Pakistan has an extensive and diverse agricultural system that still makes up the economic back bone of the country. Nearly 149 million people depend on this sector for food, more than 62 million are employed by it, local industries rely on it for raw materials and as a market for industrial goods, and it accounts for about 60 percent of export earnings.

Pakistan became an FAO member country on 7 September 1947; indeed, FAO was the first United Nations specialized agency the country joined. The first agreement between FAO and the Government of Pakistan (GoP) was signed on 17 June 1951 for the provision of technical assistance in agricultural policy and planning formulation. Both parties have since been working very closely for Pakistan's sustainable agriculture development

FAO's interventions reflect the country's priorities through the years. In the early 1950s, FAO provided assistance in building and strengthening the national agricultural infrastructure, particularly in irrigation, on which most of Pakistan's agriculture system relies. The following decades saw a dynamic FAG-GoP collaboration for rural development, poverty reduction and food security, especially in upgrading and strengthening of research, training and extension services, and enhancement of staff capabilities in planning and policy making. In recent years, FAO has expanded its focus on sustainable agriculture through efficient natural resource management, bio diversity and gender mainstreaming.

The Office of the FAO Representative in Pakistan

FAO Representatives (FAORs) are mandated to make the technical expertise of FAO more readily available to the governments of Member Nations. In Pakistan, the FAOR:

Represents FAO to the Government of Pakistan, national, bilateral and international organizations, and civil society in general.

Channels and coordinates the use of FAO's resources to assist the Government and, with its concurrence, national institutions, entities and associations, in the planning and execution of technical cooperation activities;

Monitors and reports on FAO activities in the country as well as national developments of concern to FAO;

Alerts FAO on emergencies affecting food and agriculture sectors in Pakistan and takes necessary actions in accordance with established guidelines and procedures.

The host of activities entailed in fulfilling these responsibilities - including extensive liaison, planning and programming and implementation are carried out by the Office of the FAOR in Islamabad