Managing soil resources for food
security
With world population at around 6 billion, another three
billion will be added over next 50 years. This increase will
occur in developing countries. Pakistan's population is about
150 million which will double in the next 30-40 years, meaning
Pakistan will have to double its cereal production,
particularly of wheat, to meet food demand and simultaneously
of other crops to stimulate economic growth.
In south Asia about 25 per cent of total population lives on
fragile lands. In Pakistan 30-50 per cent are living on
fragile lands. Improving their livelihood is essential for
meeting many of the Millennium Development Goals for coming
decades.
Pakistan has a total geographical area of 80.0 million ha. Of
this only 22.3 million ha (28.per cent) is cultivated land.
About 18 million ha of the cultivated land is irrigated while
remaining is rainfed or is under dry farming.
The soil resources inventory reveals that 12.4 million ha of
irrigated land has high agricultural potential, and its
production can be doubled if soils are managed on proper
scientific lines.
There is also scope to increase production on 9.0 million ha
of land which includes both irrigated and dry farming areas
having moderate to low agricultural potential.
DEGRADATION: Salinization is a severe problem on irrigated
lands. It is found both in light to moderate degrees, reducing
crop yield and in severe degree causing complete abandonment
of formerly productive irrigated land.
About 3 million hectares of irrigated land is affected by
salinity/sodicity ranging from patchy salinity to dense saline
sodic soils. It is about 13.5 per cent of total crop area. It
severely impacts the productivity of the land.
USE OF BRACKISH WATER: About 53 MAF of ground water is pumped
for irrigation. Out of this about 60 per cent is unfit for
irrigation. It severely impacts the chemistry of soils and
thus the productivity.
In areas of deep alluvial deposits and where the ground water
has not become saline, tubewell irrigation has led to
over-extraction of water, in excess of the rate of recharge.
The use of brackish water has downgraded class I land to class
II.
Soil fertility depletion is more widespread than formally
realized leading to reduced crop yields and low responses to
fertilizers. The calcareous, high pH and low organic matter
soils in irrigated plains are under a continuous cropping for
over a century.
The intensification of agriculture and the HYV varieties has
accelerated nutrient mining in the last four decades. This is
recouped by the use of mineral fertilizers, the consumption of
which has crossed 3 million nutrient tonnes in the country.
Fertilizer use at farm level is imbalanced and inefficient.
The emerging secondary and micronutrient deficiencies are not
properly addressed. The depleting soil fertility is an
insidious process leading to soil degradation and low return.
With structural adjustment reforms prices of essential inputs
have reduced the profit margins of the farmers and had pushed
many small farmers below poverty line. Therefore, for chemical
fertilizers incentives should be developed to farmers to
increase use efficiency through appropriate application
methods, and integration with organic and bio sources.
Policies are needed to reduce fertilizer prices paid by
farmers while at the same time assuring timely access to the
fertilizers needed. Water erosion is widespread form of
degradation affecting about one million ha of cultivated land
and 13 million ha of forest and ranges lands. Most soils are
loosing their fertile surface and may become unproductive. It
is found widely in both the dry and rainfed zones.
Wind erosion is estimated at 35 per cent of agricultural land
in the dry zone. Although quantitative evidence for definition
of its degree of severity is lacking. The deserts of Pakistan
and irrigated belt of the Indus system are the affected zones.
Wind erosion also occurs along the unirrigated belts between
river systems.
Water logging affects some irrigated lands on the alluvial
plains and interior basins. About 1.5 million hectares in
cultivated areas is affected by water logging. It affects
irrigated lands on the alluvial plains specific to landforms.
It is on the decrease in the recent past due to drought and
excessive mining of ground water.
The range land, which covers about 60 per cent of total area
of Pakistan, is potential source of livestock development in
the country. These lands are under severe degradation due to
drought and over-grazing. These resources need immediate
attention of evaluation and conservation for proper
development.
Inappropriate farming practices are also causing soil
structure deterioration, compaction, hard pans and surface
crusting. Special tillage, cultural practices and irrigation
techniques are needed to minimize these problems. The wrong
choice of crops not compatible with soils and crop ecological
zones is another factor of land degradation.
CLIMATE CHANGE: There is a wide scientific consensus that
global climate is changing in part as a result of human
activities. The social and economic cost of slowing it down
and of responding to its impacts will be large.
The 1990's were the warmest decade since the beginning of
instrumental recording. It is now generally accepted that this
climate change is the result of increasing concentration of
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other green house
gases in the atmosphere.
Agriculture is seen as part of the global warming problem and
it is also viewed as part of the solution. More research is
needed on the relative contributions made by agriculture and
other sources and sinks.
Increasing climate fluctuations such as drought and floods,
which appear to be associated with global warming, or
introducing new risks and uncertainties in the food and the
agriculture area.
New and innovative approaches to risk management including new
crop varieties, cropping systems should be developed to assist
in managing the consequences of climate-induced risks and
uncertainties for food security and agriculture.
Wheat production during last two seasons have suffered the
losses due to rise in temperature and lack of backup research
in varieties to cope with it.
INCREASING GLOBALIZATION: The present trends of globalization
regarding trade liberalization, integration of international
markets and rapid flow of information technology are to
continue.
Whereas, globalization has benefited millions of people but on
the other hand many have become poor. Effective food and
agriculture policy and institutions are needed to complement
and guide globalization to achieve sustainable economic
growth, improved equity and reduces poverty.
The merger and acquisitions around the world are monopolizing
agricultural inputs at the costs for the farmers. The recent
developments in fertilizer, pesticide and seed sector are
clear indications that farmers may have to pay more for their
inputs.
NEXUS BETWEEN LAND, POPULATION, DEGRADATION AND POVERTY: The
direct and indirect causes of land degradation are linked with
population growth and poverty. The limited land resources and
increase in rural population results in small farms, low
production and increase in land lessness.
Consequence of these is poverty. Land shortage and poverty
taken together leads to non-sustainable management practices,
the direct causes of degradation. This is a vicious cycle of
causes and effects of land degradation, low productivity and
poverty. The only way to intervene in this nexus is further
research and application of new emerging technologies.
ECONOMIC COSTS OF LAND DEGRADATION: There are different
estimates related to economic costs of land degradation based
primarily on production loss and replacement cost. Production
loss is expressed as a percentage of production from
un-degraded soils.
For erosion and soil fertility decline the assumption are 5-10
per cent production loss for a light degree of degradation, 20
per cent for moderate and 75 per cent for strong degradation.
For salinity the respective losses are 15, 65 and 100 per
cent, respectively. Replacement cost is the cost of additional
input used by the farmers in order to maintain production
levels.
Pakistan falls in medium to severely affected areas of land
degradation. It has been reported that resource degradation
has led to overall productivity loss by one-third. It means
the country is suffering roughly loss of Rs150 to 180 billion
per year of agriculture GDP due to degradation process, thus
leaving deep negative impact on poverty and environment.
NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS: The fast technological
developments in biotechnology, the IT and energy are new
challenges for the scientists as well as government policy
makers to best utilize these technological opportunities for
the benefit of farmers.
The impacts of new technology will depend on the policies to
ensure food security in the future. More investments in public
research will be needed so that potential benefits from new
technology can reach low-income farmers.
Policies and new institutions are urgently needed on
intellectual property rights, bio-safety and food safety
regulations, facilitation of markets for improved seed and
other inputs.
Policies and investments to strengthen national agricultural
research systems with a clear problem solving focus by using
all appropriate scientific methods including precision farming
and genetic engineering are urgently needed.
Courtesy: Business Recorder
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