State of Pakistani Agriculture and Society
Benjamin Conner
University of Kentucky
PLS 103-002

Pakistan is a country that is advanced compared to other countries around their own region. That region is the Middle East region. Agriculture in Pakistan covers both livestock and crops. When a country becomes wealthier they are able to raise and eat more meat, but I will mostly be talking about the agricultural state dealing with crop production and how that affects Pakistan through many aspects. They are a country whose biggest crop production comes from the cereals rice and wheat. Pakistan has the ability to be a major contributor in international trade, but at the same time they need to watch out for their own people. Pakistan is vulnerable because many people throughout Pakistan are close to food insecurity, while others already live in this state. Pakistan is still a developing country, but has taken great strides and is getting closer each day to being a developed country. According to the World Factbook of the CIA, Pakistan has a population of 190,291,129 people that is increasing at a rate of 1.551%. This percent has been lowered which is important for countries to become stable, but can still be even more. Religious leaders have been encouraged to help with family planning (Quetta 2010). This in turn would help maintain population in the religious sectors which includes a large portion of Pakistani’s population. Another factor of population in Pakistan is the Taliban and al Qaeda terrorist. They live in the towns so they can blend in more with civilians within the town. More efforts have been made to eliminate this presence in Pakistan by other countries, such as the United States. One way to try to get rid of their existence is by the use of drone attacks. These attacks can be successful, but they also kill many citizens of Pakistan (Khan 2012). Literacy rates in Pakistan over all are 54.9% with males being more literate (68.6%) and females less literate (40.3%) (CIA 2012). The education in Pakistan is free from ages 5 to 16 and kids are supposed to attend, but many schools are “ghost schools” because either the schools are taken over by the Taliban or the government does not provide adequate teachers. There is a direct correlation between education of women and children per woman; in 1981 the average children per woman were 6.5 with a literacy rate of 15% then in 2006 the literacy rate grew to 40% and now the average children per woman is 3.7 (Gapminder 2006). Women are not found in the workforce of Pakistan. Only 19% of women 15 and older are working (Gapminder 2006). Most women do family labor which shows that Pakistan views women less capable at doing jobs out in public and the business world. Pakistani people do not view themselves as healthy bodies. Only 5.4% of them consider themselves with having “very good” or “excellent” health (Ahmad, Jafar, & Chaturved 2005). Health is a major factor in the stability of a country.
Pakistani people average eating 2,293 kilocalories (kcal) per day (Gapminder 2006). This calorie level comes from a diet consisting of a primarily of cereals. The majority of these cereals that are consumed are wheat because it is abundant for the area (UN 2008). Within the more urban and wealthier areas of Pakistan, meat is consumed more within the diet. They are able to do this because they have the necessary income to purchase the product. Nutrients that are provided within the diet are mostly carbohydrates from the cereals. Protein only accounts for nine percent of the nutrients consumed. This low number reflects the presence of a large portion of the population not being able to afford meat. I predict that much of the Pakistani diet comes from Pakistan farmers there selves since much of the diet are cereals and they are abundant to the people. Meat on the other hand would be a product that is imported in to the country. The rarity of meat in the diet of Pakistani people and the high price suggest this likelihood. Families in Pakistan have an average income of 2,800 US dollars a year (CIA 2012). From that income, about 40 percent on average is used for purchasing food. That is a large portion of income to purchase food for a family. It is a more drastic percentage when the poorest households are put into the equation. These families spend up to 70 percent of the income on food. This affects the ability to afford health services and the ability to send off children to get an education. In comparison the United States does not spend nearly that much income on food. I would say that food is a small portion of a family’s income. Most of the income in United States would go towards things such as housing, amenities for comfort, and transportation. There are health problems related to the Pakistani diet. First there is malnutrition which, “Malnutrition remains the most serious child health problem and the single biggest contributor to child mortality in the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region” (WHO). There are not as many safety precautions in Pakistan then there are in the United States. This results in “food and waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A & E, and typhoid fever” (CIA 2012). Another major health concern for the Pakistan population, especially women, is pregnant women not getting all the necessary nutrients to support developing child (UN). The high prices of food do not allow pregnant women to get everything they need to provide nutrients for a developing child. This can cause health problems for both the mother and the child. Many people experience anemia, iron deficiency. It has been shown that around 61 percent of pre-school aged kids are anemic. More nutrition problems that come from the Mediterranean region include things such as; protein-energy malnutrition, high prevalence of low birth weight, iodine deficiency disorders, vitamin A deficiency, calcium deficiency, zinc deficiency, and vitamin D deficiency (WHO). These come from the diets that are consumed from the people. In America people are able to deal with deficiencies because they have access to many resources. They are able to take supplements that contain items in which they are considered deficient in. Another thing which is easy for people in America to do is just change their diet to contain products that contain those necessary vitamins, minerals, etc.
