Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture in Pakistan: Research Paper

This research paper investigates the profound impact of climate change on agriculture in Pakistan, a nation heavily reliant on its agricultural sector. The report delves into the country's diverse climate zones, the significance of agriculture to its GDP, and the challenges posed by global warming, including increased temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and the melting of glaciers. It examines the effects on crop production, the rise of waterborne diseases, and the importance of government-supported Impact Study Centres in providing solutions and training farmers. The paper further analyzes the implications for food security, future predictions regarding crop yields and water resources, and the potential consequences of soil degradation and natural disasters. The conclusion emphasizes the need for innovative strategies such as adopting heat-resistant crops, improved irrigation systems, and risk management to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on Pakistan's agricultural landscape.

Running head: GEOGRAPHY
Research paper on “Impact of climate change on agriculture in Pakistan”
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Discussion..................................................................................................................................2
Agriculture in Pakistan...........................................................................................................2
Climate specifications in Pakistan.........................................................................................5
Climate change and food security..........................................................................................7
Food security in Pakistan.......................................................................................................8
Future predictions...................................................................................................................9
Conclusion................................................................................................................................10
References................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction
Climate changes are sudden, which heavily affects the ecological balance. There are
certain drivers, which results in the climactic changes. According to the experts, climactic
changes are formal, which is reflected in the forms of global warming. As a result of this
global warming, an interrogative parameter has been attached towards having a sustainable
future for the planet (Nasa.gov, 2020). In future, scientists are concerned, as there are
predictions of global climactic changes. Intergovernmental Panel on Climactic Change
estimates that timely solutions are needed for averting the instances of huge loss of property
and lives.
During the last 100 years, the mean temperature has increased by 0.74oC. The major
reasons for this are the methane gas, carbon dioxide, fossil fuel and exploitation of the land
resources. Increase in the temperature from 1.8 to 6.4 signifies increase in the production of
rabi crops. On the other hand, precipitation is estimated to bring noticeable changes in the
production of kharif crops (Pbs.gov.pk, 2020). The predictions are also directed towards hot
extremes and heavy precipitations and sea level increase. This assignment attempts to
develop a research paper on the impact of climactic changes on agriculture in the threshold of
Pakistan.
Discussion
Agriculture in Pakistan
Pakistan achieves accolades and glory as one of the world’s fifth most populous
country. Multiculturalism enhances the diversity of the country. Well equipped agriculture
sector contributes largely to the economy. Strong service base in agriculture has
revolutionized the agricultural outlook. According to the annual reports of 2015, agricultural
sector contributed merely 20.9% of the total GDP. The report presented by United Nations

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Food and Agriculture Organization, Pakistan produced 21,591,000 metric tons of wheat in
the financial year (Pakistan.gov.pk, 2020). This statistics was more than that of Africa, which
produced 20,304,585 metric tons, with South America occupying the second position by
producing 24,557,784 metric tons.
Contribution to GDP (21.4%)
Labour force 45%
Average growth in last 6 years 3.7%
Contribution to different subsectors in Agriculture’s GDP
Crops 32%
Livestock 55%
Fisheries 4%
Forestry 2%
Others 7%
Shares in export earnings (raw/processed)
Cotton and cotton based products 64.7%
Fruits, rice, fish and leather 18.2%
Others 17.1

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Fig: Contribution of the agricultural subsectors to GDP
(Source: Pbs.gov.pk, 2020)

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Fig: Shares in the export earnings (raw/processed)
(Source: Pbs.gov.pk, 2020)
Agriculture is one of the staple activities of the country for earning incomes. One of
the interesting facts to note is that agriculture accounts for 43.5% of the labour market.
Moreover, this sector flourishes through the means of foreign exchange. A large portion of
the income is generated from the exports of cotton and hides. Luqman et al., (2017) expresses
concerns over the issues of supply shortages in the market, which gives rise to the instances
of inflation. The country takes pride in emerging as the fifth largest producer of cotton. The
capability also reflects the efficiency in the production of sugarcane. In addition to this, the
country is also considered to be the fourth largest in terms of milk production. The growth in
the land and water resources is inversely proportionate to the growth of the labour market.
The immediate outcome of this is the enhancement of the overall agricultural productivity.
The etymological origin of the crop production lies in the Green Revolution. As a
matter of specification, significant growth was noticed in the production of crops like rice and
wheat (Parc.gov.pk, 2020). The major drive behind this is the use of the private tube wells,

