Agriculture production in Mountain Area a Lecture at PARD by Allah Dad Khan

2. Agriculture Production
and
Land Use Planning in the Mountain Area
By
Allah Dad Khan
Former Director General
Agriculture Extension Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Province
allahdad52@gmail.com

5. Location of Pakistan
Pakistan is situated between the latitudes of 24° and 37° north and
longitudes of 61° to 75° east, stretching over 1 600 kilometers from
north to south and 885 kilometers from east to west, with a total
area of 796 095 square kilometers. It has a subtropical and semi-arid
climate. The annual rainfall ranges from 125 mm in the extreme
southern plains to 500 to 900 mm in the sub-mountainous and
northern plains. About 70 percent of the total rainfall occurs as
heavy downpours in summer from July to September, originating from
the summer monsoons, and 30 percent in winter. Summers, except in
the mountainous areas, are very hot with a maximum temperature of
more than 40 °C, while the minimum temperature in winter is a few
degrees above the freezing point.

6. Beauty of Pakistan
Pakistan is a land of many
splendors. The scenery changes
northward from coastal beaches,
lagoons and mangrove swamps in
the south to sandy deserts,
desolate plateaus, fertile plains,
dissected upland in the middle and
high mountains with beautiful
valleys, snow-covered peaks and
eternal glaciers in the north.

7. Agriculture
Speeding (1988) defined Agriculture as
"Agriculture is an activity (of man) carried
out primarily to produce food, feed and
fibber (and fuel, as well as many other
materials) by the deliberate and controlled
use of (mainly terrestrial) plants and
animals".

8. Agriculture
Agriculture is a way of life, a cultural
practice with all the implications of the
word culture. They comprise g rowing
crops with local seeds, caring animals that
have adapted to the environment,
relishing vegetables and fruits of their own
kind and quality. There exists a system of
self-reliance and sustainability. It is an
ecological agriculture in its true sense.

10. Characteristics of AEZ (B) Eastern Mountains
Climate Humid, cold
Rainfall 700-1000 +mm/y
Rabi 400-500 + mm
Kharif 300-500 + mm
Temp Average 16-20 Degree Centigrade
Temp Summer 25-30 Degree Centigrade
Temperature Winter 5-10 Degree Centigrade
Altitude 600 -1000 + meter
Soil Type Loamy Shallow
Cultivated area 245000 ha
Irrigated area 26%
Farm Size 1.4-1.7 ha
Cropping Pattern Mono and Double Cropping
Crops Maize,rice,wheat,Vegetables, fruits,
medicinal plants , oil seed , honey,
mushroom

11. Climate Trends
1. Increase in unpredictable rainfall
pattern
2. Increase in intensity of rainfall (
heavy down pour)
3. Sudden prolonged rainfall (year
2010).
4. In the recent 15 years, heat spells
and droughts have increased in the
region (1997, 2003).
5. The region is also experiencing
frequent changes in temperature and
precipitation patterns

12. A view of the Saif-ul-Malook lake in the day time
and its reflection in water.

14. Factors of Production – Land
Land: Dr. Alfred Marshall defined land is meant no merely
land in the strict sense of the word, but whole of the
materials and forces which nature gives freely for man’s
aid in land, water, in air and light and heat.
Land stands for all nature, living and lifeless. It includes all
natural resources that human being get free from air, water
and land. In short, the terms ‘land’ refers all that nature
has created on the earth, above the earth and below the
earth’s surface

15. Importance of Land
1. Land a factor of production is of immense importance.
Land is the original sources of all material wealth
2. The economic prosperity of a country is closely linked
with the richness of her natural resources.
3. The quality and quantity of agricultural wealth a
country depends on nature of soil, climate, rainfall.
4. The agril products are the form the basis of trade and
industry. Industry also depends upon availability of coal-
mines or waterfall for electricity production.
5. Thus all aspects of economic life i.e. agriculture, trade
and industry are generally influenced by natural
resources which is called as “Land” in economics.
6. The importance of land is therefore too much as it is
influencing finally the standard of living of the people.
SearchSearch

16. Factors affecting productivity of
land:
Different pieces of land differ in quality or productivity. The
productivity depends upon following factors.
A. Natural factors: The factors like soil, climate, rainfall, topography
influence the productivity. The sandy soil with low rainfall always
yield less but it is not so in cause of black cotton soil. It always
yields more.
B. Human factor: Man is always trying his best how maximum output
can be obtained from land. So many deficiencies are always tacked
good yields. This human effort is very important to increase the
productivity.
C. Situation factor: The location of the land many a times determines
the productivity. The fertile land in remote corner of the country
perhaps may not be cultivated but the land having less fertility but
located nearby marked can give a good yield.

