2. Cash Crop Farming:

2. Livestock Farming:

•  Animalsare reared for commercial and family use.

•  Cows,bullocks, sheep, goats, etc. are the animals that are reared in livestockfarming.

 Types of Crops 

Rabi Crops: 

• They are sown in the winter season’s beginning i.e. October to November. 

• They are harvested in early summers i.e. April to May. 

• These crops include barley wheat, pulses, grams, and oilseeds. 

Kharif Crops: 

• They are sown in the summer season i.e. April to June. 

• They are harvested at the beginning of winter i.e. October to November. 

• These crops include sugarcane, rice, cotton, millet, and maize. 

Barani Crops: 

• The cultivation of these crops depends on rainfall. 

Cash Crops: 

• These crops are grown to sell and generate profit. 

Subsistence Crops: 

• These crops are grown by and for the farmers and their families. 

Crops Farming 

Wheat: 

Requirements: 

• It requires warm temperature for cultivation i.e. 10-20⁰ for sowing and 25-30⁰ for harvesting. 

• It requires a moderate amount of rainfall i.e. 325 mm to 625 mm. 

• The soil should be alluvial, and land should be well-drained. 

• It requires a dry harvesting season and the rainfall of October & November also helps in its growth. 

Main Areas for Wheat: 

• The wheat grows in Nawabshah, entire Punjab and Indus Plains. 

Method of Cultivation: 

• The field is ploughed. 

• Wheat seeds are sown in the ground directly. 

• It does not require too much water to cultivate. 

• After one month, the first irrigation is required. 

• Second irrigation is done one month before harvesting. 

• It takes a total of three months for wheat harvest. 

• The harvesting requires extensive manual work because grains needed to be separated from the chaff. 

• Stored or transported for sale. 

Rice: 

Requirements: 

• It required hot temperature i.e. 20-30⁰ while cultivating. 

• It required dry and warm weather to harvest. 

• The soil needs to be claying or loaming and water retentive. 

• The lands need to be flat. 

• It required a huge amount of rainfall i.e. 1270 mm at least. 

• The ideal rainfall is 2000 mm, but Pakistan has insufficient rainfall. 

Main Areas for Rice: 

• Shekhupur, Larkana, Gujranwala, and Sialkot. 

Method of Cultivation: 

• The seeds are sown into nurseries or beds. 

• When the plants reached a height of 9 inches, it is replanted. 

• Replantation is done in a flooded ploughed field. 

• The depth of the flooded ploughed field should be 30 cm to 37 cm. 

• Water needs to be full until the rice is not fully ready to be harvested. 

• Once the rice is ripe, water is drained, and harvesting begins. 

• Depending on the size of the farm, threshing can be done using machines or animals. 

• The rice then goes to mills for polish and packaging. 

Cotton: 

Requirements: 

• It requires hot temperatures during cultivation i.e. 25⁰ to 35⁰. 

• For harvesting, it requires dry weather. 

• It needs the soil to be alluvial and deep. 

• The land needs to be flat. 

• It requires a high amount of rainfall i.e. 1000 mm. 

Main Areas for Cotton: 

• Nawabshah, Bahawalpur, Multan, Bahawalnagar, and Rahimyarkhan. 

Method of Cultivation: 

• In April – May seeds are sown at 30 cm to 45 cm apart. 

• First irrigation takes place after a month. 

• After two months from 1st irrigation, second irrigation is needed. 

• In October and November the balls of cotton ripe completely. 

• These cotton balls are picked and transported to grinning mills. 

• At grinning mills, seeds are separated from lint. 

Sugarcane: 

Requirements: 

• It requires hot temperatures for cultivation i.e. 25⁰ to 35⁰. 

• It required dry weather for harvesting. 

• The soil needs to be alluvial and deep. 

• The land needs to be flat and well-drained. 

• A huge amount of rainfall is required i.e. 1520 mm. 

Main Areas for Sugarcane: 

• Faisalabad, Nawabshah, Peshawar, and Mardan. 

Method of Cultivation: 

• Stalks are planted from April to May which are 30 cm apart. 

• It requires regular irrigation and harvesting. 

• The sugarcane is grown by ratooning. 

• Harvesting requires manual labour. 

• After it is cut, it is transported to sugar mills. 

• The sugarcanes are scrubbed with chalk to remove any dirt and smells. 

• The juice is extracted from the sugarcanes with the help of heavy rollers. 

• The juice is processed to produce sugar. 

• In village gur and brown sugar is also produced from sugarcane juice. 

• Molasses and Bagasse are two important by-products. 

Other Crops 

Maize: 

• It is a Kharif crop. 

• It is a food grain. 

• It is also used as a raw material for oil production. 

• It is used in the production of custard powder, cornflour, etc. 

Pulses: 

• It is rich in protein. 

• It is widely used in the diet plan. 

• It fertilizes the soil by fixing nitrogen. 

