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Population in South Asia is increasing ever than a faster rate, subsequently; food security, climate change, and capital intensive agro farming techniques are the prevailing challenges in this region. This is a tri-country penal analysis, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh, and the study covers the data throughout (1973-2020). This study has used modern farm input data besides demographic variables in the study. In this study, we use panel data set, ARDL (PMG) approach, autoregressive distributed lag model pooled mean group, which is an extensively dynamic modeling technique for heterogeneous data. The results of the study explore that transition in the demographic pattern in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh is the real cause of low crop productivity and land intensification. Technology innovation is the only ray of hope to fulfill the food demand of the future ahead and climate agriculture practices can hamper the further deterioration of the small farmlands., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Climate induced disasters, more specifically floods, have caused severe damage to the agriculture sector in Pakistan. These climatic risks have constrained the farming community to adopt risk management strategies to overcome such climate change risks. This research work attempted to examine the association of risk management tools with farmers' perception of risk, risk averse attitude, and various socioeconomic factors. The study has employed the sample data of 398 farmers from two high-risk flood-prone districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The multivariate probit model was used in this study to investigate the association of dependent and independent variables. The findings of the study indicated that small farmers consider heavy rains and floods severe risks to their agricultural production and are more risk averse than large farmers. Estimates of a multivariate probit model interpreted as age of farmer (0.036), heavy rains risk perception (0.597), and landholding size (0.114) were positively related with the risk management tool of depletion of assets. Farmers' education (0.056), off-farm income (3.47), age (0.018), and risk averse attitude of farmer (0.687) were positive, whereas experience of farming (-0.037) was negatively linked with reduction of consumption. Furthermore, experience of farming (0.005), risk averse attitude (0.493), heavy rains (0.481), and flood risk perception (0.536) were positively related with diversification adoption. The flood-prone farming community is more vulnerable to these climatic risks and rely on traditional strategies for risk management. There is a need to adopt crop diversification based on developing research capacity for innovative crop varieties having resistance to floods and climate change affects. Some significant policy measures, such as a more resilient scenario of climate change and floods, need to stimulate activities of enterprise diversification, opportunities of diversifying employment, and strengthening activities of off-farm employment for the sound livelihood of flood-prone farmers and to minimize severe affects of climatic risks., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a mega-project of primarily infrastructure-related loans and investments in Pakistan. Recently, the official discourse has increasingly shifted to the agricultural sector. For the region of Gilgit-Baltistan bordering China, academic and policy debates highlight the potential boost of fruit exports to China as the most promising opportunity to be leveraged through the CPEC. This paper scrutinizes these promises from a locally grounded perspective, investigating potential benefits and risks for local farmers. To make sense of the complex interplay between external and local actors, interests, markets and (infra)structures, the paper follows an assemblage-inspired approach to map out local trajectories. Contrary to the CPEC narrative, agricultural exports from Gilgit-Baltistan recently came to a halt, due to increasing trade barriers and seemingly competing agricultural developments in neighboring Xinjiang, China. Moreover, the economically most promising local crop for export to China, namely cherries, does not seem too promising for the majority of small farmers. There are other commodities with export potential, but overall, prospects appear to be limited. There is a need for a deeper engagement with the inherent complexities of CPEC trajectories, particularly in regards to local farming contexts in Pakistan and relevant developments in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black carbon (BC) emissions, resulting from the incomplete combustion of carbonaceous fuels, have been extensively linked to adverse impacts on air quality, climate change, and public health. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of a comprehensive analysis that integrates activity-based BC emissions inventory and scenario analysis at the national/regional, sectoral, and sub-sectoral levels in Pakistan. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive evaluation of Pakistan's BC emissions inventory for 2021 along projecting emissions until 2050 under the reference emission scenario (RES) and the accelerated reduction scenario (ARS) using the GAINS modeling framework to assess the potential impact of mitigation measures. This study takes a unique approach by considering commonly overlooked sources of BC emissions, such as kerosene lighting, brick kilns, diesel generator sets, and natural gas flaring, which are not typically included in conventional analyses. National BC emissions in 2021 were estimated at 181 kt, with residential combustion being the major contributor, accounting for more than half (108 kt) of the total emissions. The transport, industry, waste, agriculture, power plants, and fuel conversion sectors contributed 26.1 kt, 20.1 kt, 10.7 kt, 8.9 kt, 6.0 kt, and 0.9 kt, respectively. We anticipate that the total BC emissions in Pakistan will reach 201 kt under the RES and 41 kt under the ARS scenario by the year 2050. The ARS achieves substantial BC reductions by the adoption of cleaner fuels, improved biomass stoves, end-of-pipe emission control technologies with higher removal efficiencies, and implementing a ban on the open burning of waste and crop