17. Agriculture Production is confronted by the
Problems
1.Lack of Education
2.Lack of Capita
3.Following the Old Tradition
4.Water-logging and Salinity
5.Uneconomical Land Holdings
6.Scarcity of Water
7.Land Tenure System
8.Soil Erosion
9.Lack of Organized Marketing

18. 10.Pests and Crop Diseases
11.Poor Means of Transportation
12.Lack of Credit Facilities
13.Low Yield Per Acre
14. Uneconomic Land Holdings
15. Old Methods of Production
16. Inadequate Supply of Agricultural Inputs
17. Lack of Irrigation Facilities
18. Inadequate Agricultural Research
19. Subsistence Farming
20. Low Cropping Intensity
21. Improper Crop Rotation
22. Natural Calamities
23. Under Utilization of Land
24. Farmer’s Litigation
25. Joint Family System
26. Instability in Market Prices
27. Shortage of Agricultural Finance

19. Suggestions Or Remedies To Overcome The
Problems
1.Reclamation of Land
2.Irrigation Facilities
3.The Use Of Fertilizers
4.Credit Facilities5.Better Seeds
5.Better Seed/Provision of HYV Seed
6.Plant Protection
7.Mechanization
8.Co-operative Farming
9.Education Level
10.Marketing Facilities
11.Improvement In The Means Of transportation And
Communication

20. 12. Construction of Dames
13. Agro-based Industries
14. Training of Farmers
15. Prices of Agricultural Productivities
16.Soil Conservation
17.Afforestation
18.Social/agroforestry

21. Measures to Improve the Rural Livestock
Production should include the following:
1. Improving the genetic potential of indigenous livestock through selection,
crossbreeding and AI.
2. Quality of poor fodders and straws can be improved with treatment of urea
and molasses. The urea is cheap source of nitrogen while molasses provides
ample energy to the ruminants.
3. Good, economical, efficient and flexible housing plans be developed through
animal production experts or any other viable and sustainable sources.
4. Enforcement of vaccination schedules beside proper and timely veterinary
cover.
5. Control of ecto- and endo-parasites through proper dipping and drenching.
Response of proper feeding and improved nutritional management is much
lower if animals are infested with the parasites.

22. Measures to Improve the Rural Livestock Production should include the
following:
6.Improvement of breed potential and good management will increase
conception rate, growth rate, milk yield and decrease calving
interval.
7.Price stability in livestock production is a must for avoiding great
seasonal fluctuations. Implementation of sound policies can bring the
livestock economy to a great certainty.
8.Preservation of surplus milk in winter by converting it into powder
and saving enormous amount of foreign exchange being spent on the
import of dry milk.
9.Replacing draught animals to beef route through fattening and
finishing programs. Also the encouragement of feedlot system for
cattle, male buffalo calves, sheep, goats and other culled animals.
10.Meat grading, preservation and suitable marketing are required.
Proper pricing system is also the need of the hour.
11.Encouragement of commercial producers by providing incentives
and services.
12.Proper manure handling, its preservation, timely application for
increasing soil fertility and keeping pollution under control.

23. What is Agriculture Production
Soil Preparation
1. Conventional tillage - Up until about 20 years ago, the
standard tillage practice for corn was use of the
moldboard plow for primary tillage followed by several
secondary tillages and mechanical cultivation after the
crop was up.
2. Today's farmers have turned away from moldboard
tillage because moldboard plows tend to leave minimal
crop residue on the soil surface after tillage and in turn,
decreases valuable organic matter.
3. By reducing moldboard plow use, and increasing
organic matter in the soil, the soil becomes less
erodible soil, looser, and holds more water.
4. Today, a very low percentage of row crops are planted
with the moldboard plowand mechanical cultivation is
often limited to one, or no operations.

