Tue Aug 26 10:15:11 UTC 2025: **Pakistan’s Farmers ‘Gambling with Nature’ as Climate Change Fuels Extreme Weather**
**Islamabad, Pakistan** – Pakistani farmers are struggling to cope with increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather events, describing their livelihoods as “gambling with nature” as climate change intensifies droughts and floods. Recent heavy monsoons and floods have devastated the country, killing hundreds, damaging homes, and wiping out crops and livestock.
While the exact cause of the floods is still under investigation, climate change is recognized as a significant factor. Pakistan is among the most climate-vulnerable nations despite contributing less than 1% of global emissions. The erratic weather patterns are forcing farmers to abandon their land, contributing to economic instability and displacement.
Iqbal Solangi, a farmer who returned to his fields after a climate-change-forced exile, lost his rice crop for the third time due to flooding. Muhammad Hashim, a farmer in Balochistan, has been forced to migrate multiple times due to floods and droughts, highlighting the instability faced by agricultural communities.
Agriculture is a vital sector in Pakistan, contributing nearly 24% of the GDP and employing over 37% of the workforce. However, changing rain patterns and rising temperatures are threatening this sector. The melting of glaciers is increasing the risk of floods and water scarcity, further endangering communities.
The recent agriculture sector growth fell far short of its target due to a contraction in major crops, and a recent study showed half of the 19 flood disasters that happened between 1950 and 2012 have all happened after the year 2000, causing massive economic damage. Farmers are struggling to adapt, and the government faces challenges in providing support to the affected population. As one farmer noted, “One year it’s floods, the next it’s drought,” raising concerns about the future of agriculture in Pakistan.
First Piper 