Agriculture is a large sector in the economic success and stability of Pakistan. Agriculture currently employs 45% of the workforce in Pakistan (CIA World Factbook). That is very important when talking about keeping a country stable. Pakistan is a country that grows two of the major cereals in the world, rice and wheat. These two cereals along with cotton and sugarcane make up the major crops grown in Pakistan. The minor crops that are produced in the country are; cottonseed, rapeseed, mustard, sunflower, canola (Arshad, S., Shafqat, A.).
The cereals that are grown are staple foods and important to the people of Pakistan, but since they grow enough to provide for themselves, they are able to export the rice and wheat to other countries to bring in profit (CIA World fact book). Cotton is also a major export that Pakistan produces (Worldbank). Imports to Pakistan include more modernized items. These include; petroleum, machinery, plastics, transportation equipment, paper and paperboard, iron and steel, and tea (Economy Watch). The imports exceed the exports. The Pakistani trade market is not very successful because people do not need the product in which they are selling on the market (Economy Watch). The area which most of these crops are grown is the province of Punjab (Reference). Punjab is located in the eastern part of Pakistan and runs parallel to the eastern border. The majority of wheat and cotton can be found growing in Punjab. Rice can also be grown in Punjab, but it is situated closer to the water and wetlands of the province Sindh. Of course water is a big resource in rice production which makes sense why rice fields are located there. Climate of Punjab has three “seasons.” From the months April to June it is hot, then it is the rainy season from July to September, and finally from October to March it is usually mild weather. Pakistan can experience monsoons which could be detrimental to the agricultural because of flooding. Cotton is a large commercial farming industry in Pakistan (US Library of Congress), but rice and wheat seem to be more subsistent and occasionally occur with a commercial farming area. Being in an area that sometimes experiences droughts, irrigation is a major technology in Pakistan. This allows the crops to produce high yields for farmers to be able to profit from the farming they do. Genetic engineering is accepted in Pakistan because they went through the Green Revolution, but some argue that the Green Revolution wasn’t the most beneficial thing for Pakistan (Niazi). It created more poverty and distribution was not done correctly. A barrier that Pakistan faces with agriculture is expansion. With the west part of the country being mostly desert the amount of arable land cannot extend much further. This means that the farmers must continue to improve efficiency and yields of their crops. Pakistan as a country is only 66 percent secure with its food. Out of 120 districts in Pakistan, 80 of them have secure food. The area that is mostly insecure is the western half of Pakistan. This half of the country is not suitable for agricultural growth. This region is very arid compared to the rest of the country which makes it less productive (Arshad and Shafqet). Climate is an area of concern because without the proper weather for crops, they will not be able to grow into their potential. With the help of genetics and other modifications in the region such as irrigation and soil preparation, this area could become an integral growing area.
Other factors play into the insecurity of these districts. The growing population is a factor that Pakistan has to consider. If the population now cannot be fed, how will they be able to provide for more people? Accessibility of the food is important too. The western half of Pakistan has a low accessibility to the food produced. Most of the food produced in the eastern half of the country is not transported well thus making food prices higher and people are not able to afford it and not have access. Other factors include, “… poverty, poor health, and sanitation… gender and equity, disasters and conflicts” (Arshad and Shafqat).