• It is a low-value crop. 

• Some important pulses include Mash, Masoor, Grams, and Mung. 

Millets: 

• In Pakistan, there are two millets Jowar and Bajra. 

• They are used as fodder for poultry and animals. 

• They are also used as coarser cereals after grounding. 

Oilseeds: 

• Pakistan does not produce enough oilseeds. 

• The oilseeds produce are rape seeds, sunflower, soya bean, sarson, mustard, sesame, rai, castor, and linseed. 

• Castor seeds and linseeds are also used in industries. 

• Only 32% of the demand for edible oil is catered with local production. 

Tobacco: 

• It is grown in KPK mainly. 

• Peshawar and Mardan are the main regions where tobacco grows.  

Livestock Farming Importance of Livestock Farming: 

• Animal help in the ploughing, threshing, and harvesting of the crops in farming. 

• They are also used to transport materials. 

• Livestock provides food. e.g. buffaloes and cows produce milk, goats and cattle produce meat when slaughtered and chickens produce eggs. 

• Livestock also provides raw materials like bones, animal hairs, wool and skins to produce rugs, footwear, leather products, and carpets. 

• In the international market, products produced in the cottage industry has high demand. 

• Livestock's contribution to the GDP is about 10%. 

Factors Affecting Livestock Farming: 

• Shortage of facilities for the proper care of livestock e.g. vets, vaccinations, etc. 

• Lack of grazing ground led to overgrazing that damages grasslands. 

• Animal fodder is expensive. 

• Lack of proper marketing means for milk and other livestock products. 

• Lack of breeding quality. 

• Price gap of livestock in urban and rural areas. 

Governments’ Role: 

• Some measures have been taken to promote livestock and poultry industry. 

• Scientific breeding methods have been introduced e.g. crossbreeding. 

• For calves, early diets have been introduced to save milk for human consumption. 

• For proper vets, individuals have been trained. 

• To fatten cows for meat and milk, programs have been introduced. 

• Livestock research farms have been improved. 

• Vaccination facilities have been improved. 

Factors Affecting Production

Natural Factors Affecting Agriculture: 

Topography: 

• The land needs to be flatter for better output. 

• The output decreases as land gets steeper and higher. 

Soil: 

• Alluvial and Loess soil produces the best output when farming. 

Rainfall: 

• If adequate rainfall is received, then crops can be cultivated without irrigation. 

• The northern areas of Pakistan including the Potwar Plateau received adequate rainfall. 

Temperature: 

• Temperature plays an integral role. 

• In the northern areas, crops/fruit grow from April to September only. 

• Whereas in southern parts, fruits ripe all year round. 

Pests and Diseases: 

• If the preventive measures are not taken, then crops can be attacked by diseases and pests. 

• They can reduce agricultural output. 

Human Factors: 

Irrigation Facilities: 

• Irrigation facilities help in cultivation if there is not enough rainfall. 

• Using the irrigation system, the deserts of Thar and Thal have been reclaimed for cultivation. 

• However, canal irrigation can cause waterlogging and salinity issues. 

Fertilizers: 

• They can increase agricultural productions. 

Mechanization: 

• Machines have also made farming easy e.g. threshers, tillers, tractors, etc. 

• Mechanization can reduce farmers' costs by preventing losses. 

HYVs (High-Yielding Seed Varieties): 

• They can also increase the output by 10 to 20 %. 

• These are used widely in commercial farms. 

Marketing: 

• If proper marketing is done, it will increase profit. 

• It will include processing, storage, transport, wholesale and retail. 

Plant Protection Programs: 

• Aerial and ground spraying of pesticides can prevent pests and diseases attack. 

• The Plant Protection Department is also producing treated seeds. 

Land Reforms: 

• Over time, several governments came up with land reforms to: 

- Break the holdings of big landlords. 

- To make land distribution equitable. 

- To protect the rights of tenants. 

- For the consolidation of holding. 

Figure (i) Land Reforms of Pakistan

Government’s Efforts to Improve Agricultural Production: 

• Following are the steps were taken by the government: 

- Encouraging the use of fertilizers by increasing its production. 

- Regulations are introduced for the quality of seeds. 

- Distribution of improved seeds. 

- Initiation of the Plant Protection Department responsible for regular checks for pests, giving guidance and conducting aerial pesticide sprays. 

- Providing financial aid to farming communities. 

Sustainable Agricultural Development: 

• For sustainability following steps can be taken: 

- Environmentally friendly technologies and the system must be developed. 

- Waterlogging salinity issues must be addressed. 

- The soil fertility measure must be taken seriously e.g. afforestation. 

- Cutting of forests must be stopped to prevent soil erosion. 

- Over cropping and multi-cropping should be prevented as it can exhaust soil nutrients. 

- Organic farming should be encouraged as it can make the soil more productive. 

- Irrigation systems must be used to reclaim desert areas to agriculture.