ISLAMABAD: Pakistani universities and higher educational institutions gathered to deliberate on Food Systems and the Food Systems Transformation into the curriculum of Pakistan universities related to the agriculture and food sciences.
The National Agriculture Education Accreditation Council (NAEAC), Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) organized a National Consultation Workshop on Introducing New Courses on Food System Transformation in Pakistan.
The workshop aimed to address the critical need for integrating food systems transformation into education, particularly in agriculture and food sciences. This initiative was part of Pakistan’s commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG-2) and advancing food security for vulnerable populations.
At the opening of workshop Prof. Dr. Fayyaz-ul Hassan Sahi, Chairman of National Agricultural Education Accreditation Council (NAEAC), stated,
The role of Academia and the NAEAC is crucial to improve the understanding on food system and transform Pakistan Food Systems. He ensured the high of support and the technical leadership on behalf of the NAEAC. He also mentioned that NAEAC domain is to guide academic institutions to improve the curriculum and these efforts on adopting Food Systems into the curriculum of agriculture and food science related degree programmes is well aligned with the NAEAC vision,
Farrah Naz, Country Director at GAIN spoke about
Adopting robust approaches in improving the understanding about the Food Systems and the Food System Transformation and the role of NAEAC, HEC and PARC is very important and GAIN as a development partner for the improvement of the enabling environment towards food system transformation to improve the Food security situation in the country.
Faiz Rasool Head of Policy & Advocacy at GAIN spoke about
Key objectives of the workshop were Designing and implementing innovative curriculum modules integrating food systems transformation into existing undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs. Providing training opportunities to enhance faculty expertise in food systems transformation. Facilitating interdisciplinary research collaborations to generate evidence-based solutions for advancing food systems transformation. Advocating for the importance of food systems transformation within the higher education sector and beyond. Implementing a robust framework to assess the impact and effectiveness of the introduced curriculum and educational initiatives.
During his remarks the chief guest Dr. Ghulam Muhammad Ali, Chairman PARC stated that the workshop brought together stakeholders from academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and international partners to discuss course outlines, finalize action plans, and ensure alignment with national priorities and international standards.