24. What is Agriculture Production contd
4.Reduced tillage is usually done with a chisel plow and
leaves 15% to 30% residue coverage on the soil.
5.Conservation tillage leaves at least 30% residue coverage
on the soil. Conservation tillage methods include no-till,
where no tillage is done at all and seeds are placed directly
into the previous season's crop residue; strip-till, in which
only the narrow strip of land needed for the crop row is
tilled; ridge till; and mulch till.

25. Best Management Practices to Reduce
Erosion
Conservation tillage leaves at least 30% residue cover on the
ground. This simple, low-cost practice can have a huge impact on
the amount of soil eroded.
Because of energy savings and obvious improvements in soil
quality that can result from conservation tillage, it has been
widely adopted across the Midwest.

26. Contour farming and strip cropping is the practice of
planting along the slope instead of up-and-down
slopes, and planting strips of grass between row
crops.

27. Cover crops.

28. Grassed waterways

29. Terraces are structural practices

30. Windbreaks

31. Grass barriers can prevent wind erosion by
slowing the wind.

32. "Living snow fences" prevent wind erosion by
slowing the wind.

33. To improve the productivity and sustainability of fruit and
vegetable production systems that meet market demand.
a) Improved varieties of high-value fruit and vegetables that improve productivity
b) through higher yields and/or greater resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses;
c) ƒBetter dissemination of existing and improved varieties through timely availability of
sufficient, quality planting material;
d) ƒNew management practices and technologies that lead to more efficient use of
inputs, higher yields, safe and better quality produce, lower pesticide residues or
other attributes that increase profit;
e) Identification of market openings and niche opportunities for some novel
underutilized fresh and processed fruit and vegetable products;
f) ƒReduced seasonality and improved year-round availability of fruit and vegetables at
affordable prices.
g) The irrigation system can be improved and further water resources can be developed
through storage and dam building
h) By joining various commodity national coordinators, conducting on farm trials
through participation of farmers, varieties for different target areas can be
developed. There are sufficient opportunities for this.
i) The potential of farmers, women, researchers, extensionists and close linkages
j) among them can be improved through training for skill development.
k) Likewise, institutes capacity can be upgraded through collaboration with
l) similar but better institutes at national and international level

36.  To meet the food and feed requirements, a scientific shift towards intensive and
 extensive agriculture is a must. For this short duration varieties, good crop
 rotations, mechanization, etc should be looked into.
 Amulti-disciplinary Research and Development Institution in line with NARC,
 Islamabad in addition to PARC (KARINA) Juglote should be established in the
 NA on the pattern of provinces to create a competitive atmosphere among the
 scientists.
 An On-Farm Demonstration/Out Reach Programme unit may be established
 within the Department of Agriculture Research Northern Areas. to coordinate
 and confirm the results obtained on the research station in farmers fields under
 their prevailing circumstances for rapid development of new technology.
 Human Resource Development Programme should be started within the
 Department of Agriculture for capacity building of staff. An Agriculture
 Training Institute may be established within the Department of Agriculture

37. What is land-use planning?
1. There is bound to be conflict over land use. The
demands for arable land, grazing, forestry, wildlife,
tourism and urban development are greater than the
land resources available.
2. The population dependent on the land for food, fuel
and employment will double within the next 25 to 50
years.
3. Even where land is still plentiful, many people may
have inadequate access to land or to the benefits from
its use.
4. In the face of scarcity, the degradation of farmland,
forest or water resources may be clear for all to see but
individual land users lack the incentive or resources to
stop it.

