OMM Newsroom
Extreme heat is threatening agricultural production and food security in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province. Increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves are making farming more difficult, harming livestock and reducing household incomes.
A joint UN assessment says fruit yields have fallen by up to 50% in some areas of the province, while heat stress has reduced milk production and worsened food security, AnewZ reports.
Punjab, one of Pakistan’s main agricultural regions, is particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures in rural areas that depend on rainfall. The situation is putting growing pressure on farming communities.
The assessment, titled “Extreme Heat and Agriculture,” was jointly prepared by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The report highlights rising temperatures as one of the most serious threats to global food production, causing immediate economic and nutritional harm to vulnerable farming communities. According to the organizations’ research, fruit yields have fallen by up to 50% in Punjab’s high-rainfall areas.
Livestock is also under significant pressure. Cattle, including cows and buffaloes, produce less milk under heat stress, while the spread of foot-and-mouth disease among small ruminants is increasing.
For households dependent on agriculture, lower production means reduced incomes and less ability to buy staple foods. In hot weather, vegetables, dairy products and other perishable goods spoil faster, reducing local food supplies and driving up market prices.
According to the report, rural households face a double challenge: they produce less varied and nutritious food for their own consumption while also losing the income needed to buy food in markets. This limits their access to a healthy diet.
Women living in rural Punjab are particularly exposed to the effects of extreme heat. Agricultural work, including harvesting crops and carrying water, requires them to spend long periods in high temperatures and is compounded by physically demanding household chores.
Health risks are more serious for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Although their nutritional needs are higher, their diets often deteriorate when households face food shortages.
Research cited in the report links every 1°C rise in temperature to a 4% increase in the likelihood of premature birth. Another study found that the risk of premature birth during heatwaves can reach 26%.
Social and economic inequalities further increase women’s vulnerability. Despite their contributions to agriculture, many do not own land or other assets, limiting their access to credit and financial services that could help them adapt to climate change.
Limited access to climate information and early warning systems also reduces women’s ability to prepare for extreme heat. The report says some rural women reduce their own food intake to provide for other family members, a coping strategy that may further harm their health and resilience.
FAO and WMO say extreme heat intensifies existing environmental threats, including drought and wildfires, affecting agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forests.
Under high-emissions scenarios, about half of the world’s cattle could be exposed to dangerous heat conditions by 2100. Annual losses are expected to approach $40 billion. Under a low-emissions scenario, the impact associated with animals’ exposure to heat could be reduced by about two-thirds.
Marine heatwaves have already caused repeated mass die-offs and forced fish stocks to migrate toward cooler waters. Crop losses have also been recorded among fruit and nut trees, while rising temperatures increase the risk of more frequent and severe wildfires.
The organizations warn that these losses could create a harmful cycle: as extreme heat reduces productivity, farmers may bring more land into cultivation to compensate for lost production. This would increase greenhouse gas emissions and further accelerate climate change.