Pakistan has the possibility to become a secure country being that they are such a strong agriculture based economy. They will have to be able to deal with water shortages throughout the country. Most cropland in Pakistan is currently irrigated. A viable option is to turn towards sustainable farming. Being a production system that uses fewer inputs and more natural resources it helps both the environment and future economy. The government of Pakistan will have to get more involved, “Inspite of economy based sector, it is neglected by the government policies and mismanagement of natural resources, land degradation, mismanagement in ground water resources and irrigation patterns” (Arshad and Shafqat). To get more involved they can fix their agriculture policies, address water problems and other environmental problems, and provide more jobs within the agriculture sector (Arshad and Shafqat). From what I could infer from the information I found, government did not invest in the future of agriculture. Governments can be a major importance in the discovery of improved agricultural practices. A bright future for Pakistan would include a government who puts focus on the agricultural industry and producers. Compared to the United States Pakistan is way behind on their agricultural success, but at the same time they are a lot closer to the agricultural state of the United States than many other developing countries. They also resemble the United States in that their distribution is not properly handled. The United States has more than enough food to support every person that lives in the country, but instead of distributing the food evenly the people with the most money get to buy more food for them. This is one reason why I think the obesity rates in America are outrageous. If Pakistan starts to become a strong agriculture nation that produces enough food for all citizens I believe that they will go on the same route as the United States. When money comes in to factor people get greedy and start to think about themselves instead of their country as a whole. A difference in the United States and Pakistan is the use of different lands for different purposes. In Florida and Texas there are arid parts of the state which animals such as cattle, goats, and sheep (ruminants) graze. Animals such as ruminants could be able to survive here and live off the land. It is full of shrubs and arid plants they could use that as food since they are able to digest and get the nutrients out of cellulose. Humans are unable to get those nutrients out of cellulose. Pakistan is not very efficient with the arid western part of the country. If they take the approach like Florida and Texas has done they can be more efficient with the land they have and be able to produce more food. In the future it would be surprising to see Pakistan as one of the first developing countries to become developed. They have so much going right for them, but at the same time are not able to get past the “hump.” With resources such as government aid, outside aid, and ability to purchase inputs to increase yields their trade could begin to prosper. That would just have a waterfall effect on the rest of the agricultural community because that profit can go into more agricultural funding, which will allow further research in Pakistani agriculture and the cycle will continue to go on and on.

References
Ahmad, K., Jafar, T.H., & Chaturvedi, N. (2005). Self-rated health in Pakistan: results of a national health survery. BMC Public Health, S51-7. Doi:10.1186/1471-2458-5-51
Arshad, S., Shhafqat, A. (2012). Food security indicators, distribution and techniques for agriculture sustainability in Pakistan. International Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 2(5). Retrieved from http:/www.ijastnet.com/journals/Vol_2_No_5_May_2012/16.pdf.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2012). The world factbook: Pakistan. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pk.html.
Economy Watch. (2010). Pakistan exports, imports, & trade. Retrieved from http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/pakistan/export-import.html.
Niazi, T. (2003). Rural poverty and the green revolution: The lessons from Pakistan. Journal of Legislative Studies, 9(2), 242-260
Khan, M. (2012, Oct 7). Taking back control. Daily Times. Letter to the editor Vol. VIII No. 270.
Quetta. (2010, February 15). Religious scholars urged to play roles for family planning. Retrieved from http://lexisnexis.com/hottopics/Inacademic/.
The UN Inter Agency Assessment Mission FAO/UNDP/UNESCO/UNICEF/WFP/WHO. (2008). High food prices in Pakistan impact assessment and the way forward. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/giews/english/otherpub/PakistanImpactAssessment.pdf.
World Health Organization. (n.d.). Nutrition in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Retrieved from http://www.emro.who.int/entity/nutrition/.