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which adds value to the tractor cultivation. Reference can also be cited of the High Yielding
Varieties (HYS), which enabled the sector to witness 50-60% growth in the production of
wheat and rice.
Climate specifications in Pakistan
Pakistan enjoys varied types of climates: arid, semi-arid, humid and sub-humid. Two-
third of the total area is accounted under arid climate. There is variation in the climate from
subtropical arid to the semi-arid. June is considered to be the hottest month and July
witnesses temperature increase in the mountain regions. Annual precipitation rate is that of
494 mm (Pbs.gov.pk, 2020). The origin of rainfall is summer monsoon season. During the
last century, there has been an increase in the temperature. Typical effects of this have been
reflected on melting of the polar ice glacier. As a result of this, polar bears are at a drowning
stage. Migratory birds have been forced to alter the time and place. Melting of the glaciers
has resulted in floods. Low elevation areas have encountered the situation of disappearing
waters. (Nasa.gov, 2020) highlights the case of damaged crops, stalling the agricultural
production.
Climactic changes have adversely affected the farming methods in Pakistan. Typical
example of the impact has been found in the form of floods, destroying the quality of the
crops. In the urban areas, traces of water borne diseases like cholera, malaria, hepatitis and
dengue have been found. The alarming situation is that even the farmers have been affected
from these diseases, which is a huge loss for Pakistan in terms of agricultural production. A
fact of respite is that the Impact Study Centres operate with the assistance of the
governmental agencies, which has led to the cure of these diseases. These centres also work
effectively for providing effective solutions to the farmers for dealing with the climactic
changes. Improvements in the health of the farmers reflect simultaneous improvements in the
rural livelihood (Abid et al., 2019).

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One example can be cited of the Hazara region in Pakistan, where the dependence on
the natural resources is high. Climactic changes, in this context, reflect an uncertainty in the
daily sustenance of the people, especially the farmers, dwelling in the rural areas. Institute of
Agricultural Extension and Rural Development works towards studying the impacts of
climactic changes on the agriculture and the health of the farmers (Luqman et al., 2017). One
of the techniques is that of the mapping, which helps in identifying the affected areas.
Reports are prepared on the findings, which supports the Institute to gain solutions for
dealing with the climactic changes. Abid et al., (2017) is of the view that social network
analysis proves effective for sharing the solutions with maximum number of farmers. These
solutions have been projected as sowing dates, varieties of trees and others. However, () is of
the view that most of the famers lack access to the social networks, which the Centres take
care. Sometimes, the systems fail to navigate, which adds to the complexities in
disseminating the weather forecasts to the farmers. Lack of strategic planning in this case
results in huge loss of agriculture and labour market.
According to the arguments of Abid et al., (2019), willingness of the farmers towards
adopting advanced agricultural systems is also an important factor in this context. According
to the farmers, crop production is the main source of income. Therefore, climactic changes
are something, which snatches their daily sustenance. The Impact Study Centres take special
care of training the farmers the advanced means of agriculture. Access to social media is
provided to the farmers, so that they can get easy solutions to the issues. Survey is conducted
prior to the training, which adds relevancy in the process of achieving solutions to deal with
the climactic changes. According to Ahmed et al., (2016), these approaches help in
expanding the triple bottom line, enhancing the ecological balance. According to the
estimations of NASA, frost free season and the growing seasons would be elongated as a
result of the climactic change.

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Climate change and food security
Climate change originates from the emissions of the greenhouse gases, which are
dependent on the use of the energy derived from fossil fuels. Methane and nitrious oxide
emissions from agriculture, aggravates and worsens the agricultural production. Distribution
and consumption of the food is heavily dependent on the patterns of using the fossil fuel
resources. High oil prices are a matter of serious concern for the food production. One of the
noticeable initiatives in this context is the trade of biofuels, which has generated to the
increase in the prices of the raw food items (Pakistan.gov.pk, 2020). For diversification of the
assets, the investors have been asked to modify the use of the commodities. Acquisition of
the advanced machines like tractors intensifies the competition between the areas with high
population and low agricultural properties. The main competition is with the farmers and
their capabilities.
Fig: Impact of climate change on agriculture in Pakistan