38. What is land-use planning?contd
6. Land-use planning is the systematic assessment of land and water
potential, alternatives for land use and economic and social conditions
in order to select and adopt the best land-use options.
7.Its purpose is to select and put into practice those land uses that will
best meet the needs of the people while safeguarding resources for the
future.
8.The driving force in planning is the need for change, the need for
improved management or the need for a quite different pattern of land
use dictated by changing circumstances.
9.All kinds of rural land use are involved: agriculture, pastoralism,
forestry, wildlife conservation and tourism.
10.Planning also provides guidance in cases of conflict between rural
land use and urban or industrial expansion, by indicating which areas of
land are most valuable under rural use

39. When is land-use planning useful?
Two conditions must be met if planning is to be useful:
1.The need for changes in land use, or action to prevent
some unwanted change, must be accepted by the people
involved;
2.There must be the political will and ability to put the
plan into effect.
Where these conditions are not met, and yet problems are
pressing, it may be appropriate to mount an awareness
campaign or set up demonstration areas with the aim of
creating the conditions necessary for effective planning

40. Making the best use of limited resources
1. Our basic needs of food, water, fuel, clothing and shelter must be
met from the land, which is in limited supply. As population and
aspirations increase, so land becomes an increasingly scarce
resource.
2. Land must change to meet new demands yet change brings new
conflicts between competing uses of the land and between the
interests of individual land users and the common good.
3. Land taken for towns and industry is no longer available for
farming; likewise, the development of new farmland competes
with forestry, water supplies and wildlife.
4. Planning to make the best use of land is not a new idea. Over the
years, farmers have made plans season after season, deciding what
to grow and where to grow it.
5. Their decisions have been made according to their own needs, their
knowledge of the land and the technology, labour and capital
available. As the size of the area, the number of people involved
and the complexity of the problems increase, so does the need for
information and rigorous methods of analysis and planning.

41. However, land-use planning is not just farm planning on a different
scale; it has a further dimension, namely the interest of the
whole community.
Examples of unwise land use include:
the clearance of forest on steep lands or on poor soils for
which sustainable systems of farming have not been
developed; overgrazing of pastures.
Degradation of land resources may be attributed to greed,
ignorance, uncertainty or lack of an alternative but,
essentially, it is a consequence of using land today without
investing in tomorrow.

42. Land-use planning aims to make the best use
of limited resources by:
1) Assessing present and future needs and
systematically evaluating the land's ability to
supply them;
2) Identifying and resolving conflicts between
competing uses, between the needs of
individuals and those of the community, and
between the needs of the present generation
and those of future generations;
3) Seeking sustainable options and choosing those
that best meet identified needs;
4) Planning to bring about desired changes;
5) Learning from experience.

43. The planning process
1. Land-use planning can be expressed in the following
questions:
2. What is the present situation?
3. Is change desirable? If so:
4. What needs to be changed?
5. Land-use problems and opportunities are identified by
discussions with the people involved and by the study of
their needs and the resources of the area.

44. How can the changes be made?
 Planners seek a range of ways to make use of the
opportunities and solve the problems.
 Which is the best option?
 Decision-makers choose the best option, based on
forecasts of the results of implementing each
alternative.
 How far is the plan succeeding?
 Once a land-use plan is put into effect, planners
monitor progress made towards its goals and change the
plan if necessary.

45. Sustainability.
SACHS (1992) defines five dimensions of sustainability
which
Should be taken into consideration when dealing with land
use: economic, social, spatial, cultural and ecological
sustainability. Key indicators and trends in the different
dimensions of land use may help to monitor the direction of
changers.

46. The focus of land-use planning
Planning is for people
1. People's needs drive the planning process. Local farmers, other
land users and the wider community who depend on the land must
accept the need for a change in land use, as they will have to live
with its results.
2. Land-use planning must be positive. The planning team must find
out about people's needs and also the local knowledge, skills,
labour and capital that they can contribute. It must study the
problems of existing land-use practices and seek alternatives while
drawing the public's attention to the hazards of continuing with
present practices and to the opportunities for change.
3. Regulations to prevent people doing what they now do for pressing
reasons are bound to fail. Local acceptability is most readily
achieved by local participation in planning. The support of local
leaders is essential while the participation of agencies that have
the resources to implement the plan is also important.

47. The focus of land-use planning contd
Land is not the same everywhere
Land is, self-evidently, the other focus of land-use
planning. Capital, labour, management skills and
technology can be moved to where they are needed. Land
cannot be moved, and different areas present different
opportunities and different management problems. Nor are
land resources unchanging: this is obvious in the case of
climate and vegetation, but examples such as the depletion
of water resources or the loss of soil by erosion or salinity
are reminders that resources can be degraded, in some
cases irreversibly. Good information about land resources is
thus essential to land-use planning.