residues. This study underscores the considerable potential for reducing BC emissions across various sectors in Pakistan over the next three decades., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Pakistan is among the countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change. The country has experienced severe floods and droughts during recent decades. The agricultural sector in Pakistan is adversely affected by climate change. This systematic review paper set out to analyze the existing literature on adaptation measures at the farm level toward climate change in Pakistan. Adopting a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method, a total of 62 articles were identified from the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The review paper indicates that the main adaptation strategies adopted by farmers are as follows: changing cropping practices, changing farm management techniques, advanced land use management practices, and nonagriculture livelihood options. Further, this review shows the factors influencing the farmer's adaptation measures to climate change. Influencing factors were examined and classified into three groups: demographic, socioeconomic, and resources and institutional. Barriers hindering farmers' adaptive capacity were identified as lack of access to information and knowledge, lack of access to extension services, lack of access to credit facility, and lack of farm resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Suicide is a major public health problem in Pakistan, accounting to approximately 19,331 deaths every year. Many are due to consumption of acutely toxic pesticides; however, there is a lack of national suicide data, limiting knowledge and potential for intervention. In this paper, we aimed to review the literature on pesticide self-poisoning in Pakistan to identify the most problematic pesticides in relation to national pesticide regulations. Methods: Information on the currently registered and banned pesticides was obtained from Ministry of National Food Security and Research while data on pesticide import and use was extracted from FAOSTAT. We searched the following sources for articles and research papers on poisoning in Pakistan: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL), Google Scholar, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), Excerpta Medica (EMBASE), National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE (PUBMED), PS102YCHINFO and Pakmedinet.com using the search terms 'self-poisoning', 'deliberate self-harm', 'suicide', 'methods and means of suicide', 'organophosphate', 'wheat pill', 'aluminium phosphide', 'acute poisoning', OR 'pesticides', AND 'Pakistan'. Results: As of May 2021, 382 pesticide active ingredients (substances) were registered in Pakistan, of which five were WHO hazard class Ia (extremely hazardous) and 17 WHO hazard class Ib (highly hazardous). Twenty-six pesticides, four formulations, and seven non-registered pesticides had been banned, of which two were WHO class Ia and five Ib. We identified 106 hospital-level studies of poisoning conducted in Pakistan, of which 23 did not mention self-poisoning cases and one reported no suicidal poisoning cases. We found no community or forensic medicine studies. Of 52,323 poisoning cases identified in these papers, 24,546 [47%] were due to pesticides. The most commonly identified pesticide classes were organophosphorus (OP) insecticides (13,816 cases, 56%) and the fumigant aluminium phosphide (3 g 56% tablets, often termed 'wheat pills'; 686 cases, 2.7%). Few studies identified the particular pesticides involved or the resulting case fatality. Conclusion: We found pesticide poisoning to be a major cause of poisoning in Pakistan, with OP insecticides and the fumigant aluminium phosphide the main pesticides identified. Withdrawal of Class I pesticides (as proposed to occur nationally in 2022) and high concentration aluminium phosphide tablets should rapidly reduce suicidal deaths by reducing the case fatality for low-intention poisoning cases. National cause of death data and forensic toxicology laboratory data identifying the pesticides responsible for deaths will be important to assess impacts of the proposed national ban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid renewable energy sources are sustainable and eco-friendly and challenge the alternative sources of conventional energy production facilities. Pakistan's present energy dilemma is a serious impediment to its economic progress. This paper proposes a techno-economic analysis of commercial-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems for commercial agricultural farms in Punjab, Pakistan. A survey was conducted to gather the load data of the farms from major cities of north, center, and south Punjab. For the PV system design, the K-means approach was used to cluster data from 93 farmers into nine clusters with similar electrical consumption. A complete technical, economic, and environmental study is undertaken of the PV systems deployed in five selected cities. The most practical locations are Attock and Multan, which have the lowest Levelized Cost of Energy at 5.52 and 5.37 cents/kWh, respectively. PV installations are nevertheless technically, economically, and environmentally feasible for all cities. Throughout its lifespan, the planned PV system has the potential for Faisalabad and Chiniot to minimize 154 metric tons of emissions, resulting in a greener environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the possibility of utilizing rainfall data and Normalized the Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data for developing an insurance product that protects farmers from weather related yield losses of wheat production in Pakistan's barani areas. This study finds that while rainfall data serves as an effective index, NDVI data (only) partially captures the yield variability in wheat production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a cornerstone of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It aims to enhance regional trade and economic expansion in Pakistan. We adopted systematic review approach to investigate the agricultural trade narrative of the CPEC and identify future research avenues. Our study uses the Web of Sciences and Scopus database to extract the relevant literature. We executed the search query for 2013–2023. