Agriculture

Inputs , Processes and Outputs of Agriculture

● Inputs: Land,soil, climate, water, capital, machines,fertilizers,
labour,knowledge, Irrigation, Pesticide
● Processes: Ploughing,irrigating, fertilizer, weeding,
harvesting,Threshing,Milking,Breeding
● Outputs: Wheat,cotton,rice,vegetables,flowers,Milk,Meat,Eggs
Small Scale subsistence Farming:
● Produces Raw materials for the people who work on them.
● Small
● Traditional Methods used
● During Harvesting, the whole family works on the farm
● Unskilled labourers employed
● Any surplus is a bonus
● Profit is either invested back and the farm or used to pay loans
Cash Crop Farming:
● Growing crops for sale
● Modern Methods used
● Aim is to maximise profit
● Commercial farmer can afford to buy agricultural machinery.
● Crop protected from Pests and diseases]
● Selects the Crop on the basis of Demand
Types of Crops:
● Rabi Crops: Sown at the the begining of the Winter season
(October-November) and harvested in the early summer( April-May) for
example: Wheat, barley, grams, oilseeds and pulses

● Kharif Crop: Crops sown in Summer( April-May) and harvested in the early
Winter (October-November) for example: Rice, Sugarcane, millets, maize and
cotton
Wheat:
● Staple food used in the manufacture of Roti
● In oct-dec, after ploughing the field, wheat seeds are sown directly and the
ground.
● The land is irrigated twice, one month after sowing ( wheat is harvested in 3
months) and one month before harvesting
● Average temperature at the time of growing is 10C - 20C and 25C - 30C for
ripening
● 120 days for growing
● Moderate rainfall
● A little rain just before harvest
Rice:
● Grown for a commercial purposes in Punjab and Sindh
● Initially sown and beds or nurseries
● When the plant is about 9 inches high, it is transplanted and prepared (
ploughed, weeded) fields
● Mean Temperature of 20C to 30C with no cold season
● Heavy rainfall of about 1270mm
● Level Ground
● 1 month after sowing, the field is irrigated, a secnd irrigation takes place after
a further 2 months
● o
Cotton:
● Sown 30cm-45cm apart
● Ideal temperature 25C -35C
● Sensitive to frost
● Rainfall about 1000mm
● Meidum loam soil is the best ( needs natural manure or Fertilizer)
● Level land required
Sugar Cane:
● 30 cm high Sugar cane stalks are plane in April- May
● 25C- 35C ideal temperature
● Tolerant to Frost for a short period
● Plenty of Rainfall required( 1520 m)
● Loam and Clayey soils are the most suitable as they retain water
● Consumes a lot of nutrients
 Factors affecting Agricultural Production
Natural factors:
Topography: usually the flatter the land, the larger and more efficient the farm is for
example rice fields are usually flat, and the more valuable crops such as wheat,
sugarcane and cotton are successfully cultivated.

Soil: The richer the soil. The more high outputs. Alluvial traces and loess (which are
are fine soil deposited by wind). Usually River Indus spreads Alluvial terraces,this is also
is the reason why Punjab is the most fertile province in Pakistan. Soils that are humus
rich in are also best for farming, although Pakistan’s soil lacks organic matter.

Water: Areas located to the south receive adequate rainfall e.g: Potohar Plateau. Water for the irrigation
comes from the snow-fed and the monsoon-fed rivers flowing from the northern mountains.

Temperature: In the northern areas, the length of the growing season is limited from April to September
whereas in the South, cereals and fruits can be grown throughout the year.
 Factors Affecting the Agricultural Production
Human Factors:
Irrigation Facilities: If rainfall is not sufficient, crops still thrive by irrigation. With the extension of irrigation
facilities, crops can be grown twice or thrice a year, however canal irrigation can also cause some problems, for
example water logging and salinity which have destroyed many cultivable areas areas in Sindh and Punjab. This
can be controlled by the usage of tube wells and using eucalyptus trees.

