Seventh Session of the Online Internship Program, “The Contemporary Non-Traditional Security Challenges” organized by Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad

On 15th February 2021, the seventh session of the Online Internship Program, “The Contemporary Non-Traditional Security Challenges” organized by Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad was held.
The internship aims to provide an opportunity for students to understand the contemporary global non-traditional challenges, gauge the existing potential, build resilience and find the solutions to mitigate the daunting impacts of these transnational issues.
The theme for the seventh session was, Food and Agriculture Security: Perceptions and Response and the speaker for this session was Dr. Yusuf Zaraf, TI, Former Chairman, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).
During the session, Mr. Yusuf covered all the fundamental aspects of the global agriculture agenda. The need to move towards the E-economy, cooperation in IT sector, and the use of Biotechnologies to enhance the agriculture productivity was also highlighted. He presented detailed analysis on the food security and nutrition situation of Pakistan. He stated that agriculture productivity directly promotes certain aspects i.e. the food security, direct exports (rice, livelihood, fruits), raw material (cotton, sugarcane, poultry) for industries and the livelihood of the rural population.
Dr. Yusuf also mentioned the prospects of Green Revolution, the issues and its impacts on Pakistan. He gave comprehensive briefings on the existing challenges to the national agriculture policy and production. He explained the new green initiatives taken by the government of Pakistan and also suggested policy recommendations to advance the agriculture capacity and crops pattern through various projects.
While describing the collaborative efforts of Pakistan and China in this domain, he emphasized to increase the agriculture cooperation with other neighboring states as well. He stated that the joint agriculture development programs would help us in future to sustain the food supply chain and improve economic productivity.
The session was moderated by Ms. Maryam Raza, Research Associate, CGSS.
It is noteworthy that students from all across Pakistan are enrolled in this Online Internship Program. This program will prove to be a milestone for the students of International Relations & related fields to understand the contemporary dynamics of Non-Traditional Security Threats.