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement to identify the literature. The final analysis includes only 14 articles. We found that the literature mainly focuses on three topics, Gwadar port, road infrastructure, and agricultural complementarity and competitiveness. The review reveals the significant potential of CPEC on the agricultural trade of Pakistan. Based on the review, we point to avenues that could be considered in future research work to fully exploit the potential of CPEC in the agriculture sector of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zagazig Journal of Agricultural Research is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Antibiotics are now considered as emerging environmental pollutants due to their persistent nature and continuous exposure through irrigation with wastewater contaminated with antibiotics. The aim of present study was to assess the potential of nanoparticles for the photodegradation of antibiotics and subsequent stress alleviation via Titania oxide (TiO 2 ) application for improvement in crop productivity and quality in terms of the nutritional composition. In the first phase, different nanoparticles, TiO 2 , Zinc oxide (ZnO), and Iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ) with varying concentrations (40-60 mg L -1 ) and time-periods (1-9 days) were tested to degrade amoxicillin (Amx) and levofloxacin (Lev) @ 5 mg L -1 under the visible light. Results indicated that TiO 2 nanoparticles (50 mg L -1 ) were the most effective nanoparticles for the removal of both antibiotics with maximum degradation of 65% and 56% for Amx and Lev, respectively, on the 7th day. In the second phase, a pot experiment was conducted in which TiO 2 (50 mg L -1 ) was applied individually and along with antibiotics (5 mg L -1 ) in order to evaluate the effect of nanoparticles on stress alleviation for growth promotion of wheat exposed to antibiotics. Plant biomass was reduced by Amx (58.7%) and Lev (68.4%) significantly (p < 0.05) when compared to the control. However, co-application of TiO 2 and antibiotics improved the total iron (34.9% and 42%), carbohydrate (33% and 31%), and protein content (36% and 33%) in grains under Amx and Lev stress, respectively. The highest plant length, grain weight, and nutrient uptake were observed upon application of TiO 2 nanoparticles alone. Total iron, carbohydrates, and proteins in grains were significantly increased by 52%, 38.5%, and 40%, respectively compared to the control (with antibiotics). The findings highlight the potential of TiO 2 nanoparticles for stress alleviation, growth, and nutritional improvement under antibiotic stress upon irrigation with contaminated wastewater., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The swelling water demand due to population rise and inefficient water management has caused water scarcity in Pakistan's Sindh Province. The Sindh province almost entirely relies on the Indus River supply to meet its demand to irrigate 6Mha of culturable area. Many studies have predicted a shortfall of water in the coming years. It is also anticipated that Pakistan may become water scarce until 2025, which will cause food security issues. This study, funded by the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project (WSIP), aimed to understand the current water availability trends to develop sustainable water budgeting for the province. The agricultural activities in Sindh are usually carried out in two seasons—Rabi and Kharif. In this study, agricultural water use was estimated in terms of actual evapotranspiration (ET) for14 canal command areas (CCAs) of Sindh during the Rabi (Oct to Mar) and Kharif (Apr to Sept) seasons during 2017–2019. Landsat satellite data product—Earth Engine Evapotranspiration Flux (EEflux)—is used for analysis. This study assessed agriculture water balance for three scenarios: 1) Rabi and Kharif seasons, 2) a water year, and 3) overall growing seasons. The result shows that when flows are low in the Rabi seasons, the consumptive water use exceeds the combined canal flows and rainwater. The deficits were supposedly met through groundwater abstraction. However, during the Kharif season, water availability was in surplus of the need indicating a possible recharge of aquifers. This study proposes that the disparity of the supplies and demands can be balanced by reallocating the canal water supply based on the actual need. Furthermore, the spatial distribution of consumptive water use through GIS maps is also represented in this study. The water balance of all 14 CCAs in Sindh is illustrated in this paper, discussing possible guidelines on when, where, and how future allocations should be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chakwal is located in Potohar Plateau of the Punjab Province. Town Bhoun of District Chakwal has historic significance as it is famous for carding archaeological sites and monuments. A rich archaeological mound of Pind Kahoot is located on the periphery of town Bhoun in District Chakwal. The site is occupied for agricultural activities. Whenever the farmers plough their fields and stones stuck the plough, they put them aside. So, the borders of the mound are over laid by stones of various sizes and debris. The mound is spanning over a vast area and its surface is covered with potsherds of different wares, textures, and sizes. The findings from the site include pottery, terracotta figurines and pipes, grinding stones, game discs, metallic jewelry, terracotta, steatite and carnelian beads, and bones. The current paper focuses on an analytical and comparative study of artifacts. It will also trace occupancy of different cultures and their relative chronological sequence. Besides, it will also elaborate the ethnoarchaeological study by establishing a link between the recovered artifacts and contemporary traditional practices in terms of materials and techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper's primary goal is to develop an agriculture drone for spraying pesticides. We discuss an architecture based on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in this study. Pesticides must be used in agriculture if the quality of largescale output is to be maintained. It is crucial to increase agriculture's production and efficiency by employing cuttingedge technology to replace employees with intelligent equipment like robots. The research suggests a novel