Agriculture

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.

Pests and Diseases: These are most likely to attack the crops if preventive measures aren’t taken.
 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.
 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.
 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.
 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.

The removal of Vegetation: The removal of vegetation for farming land increases the chances of soil erosion, however it can
be limited my growing crops on a land which is ploughed and the removal of the upper layer of soil decreases fertility.

Irrigation: Due to irrigation the land may be affected by waterlogging or salinity. Which can be controlled by using
precautionary measures such as lining the canals.
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
● Reclaimation of deserts through irrigation techniques.
● The avoidance of poor farming practice.