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(Source: Parc.gov.pk, 2020)
Food security in Pakistan
Food insecure with severe hunger 10%
Food insecurity with moderate hunger 20%
Food insecure without hunger 28%
Food security 42%
Fig: Food security in Pakistan
(Source: Pbs.gov.pk, 2020)
From the figure, it can be said that most of the food in Pakistan are secured. Climate
changes affect the accessibility, utilization and stability to food items. As a result of this, the
health of the human and the assets are heavily affected. One of the striking impacts is found
on the children, who suffer from malnutrition and poverty, affecting their development.
Future predictions
Upon investigation, it was found that 14 crops were at a vulnerable position due to
heat stress. Increase in the growing degree indicates reduction in the length of the growing

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season. The scientists predict an increase of 8-15% in the GDP by the era of 2020-50. If the
net rainfall decreases by 6%, the net irrigation water requirements would increase by 29%.
Globally, increase in the higher yields would project offset in the tropical lower regions
(Pbs.gov.pk, 2020). Exposure to natural disasters and degrading air and water quality would
degrade the health of the people, especially the farmers. One of the major impacts is that of
the access to food. Poor infrastructure in the rural areas would worsen the situation.
The quality of the soil is also a concern. Global crop availability is on a declining
stage, which adds uncertainty to population growth. Negligent approach towards soil
degradation, soil losses and shrinkage in the resources, salt water intrusion into the coastal
areas would further degrade the land quality. Landslides can be one of the other impacts,
destroying the crop quality. Contamination in the water through pesticides is also a serious
concern in terms of using water for irrigation and drinking purposes (Nasa.gov, 2020).
Conclusion
Agriculture is the major source of income for Pakistan. Climactic change adds
disruption into the agricultural production. Governmental interventions have lead to the
establishment of the Study Impact Centres, which work towards gaining effective solutions
for dealing with the climactic changes. In these centres, the main aim is to train the farmers
the advanced means of harvesting crops. The scientists are of the view that alteration in the
planting methods can be effective in terms of dealing with the climactic changes. Variation in
the crop can be promoted for enhancing the awareness of the farmers about the ways of
dealing with the climactic changes. The scientists are of the view that the centres need to new
heat resistant and drought resistant techniques. Along with this, crop residue and weed
management needs to be done in a systematic manner for achieving the desired outcome. Pest
control is also to be planned for averting the diseases, which can arise from water or degraded

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soil, which is left unnoticed. Acquiring new irrigation systems would be effective for the
farmers to reduce the instances of water leakage, soil moisture and others.
Risk assessment and management are the need of the hour, which can bring the
situation under control. Introducing tree crops to the farmers would also be effective for
reducing the harmful impact of the climactic changes on the agriculture of Pakistan.
Acquisition of the water management systems would be a planned and reasoned approach
towards coping up with the disruptions in the food production. Energy efficient technologies
are also needed for improving the standards and quality of livestock management. Last but
not the least, judicious use of the resources is needed for maintaining the balance in the
ecosystem. Mass appeals in this case would be effective for producing collaborative attempts
towards making the planet a better place to live.

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References
Abid, M., Ngaruiya, G., Scheffran, J., & Zulfiqar, F. (2017). The Role of Social Networks in
Agricultural Adaptation to Climate Change: Implications for Sustainable Agriculture
in Pakistan. Climate, 5(4), 85. doi:10.3390/cli5040085
Abid, M., Scheffran, J., Schneider, U. A., & Elahi, E. (2019). Farmer perceptions of climate
change, observed trends and adaptation of agriculture in Pakistan. Environmental
management, 63(1), 110-123.
Ahmed, T., Scholz, M., Al-Faraj, F., & Niaz, W. (2016). Water-related impacts of climate
change on agriculture and subsequently on public health: A review for generalists
with particular reference to Pakistan. International journal of environmental research
and public health, 13(11), 1051.
Luqman, M., Shahbaz, B., Zeeshan Majeed, M., & Mohsin Raza, M. (2017). Impact of
climate change on rural livelihoods-a case of hazara region of Pakistan. Journal of
Agricultural Research (03681157), 55(2).
Nasa.gov (2020). Impact of climate change on planet. Retrieved 26th March 2020 from
https://climate.nasa.gov/effects/
Pakistan.gov.pk (2020). The official gateway to Pakistan. Retrieved 26th March from
http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/
Parc.gov.pk (2020). About Us. Retrieved 26th March 2020 from http://www.parc.gov.pk/
Pbs.gov.pk (2020). Agriculture statistics. Retrieved 26th march 2020 from
http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/agriculture-statistics

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