Agriculture is a Primary industry concerned with obtaining raw material from the ground for immediate
consumption or for further processing.
Types of Farming
Small-scale subsistence farming
Cash crop farming
Livestock farming
Agriculture as a system
Inputs Processes Outputs
Land Ploughing Wheat
Soil Sowing Rice
Natural
Climate Irrigation Cotton
Water Fertilizing Sugarcane
Weeding Maize
Capital
Harvesting Pulses
Machines
Threshing Fruit
Human
Fertilizers
Vegetables
Labor
Irrigation
Pesticides
Cropping Season
Rabi / Winter Crops
Sown at the beginning of winter season (Oct – Nov) and harvested in early summer (April- May)
Wheat, barley, grams, oilseeds, and pulses
Kharif / Summer Crops
Sown in summer (April – June) and harvested in early winter (Oct – Nov)
Rice, sugar-cane, millets, maize and cotton
Small scale subsistence farming Cash crop farming
Mainly done to fulfil family needs Gaining maximum profit is the target
Animals are used for ploughing Tractor is used for ploughing
Seeds saved from previous crops are used HYV seeds are used
Well irrigation/ Charsa/ Persian Wheel or rainwater Normally canal water is arranged, tube well can
is used also be used
Harvesting is done by manual labor Chemical fertilizers are used
Cow dung is used as manure Pesticides are used
Combine harvesters are used
Crops are grown on the basis of demand, price and
favorable government policies
Cultivation of Wheat
Ploughing the field
Seeds are sown
Irrigation after one month after sowing
Weeding
Second irrigation one before harvesting
Harvesting
Reasons for decrease in wheat production
Ever-increasing population
Gradual decrease in cultivable area, waterlogging, and salinity
Land fragmentation due to inheritance
Pest attack
Geographical requirements: Wheat
Temperature Rainfall / Irrigation Soil
10o – 20o at the time of growing Moderate rainfall, light shower Moderately stiff loamy or clayey
25o – 30o for ripening before harvesting makes the soil
Need 90 to 120 day for growing grain bigger Flat or undulating ground
Mostly irrigation Land must be well drained
Potwar plateau and some part of
KPK are rain-fed
Rice cultivation
Rice seeds are sown into nurseries
Main fields are ploughed and flooded
Rice seedlings are transplanted into the main fields
Water from fields is drained when rice are ripe
Harvesting
Threshing
Geographical requirements: Rice
Temperature Rainfall / Irrigation Soil
Mean 20o to 30o with no cold Heavy rainfall of at least 1270mm Flat ground
season but 2000mm is ideal Soil should be loamy or clayey
A warm dry period for harvesting Irrigation bridges the rainfall gap Impervious sub-soil is essential
as it is retentive of water
Cotton Cultivation
Ploughing and cross ploughing
Field watered to 6 inches deep
Ploughing and cross ploughing again
Seeds sown April – May
2 – 5 watering’s at 7 -9 days intervals
Harvesting in August – January, picked by hand, usually by women and children
Production can be affected due to leaf-curl virus
Rise in day and night temperature can affect too
Geographical requirements: Cotton
Temperature Rainfall / Irrigation Soil
25o to 35o Ample rainfall is preferred about Medium loam is best
Mild night temperatures for the 1000mm Needs manure or chemical
development of the bolls When rainfall is less than fertilizers to maintain soil’s fertility
Cotton is sensitive to frost 500mm, irrigation is necessary Level land is required
Process after Harvesting
After picking up cotton bolls are loaded on trucks
Sent to ginning mills
Seeds are separated from the lint
Cotton lint is tied up in bales for further processing
Seeds are used as an animal feed and for the extraction of oils
Sugar-cane cultivation
Planting, February – March,
sugar – cane 30 cm long stalks are planted, in some fields, same stalks produce crops for 2-3 years
Watering is frequently done from canals
Harvesting, November onwards
Sent to sugar cane mills
Temperature Rainfall / Irrigation Soil
Requires 25o to 35oC Requires plenty of rainfall 1520 Can be grown in variety of soils
Tolerant to frost for a short period mm Loam and clay soils with silt are
Irrigation is necessary to bridge best
the gap Consumes lots of nutrients,
manure or fertilizers containing
nitrogen, phosphorous and
potash are needed
Process after picking up
Loaded on truck or tractor-trolleys
Sent to sugar mills
Canes are scrubbed with limestone or chalk to remove dirt
Sugar canes are crushed to extract juice
Juice is further processed to produce ‘white sugar’
By-products or Sugar cane
Bagasse: fiber left over after the cane is crushed. It is used to make paler, chipboard, and animal feed
Molasses: liquid left over after the crystallization of sugar. Used in producing citric acid, cattle feed, baker’s
yeast, synthetic rubber, used as fuel in chemical industry, also used to make ‘Rum’
Pulse
Rich in proteins, Pulses fix nitrogen in soil
Grown less as these are considered as low value crops.
