Improving agricultural productivity A Presentation By Mr Allah Dad Khan Agriculture Expert KPK Pakistan

2. Allah Dad Khan

3. Overview of the presentation
 1. Introduction
 2. Factors affecting crop production
 3. Agricultural productivity
 - Research and Technological Innovation for
 increased productivity
 - Seed Production and supply system
 - Opportunities for Increasing Agricultural Productivity
 - Crop Production: Challenges
 4. Water Use Efficiency:
 - Growth of Irrigation
 - Opportunities for Increasing Water Productivity
 5. Strengthening Rural Livelihoods

4. AGRICULTURE
The Backbone off Pakistan’’s Economy
 Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s
 economy.
 Nearly 21% of total output (GDP)
 44 percent of total employment is
 generated in agriculture.
 It also contributes substantially to
 Pakistan’s exports

5. Introduction
 Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. About 25% of Pakistan's
total land area is under cultivation and is watered by one of the largest irrigation systems
in the world. Pakistan irrigates three times more acres than Russia. Agriculture accounts
for about 23% of GDP and employs about 44% of the labor force. Pakistan is one of the
world's largest producers and suppliers of the following according to the 2005 Food and
Agriculture Organization of The United Nations and FAOSTAT given here with ranking:
 Chickpea (2nd)
 Apricot (4th)
 Cotton (4th)
 Sugarcane (4th)
 Milk (5th)
 Onion (5th)
 Date Palm (6th)
 Mango (7th)
 Tangerines, mandarin orange, clementine (8th)
 Rice (8th)
 Wheat (9th)
 Oranges (10th)

6. Wheat

8. Factors affecting crop production
 There are many factors that influence how well
plants grow and develop.
These factors are sometimes used by the farmer
to make decisions.
It is beyond the scope of this presentation to list
every factor that affects crop production,
however a basic list of types of factors is
attempted

9. Factors affecting crop production
 Soil factors: Soil types, soil fertility (levels of nutrients), soil
depth, soil moisture etc.
Pest factors: Historical or current infestations of soil fungus,
bacterial diseases, insects or weeds etc.
Management factors: Crop rotation practices, fertilizer and
pesticide applications, tillage practices etc.
Technological factors: Use of farm implements, improved seed,
irrigation, soil moisture conservation methods etc
 Weather factors: Rainfall, insolation temperature and humidity.
Climatic factors: Long range weather patterns (frost, length of
growing season, start of the rains, end of the rains, degree days
etc.)

10. Goal of agriculture: to increase production of
 crops by increasing their productivity and
 water use efficiency; and Improving rural
 livelihoods by reducing poverty through
 development & dissemination of sustainable
 technology

11. Agricultural productivity
 The productivity of agriculture depends on
 - use of High Yielding Varieties (HYV),
 - improved management practices,
 - efficient use of irrigation water,
 - pest management,
 - soil health management
 - and other related factors which are
 discussed below

12. Factors to promote Ag. Productivity
 Research and Technological Innovation for increased
 productivity
 ii. Seed Production and supply system
 iii. Opportunities for Increasing Agricultural Productivity:
 - Input use efficiency for productivity enhancement
 - Yield gap reduction
 - Replacement of traditional varieties by modern varieties
 (HYV & hybrid)
 - Crop diversification
 - Breaking the yield stagnancy of modern varieties by hybrid
 and super rice
 - Adoption of integrated crop production technologies
 - Integrated nutrient management
 - Farm mechanization
 - Bio-technology research and development
 - Subsidy in agriculture

13. Factors to promote Ag. Productivity
 iv. Crop Production: Challenges
 - Climate change and agriculture
 - Soil Degradations
 - Pest Infestation
 - Lack of Infrastructure and Power Supply
 - Global Warming
 - High Population Growth and Land Scarcity
 - Storms, Earthquakes, etc

14. Water Use Efficiency:
 Water: most vital physical factor for agricultural production
 after land
 - water scarcity presents a big threat to future food
 production
 - many fresh water sources (surface & ground) are depleting
 faster
 - Pumping water (surface + ground) dominates the irrigation
 system in Bangladesh (90%), while large diversion type
 surface irrigation system comprises less irrigation area
 (10%).
 - Water scarcity is managed through two options in
 Bangladesh that is, irrigation and crop management

15. Opportunities for Increasing Water Productivity
 Capacity utilization of minor irrigation system
 • Command Area Development
 • Drought alleviation
 • Increasing water use efficiency
 • Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) Method for
 Water Saving
 • Salinity management
 • Arsenic in Water
 • Institutional arrangement

16. Strengthening Rural Livelihoods
 Dissemination of agricultural technologies for
 improvement of rural livelihoods
 • Opportunities both for domestic opportunities and
international
 markets
 • Creating employment opportunity especially for the
 women
 • Diversification of high value crops
 • Export promotion and Development of AEZ based
 technology
 • Agro-processing Activities
 • Revamping agricultural marketing system
 • Supply chain development

17. Future Strategy for Sustainable Land Management
 Develop additional water storage capacity by
 construction of small, medium and large storage
 dams and improve distribution network
 Improve water use efficiency – precision land
 leveling, water course improvement and optimized
 irrigation
 Promotion of high efficiency irrigation systems and
 water conservation techniques – Zero tillage, inter
 cropping, etc
 Replace less competitive high delta crops (sugarcane
 and IRRI rice) with more competitive crops requiring
 less water (e.g. sugar beet, oil seeds and pulses)
 Programs for waterlogging and salinity control and
 research on bio-saline agriculture

18. Future Strategy for Sustainable Land Management
 Production and Export of high value crops (fruits,
 vegetables, flowers etc.)
 Private sector led processing, grading packaging and
 cold storage facilities.
 Promotion of Contract farming and Provision of
credit
 facilities for agri-business
 Farmers training in post harvest technologies
 Enhance production of oilseeds, pulses, tea and other
 import items – vertical and horizontal increase