Climate challenges: SAU professor calls for Pak-Uzbek cooperation

HYDERABAD: Stronger scientific cooperation and wider use of modern technology are essential to tackling climate change, water scarcity and food insecurity, Professor Dr Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar of Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam, has said, urging Pakistan and Uzbekistan to deepen research partnerships in sustainable agriculture and water management.

Dr Kumbhar made these remarks while chairing the inaugural plenary session and delivering a keynote address at the International Scientific and Practical Conference on “Current Issues of Science and Technology” held at the University of Economics and Pedagogy in Karshi, Uzbekistan.

The conference brought together academicians, researchers and experts from Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Indonesia, Russia, the United States and other countries to discuss emerging scientific challenges and technological advancements.

Representing SAU as an in-person plenary speaker, Dr Kumbhar highlighted the role of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, digital agriculture, remote sensing and data science in transforming agricultural production and natural resource management. He said scientific progress should translate into practical benefits for communities and contribute to sustainable development.

“Science must not remain limited to laboratories and academic publications; it must reach communities and farmers,” he said, emphasizing climate-smart agriculture, efficient irrigation, improved crop varieties and digital advisory services to strengthen food security.

He also highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence in crop monitoring, disease detection, precision irrigation and data-based decision-making, stressing that modern technologies should be accessible to small-scale farmers and rural communities.

Describing water security as a shared challenge for South and Central Asia, Dr Kumbhar called for closer Pakistan-Uzbekistan collaboration in climate adaptation, sustainable agriculture, water resource management and scientific research.

He urged universities to become centers of innovation, entrepreneurship and practical problem-solving, encouraging young researchers to pursue interdisciplinary research and develop solutions to pressing societal challenges.

Calling for stronger academic ties between the two countries, he proposed joint research projects, faculty exchanges, student mobility and institutional partnerships. “Science gives us knowledge, technology gives us tools, education gives us capacity, and international cooperation gives us strength,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026