Farmers in Pakistan need urgent help

A vivid example of how a natural calamity can devastate the agricultural sector of a country. Millions of Pakistanis are facing hunger and disease after the worst floods in the country's history have led to a rise in food prices and outbreaks of cholera and dysentery. According to the Pakistani government, the floods, which took the lives of 1,600 people, have also caused over US$5 billion in damage to the agriculture sector, threatening food security and livelihoods. About 80 per cent of crops in affected areas have been lost and hundreds of thousands of livestock have died. Stores of wheat seeds required for the September planting season have also been destroyed. Readmore at New Agriculturist: News brief