soils.
FAO Provincial Coordinator Dr Ashfaq Ahmed Nahiyoon said the global community now recognizes the critical role of healthy soil and water in agro food transformation.
Chairman Soil Science Society of Pakistan Dr Azeem Khalid, in a video message, described soil health as a national priority issue, linking it not only to agriculture but also to safe drinking water, climate resilience, nutrition and urban heat stress. He emphasized that greening cities was essential to mitigate soil and environmental decline.
The seminar was also addressed by Chairman Department of Soil Science Dr Allah Wadhayo Gandhai, Dr Saleem Sarki, Dr Saleem Bhatti, Dr Nizamuddin Deper, Dr Qurban Ali and Zeeshan Saleem Arain. Distinguished attendees included Dean Faculty of Crop Production Dr Inayatullah Rajpar, ARI Tandojam Director Imdad Ali Soho, PARC Director Jumma Khan Bajkani, and other officials. The program concluded with the distribution of certificates to students who secured top positions in the poster competition.