48. The focus of land-use planning contd
Technology
A third element in planning is knowledge of land-use
technologies: agronomy, silviculture, livestock husbandry
and other means by which land is used. The technologies
recommended must be those for which users have the
capital, skills and other necessary resources; that is,
appropriate technology. New technologies may have social
and environmental implications that should be addressed
by the planner.

49. The focus of land-use planning contd
Integration
I. A mistake in early attempts at land-use planning was to focus
too narrowly on land resources without enough thought given
to how they might be used. Good agricultural land is usually
also suitable for other competing uses. Land-use decisions are
not made just on the basis of land suitability but also
according to the demand for products and the extent to which
the use of a particular area is critical for a particular purpose.
Planning has to integrate information about the suitability of
the land, the demands for alternative products or uses and the
opportunities for satisfying those demands on the available
land, now and in the future.
.

50. The focus of land-use planning contd
Therefore, land-use planning is not sectoral. Even where a
particular plan is focused on one sector, e.g. smallholder
tea development or irrigation, an integrated approach has
to be carried down the line from strategic planning at the
national level to the details of individual projects and
programmes at district and local levels

51. Planning at National level
At the national level, planning is concerned with national goals and the allocation of
resources. In many cases, national land-use planning does not involve the actual allocation of
land for different uses, but the establishment of priorities for district-level projects. A
national land-use plan may cover:
I. land-use policy: balancing the competing demands for land among different sectors of
the economy food production, export crops, tourism, wildlife conservation, housing
and public amenities, roads, industry;
II. national development plans and budget: project identification and the allocation of
resources for development;
III. coordination of sectoral agencies involved in land use;
IV. legislation on such subjects as land tenure, forest clearance and water rights.
V. National goals are complex while policy decisions, legislation and fiscal measures
affect many people and wide areas. Decision-makers cannot possibly be specialists in
all facets of land use, so the planners' responsibility is to present the relevant
information in terms that the decision-makers can both comprehend and act on.

52. Planning at District Level
District level refers not necessarily to administrative districts
but also to land areas that fall between national and local
levels. Development projects are often at this level, where
planning first comes to grips with the diversity of the land and
its suitability to meet project goals. When planning is initiated
nationally, national priorities have to be translated into local
plans. Conflicts between national and local interests will have
to be resolved. The kinds of issues tackled at this stage
include:
a) the siting of developments such as new settlements, forest
plantations and irrigation schemes;
b) the need for improved infrastructure such as water supply,
roads and marketing facilities;
c) the development of management guidelines for improved
kinds of land use on each type of land.

53. Planning at Local Level
 The local planning unit may be the village, a group of
villages or a small water catchment. At this level, it is
easiest to fit the plan to the people, making use of local
people's knowledge and contributions. Where planning is
initiated at the district level, the programme of work to
implement changes in land use or management has to
be carried out locally. Alternatively, this may be the
first level of planning, with its priorities drawn up by
the local people. Local-level planning is about getting
things done on particular areas of land - what shall be
done where and when, and who will be responsible.

54. Starting at the local level: bottom-up planning
"Bottom-up" planning is initiated at the local level and involves
active participation by the local community. The experience and
local knowledge of the land users and local technical staff are
mobilized to identify development priorities and to draw up and
implement plans.
The advantages are:
1. local targets, local management and local benefits. People
will be more enthusiastic about a plan seen as their own,
and they will be more willing to participate in its
implementation and monitoring;
2. More popular awareness of land-use problems and
opportunities;
3. Plans can pay close attention to local constraints, whether
these are related to natural resources or socio-economic
problems;
4. Better information is fed upwards for higher levels of
planning

55. Land-use, sectoral and integrated rural
development plans
Land-use plans
1. Allocate land to different kinds of land use;
2. Specify management standards and inputs;
3. Coordinate the work of sectoral agencies related to land use.
Sectorial plans
1) These are projects and programmes of sectoral agencies, for
example the forestry department and the irrigation department.
2) Integrated rural development plans
3) Coordinate all aspects of rural development, including health,
education, transport and land use

