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

Agriculture Production and

Land Use Planning in the Mountain Area

By

Allah Dad Khan

Former Director General

Agriculture Extension Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Province

[email protected]

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.

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.  

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".

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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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.

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

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

Suggestions Or Remedies To Overcome The Problems1.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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cover crops.

Grassed waterways

Terraces are structural practices

Windbreaks

Grass barriers can prevent wind erosion by slowing the wind.

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

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) Better dissemination of existing and improved varieties through timely �availability of sufficient, quality planting material;

d) New 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) Reduced 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

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

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.

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

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

Making the best use of limited resources1. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The focus of land-use planning contdTechnology

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.

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.

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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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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