Mung
Mash
Grams
Masoor
Fruit farming
Livestock farming
Rearing of animals is called livestock farming, one of the oldest and most common occupations in Pakistan.
Three types of subsistence livestock farming
Nomadic: movement from place to place along with animals in search of food and water, settle when find
a grazing ground
Transhumance: Seasonal movement with animals on pastures high up in the mountains in summer and
brought down to lower pastures in winter, mostly practiced in northern Mountains but also partially practiced
in Western Mountains
Settled: kept in homes in villages, suburbs or slums
Commercial livestock farming
Practiced mainly for profit, some of the large-scale farms are owned by government or by military, some
private owners have their farms but those are not large scale like govt. or military
Importance of livestock
Uses as drought power in the small-scale farming
Supply food, meat, milk,
Raw material for industry, leather, dairy products
Contribution in export, 10% of GDP
Problems of livestock
Few veterinary hospitals and vaccination facilities
Lack of grazing grounds
High prices of animal feed
Difficult to keep in cities
Inefficient marketing system of milk and other products, leading to less profit
Gap in price of livestock in villages and cities
Inadequate facilities for meat storage
Unhygienic conditions in animal breeding
Government efforts for livestock
Control in animal disease
Improvement in livestock research farms
Improvement in vaccination facilities
Cultivation of fodder crops to turn agricultural lands into grazing fields
Improvement in breeding and cross breeding methods
Factors affecting Agricultural Production
Natural / Physical Human / Economic
Topography Marketing
Soil Size of farm
Water / Rainfall High Yielding varieties
Temperature Irrigation
Pests and diseases Mechanization
Fertilizers
Plant protection programs
Crops HYVS
Wheat Maxipak, Shahkhan 95, Wadnak 95, Kohson 95
Rice Basmati super, IRRI 6 Rechan, Pajhal
Sugar cane JN – 88, 1 to 3 Thatta - 10
Cotton Nayyab 78, B-557, 149 – F Sarmast Qalandri, CIM
– 70
Land Reforms
In 1947, 53% land was owned by 7% of the landowners
The government of Pakistan was aware of the importance of land reforms to increase productivity and
abolish Zamindari System
Purpose of Land Reforms
Breaking the hold of the large landlords
Equitable distribution of land
Protection of the rights of tenants
Consolidation of holdings
Effectiveness of Land Reforms
Reforms could not get desired results due to-
Half-hearted implementation
Lack of political will
Incomplete record of barani lands
Government underestimated the influence of big landlords
Land transferred under various land reforms was simply a paper exercise.
Farming and Environment
Government efforts to improve Agricultural Production
Increase the production of fertilizer to encourage use of it
Distribution of improved seeds / HYV through government departments
Developing a plant protection program / Pest scouting
Providing loans through ‘one window’ operation
Distribution of tractors and other equipment on easy installments
Interest free loans to small-scale farmers
Sustainable Agriculture
Development of agriculture in a way to fulfil the needs of present generation without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Obstacles to Sustainable Agriculture
Land degradation due to waterlogging and salinity
Soil erosion
Desertification
Rapid Population growth
Land fragmentation due to inheritance
Suggestions for Sustainable Agriculture
Development of new, highly productive, and environmentally sustainable production technologies
Reclaim waterlogged and saline soil
Soil management through afforestation projects to reduce soil erosion and maintain its fertility
Development of organic farming, use of bacteria in the soil to act as natural nutrients for the fertilization of
soil
Reclaim deserts through irrigation schemes