56. Land use in relation to sectoral and
development planning
1.Land-use planning is non-sectoral by definition but,
unless a special planning authority is set up, a plan must be
implemented by sectoral agencies - in agriculture, forestry,
irrigation, etc. Implementation will call for help from the
different extension services.
2.There can be no clear boundary between land-use
planning and other aspects of rural development. For
example, a desirable change in land use may be the
introduction of a cash crop. Successful management may
require the use of fertilizer. This cannot be done unless
there are local centres for fertilizer distribution, effective
advice on its use and a system of credit for its purchase.

57. 3.Local services will be of no use without an adequate
national distribution system and the sufficient manufacture
or allocation of foreign currency for imports. Building a
fertilizer factory and organizing national distribution are
certainly not part of land-use planning but they may be
essential for the success of planned land use. On the other
hand, the siting of local distribution centres in relation to
population and suitable land could well be part of the work
of a land-use planner.
4.Therefore, there is a spectrum of activities ranging from
those that focus on the interpretation of the physical
qualities of the land, for which the land-use planner will be
largely responsible, to those that need a combined input
with other technical specialists. Furthermore, where
matters of national policy - adequate prices for crops, for
example - are prerequisites for successful land use, the
planner's job is to say so clearly.

58. People in planning
1.Land-use planning involves getting many different people
to work together towards common goals. Three groups of
people are directly involved
2. Land users. These are the people living in the planning
area whose livelihood depends wholly or partly on the
land. They include not only farmers, herders, foresters and
others who use the land directly but also those who
depend on these people's products, e.g. operators in crop
or meat processing, sawmills and furniture factories. The
involvement of all land users in planning is essential.
Ultimately, they have to put the plan into effect and must
therefore believe in its potential benefits as well as in the
fairness of the planning process.

59. 3.The experience and determination of local people in dealing with their
environment are often the most neglected, as well as the most important,
resource. People will grasp development opportunities that they
themselves have helped to plan more readily than any that are imposed on
them. Without the support of local leaders, a plan is not likely to succeed.
4.Achieving effective public participation in planning is a challenge.
Planners have to invest the time and resources needed to secure
participation through local discussions, by broadcasting and newspaper
articles, through technical workshops and extension services. Imagination,
a sincere interest in people and the land as well as a willingness to
experiment mark the more successful efforts.

60. 5.Decision-makers. Decision-makers are those responsible
for putting plans into effect. At national and district levels,
they will usually be government ministers; at the local
level, they will be members of the council or other
authorities.

61. Problems Caused by Population Pressure and
Poverty are:
1.Heavy demand on increasingly scarce land, forest and fish
resource stocks.
2.Expanding of cultivation to marginal areas, i.e. steep slopes,
geologically unstable hillsides. It causes deforestation, soil
erosion, sedimentation and alteration of hydrologic patterns.
3. A vicious cycle of new land opening, rapid loss of fertility,
initiation of a growing erosion and falling productivity.
4.Unsustainable forest harvesting leads to denuded hillsides
and soil erosion and diminishes the forest harvesting for future
generations.

62. Problems Caused by Unclear Land Use Rights
1. Conflicting demands of the land owner and the land user
cause unsustainable forms of land use.
2. Unclear or conflicting ownership work against long-term
conservation and enhancement of natural resources, like
terracing, replanting of forests and sustained yield fishing.
3. Women often have no land use rights.
4.Slash-and-burn cultivation in natural forests is a well-known
example. In order to secure the active support of farmers for
conservation farming, it is imperative that their primary
concerns are addressed first. In most cases, these are
improvements in income rather than ecological sustainability.
5.Land use planners therefore need to accept aspects like the
promotion of labor-saving technologies or improved access to
markets as valid aims of the planning process

63. Palas Valley in Kohistan

64. Explore some of the mightiest mountains of the
world that are located in the northern areas of
Pakistan

65. See for yourself the lush green valleys amid the snow
clad mountains

66. Do you know from where the Indus originates? Find out.

68. Any Questions?