Pakistan’s Farmers Battle Floods and Debt: A Devastating Climate Crisis Unfolds
Pakistan’s farmers battle floods, debt, and climate-driven disasters. Explore how unpredictable monsoons, heatwaves, and droughts threaten agriculture, livelihoods, and the future of millions.
Pakistan’s farmers battle floods and extreme weather almost every year. Since late June, unusually heavy monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides that killed more than 800 people, damaged at least 7,225 houses, washed away over 5,500 livestock, and destroyed thousands of acres of farmland.
Despite contributing less than 1% of global emissions, Pakistan ranks among the world’s top 10 most climate-vulnerable nations, according to the Global Climate Risk Index.
Historic Floods and Unbearable Losses
For farmers like Iqbal Solangi from Sindh province, floods are a recurring nightmare. His rice crops were destroyed in 2010, 2012, and again in 2022. The 2022 floods submerged one-third of the country, displacing 33 million people, inundating 4 million hectares of farmland, and causing economic losses worth $15.2 billion.
Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper wrote: “In today’s Pakistan, the monsoon has transformed from a symbol of beauty and renewal into a harbinger of chaos and despair.”
Agriculture’s Vital Role in Pakistan’s Economy
Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy:
-
Contributes 24% of GDP
-
Employs 37% of the labor force
-
Supports 40 million livelihoods
Yet, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25, major crops like wheat and cotton shrank by 13.5%, pulling down GDP growth by 0.6%.
Such setbacks expose the fragile balance between climate shocks and food security.
Farmers Displaced by Climate Migration
The UNDP’s 2022 flood report described Pakistan’s crisis as “cataclysmic.” More than 8 million people were displaced, many of them farmers abandoning ancestral lands to seek survival in cities.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, farmer Basharat Jamal has watched his fields dry up from recurring droughts. “The income is gone, the land is gone, and many of us are forced to move,” he said.
This climate-driven migration threatens not only food supply but also social stability in Pakistan’s cities.
Government and Global Warnings
Pakistan’s climate change minister, Musadiq Malik, warned that melting glaciers and rising floods could “have catastrophic consequences for Pakistan’s agricultural economy.”
The 13,000+ glaciers in Pakistan’s north are melting at alarming rates, threatening river flows, irrigation canals, and water security. If unchecked, this will devastate agriculture and worsen rural poverty.
When Farming Feels Like Gambling
In Balochistan, farmer Muhammad Hashim compares his work to “gambling with nature.”
-
In one year, floods destroyed his rebuilt fields.
-
The next year, drought forced his family to migrate again.
“One year it’s floods, the next it’s drought,” Hashim explained. “If this pattern continues, farming will be over for us.”
This reflects a wider crisis: unpredictable weather is pushing farmers into debt, poverty, and despair.
The Future of Pakistan’s Agriculture
A Nature Journal study revealed that between 1950 and 2012, Pakistan’s Indus Plain experienced 19 flood disasters, with over 11,239 deaths and damages exceeding $39 billion. Alarmingly, half of these events occurred after 2000, showing the escalating threat.
Yet, adaptation remains slow. Experts stress the need for:
-
Climate-resilient seeds and crops
-
Stronger flood defenses and irrigation systems
-
Farmer debt relief programs
-
Renewable energy-driven water pumps
-
Regional cooperation on transboundary water management
Without these steps, Pakistan risks sliding into a permanent food crisis.
Conclusion: A Call for Urgent Action
Pakistan’s farmers battle floods and climate disasters every year, but the scale of recent losses highlights a worsening emergency. From 800 deaths in 2025 floods to 9 million pushed into poverty after 2022, the stakes could not be higher.
Agriculture sustains millions, yet it is being destroyed by a crisis Pakistan did not cause. The voices of farmers like Solangi, Jamal, and Hashim echo a single warning: farming is becoming unsustainable under climate extremes.
To secure its food future, Pakistan must invest in resilient farming systems, expand social protection, and demand stronger climate justice on the global stage.