Fertilizers: Used to increase the growth and yield of a crop, forexaple nitrogenous fertilizers which are the 75%
of the fertilizers used, Phosphate and potash are the remaining 25%.

Mechanization: Although the introduction of harvesters,tractors,threshers and reapers have increased the
agricultural output, it also has led to a decline of employment.

Varieties of seeds: The HYV seeds are extensively used on commercial farms.

Marketing: It refers to the business activity of directing agricultural output from the farms to the people who
consume it. It includes transportation,processing,storage,wholesale and retail.
 Land Reforms:

Pakistan inherited a land tenure system, so in 1947, 7% of the landowners owned

53% of the land, however the landlords had little incentives to cultivate their land,so it
was necessary to break up these landed assets to increase productivity. So between
1959 and 1977 a series of reforms were introduced by several governments aimed to
increases the productivity by breaking the hold of few landowners. Unfortunately the
desired results couldn't be achieved because of the half hearted implementation and
the lack of political will and cooperation. The Big landowners could easily manipulate
the agencies assigned the responsibility of implementing the reforms.
 Size of the farm:
The size of a Subsistence farm is small. Population pressures and laws of inheritance have led to the
break up farms into smaller cultivational units.

The drawbacks of small farms are :

● Machinery cannot be used.

● Small and fragment holdings are difficult to to superwise.
● Loans cannot be obtained to develop small holdings
● Irrigation is also difficult on small landholdings
● Due to small land output is also quite low, so any surplus is a bonus for them
● They are trapped in a cycle , because of which they are unable to improve their farm inputs.
 Effects of Farming on our Environment:

Although Modern methods of farming have brought great benefits to the people by
increasing crop yields it has also damaged our environment:

Fertilizers: Chemical fertilizers are used to increase agricultural output, and to

increase soil fertility as Pakistani soil lacks nitrogenous matter, however when these
chemicals are drained into the rivers they cause a lot of harm, as river water gets
polluted and the growth of algae and plant on the river bed uses up oxygen leaving
little oxygen for fish life. The toxic element in the river may gradually affect human
health too.

Pesticides: If pesticides remain in the crop which is then eaten, it may weaken
human’s immune system. Pesticides has also opened a way for diseases and
infections such as gastro intestinal.
Government's efforts to increase
agricultural production
In Order to increase Agricultural output the government has taken
the following measures.

● Increasing the production of fertilizer and encourage a greater

use of it.
● The distribution of improved seeds such as HYWs.
● Developing a plant protection programme which includes
regular checks for pests and making aerial sprays available.
● Providing financial resources to the farming community and
providing easy loans.
Why has Government tried to increase the
Agricultural Production?
● Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy.It accounts to nearly one
fourth of the total output (GDP) and 44% of total employment
● It also contributes to Pakistan’s exports and provides raw material to
industries.
● 67.5% of the total Pakistani population lives in rural areas and are directly or
indirectly associated with Agriculture and is a source of income of them
● Basic sectors of Pakistan’s economy as it supplies food to the constantly
growing population.
Why has the maximum potential of Agriculture not
utilized:
The Maximum Potential; of Agriculture has not been utilized, this is due to a
number of reasons:

● Due to land degradation as a result of waterlogging and salinity

● Soil erosion caused by the cutting down of trees and removal of vegetation
● Desertification as a result of soil erosion
● An inefficient marketing system
 Sustainable development

There are many ways of reducing rural poverty and raising agricultural productivity
while minimizing environmental damage:

● The government and the private institutions must develop new, highly productive
environmentally sustainable technologies and systems
● Addressing of problems such as Waterlogging and salinity, forexaple by building
embankments on the canal
● Soil management through afforestation projects to maintain fertility of of the soil
● Providing awareness for which trees to cut trees for firewood, to avoid soil erosion
● Over cutting or multi cropping shouldn't be allowed as if it is , it would lead to
exhaustion of soil nutrients.
● Organic Farming can be used which stimulates the bacteria in the soil to act as
natural fertilizer