method to replace people in a number of agricultural tasks, including the identification of insect presence, the application of pesticides and fertilizers, etc. The created method entails building a prototype that makes use of basic, affordable equipment including a microprocessor, different motors, and terminal equipment to assist farmers in a variety of operations related to crop fields. Design and build an autonomous drone-based surveillance system capable of identifying injured crops and spraying pesticides in specified regions as needed. To combine an image processing and Artificial Intelligence based real time algorithm to determine crop health and evaluate the need for pesticides, as well as a weather monitoring system that can assist anticipate weather conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia (NH3) emissions mainly originate from agricultural practices and can have multiple adverse impacts on the environment. With the substantial increase of synthetic fertilizer use over the past decades, volatilization of NH3 has become a major loss of N applied to land. Since NH3 can be strongly influenced by both environmental conditions and local management practices, a better estimate of NH3 emissions from fertilizer use requires improved understanding of the relevant processes. This study describes a new process-based model, AMmonia–CLIMate (AMCLIM), for quantifying agricultural NH3 emissions. More specifically, the present paper focuses on the development of a module (AMCLIM–Land) that is used for simulating NH3 emissions from synthetic fertilizer use. (Other modules, together termed as AMCLIM-Livestock, simulate NH3 emissions from agricultural livestock, are described in Part 2). AMCLIM–Land dynamically models the evolution of N species in soils by incorporating the effects of both environmental factors and management practices to determine the NH3 emissions released from the land to the atmosphere. Based on simulations for 2010, NH3 emissions resulting from the synthetic fertilizer use are estimated at 15.0 Tg N yr-1, accounting for around 17 % of applied fertilizer N. Strong spatial and seasonal variations are found. Higher emissions typically occur in agricultural intensive countries (such as China, India, Pakistan and US), and mostly reach the maximum in the summer season. Volatilization rates indicate that hotter environments can result in more N lost due to NH3 emissions, and show how other factors including soil moisture and pH can greatly affect volatilization of NH3. The AMCLIM model also allows estimation of how application techniques and fertilizer type have impacts on the NH3 emissions, pointing to the importance of improving management practice to tackle nutrient loss and of appropriate data-gathering to record management practices internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study's basic intention is to explore Uni & multidimensional poverty (MDP) along with decomposition among the non-farming and farming community of Pakistan and its four provinces (Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Baluchsitan) using in Foster (Journal of the econometric society 1984) and Alkire & Foster (OPHI working paper 2007) indexing approach along with cross-sectional data of HIES/PSLM for last five years since 2010–11 to 2015–16. Temporal analysis of both measures portrayed that with a shorter time gap especially year or two, poverty reveals cross trend while with a wider time gap of 5 years poverty in uni-dimensional & multidimensoal aspect expose diminishing trend in overall Paksitan as well as across all four provinces in both communities. Finally, decomposition of the population by a group for uni-dimensional poverty demonstrates that Punjab and Sindh is the major contributor to overall poverty. Similarly, dimensional decomposition for multidimenisonal poverty (MDP) measure validate that education and health are major contributor to MDP, and reducing the individuals' deprivation in both these sectors are quite helpful to a quick lessening of poverty among both non-farming and farming communities in Pakistan and its four provinces. Therefore, to achieve MDG of complete poverty reduction till 2030, the governments must take emergency steps to improve education and health sectors, especially by increasing primary and secondary school education and reducing the female & child mortality rate by providing basic health facillites (proper pre and post natal consultation & immunization service) at their doorstep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exists comprehensive literature on women's empowerment; however, studies on the measurement of empowerment in the agricultural context are scarce, particularly in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Pakistan. In this paper, we used the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), which includes five domains, i.e. resources, production, income, leadership, and time, to measure women's empowerment in the agriculture sector. A survey of 600 rural women and 18 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted by using multi-stage sampling. The results show that about 72% of the women are disempowered, and attribute to low socio-economic conditions, i.e. they have limited access to resources and little leadership skills as rural women in AJK are not free to speak in public. The results further reveal that women are also disempowered in some other indicators, such as autonomy in production, income, and leisure time. So, based on the current findings, it is proposed that government should strengthen these areas through effective policies to improve the status of women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corridors perform a substantial role to boost up agribusiness comprehensively for developing a linear agglomeration of people and pursuits pre-existing transport structure. This research explored the social and economic impact of China Pakistan Economic Corridor on agriculture productiveness. The analysis has been executed among the distinct districts of agricultural economic zones. The paper signifies accessibility and usage of infrastructure, to analyze nexus. Regardless of available facts & figures, the data restricted the variables that might be deemed the research support of higher investment in infrastructures, energy and dams whilst at the similar time stressing the need to take steps to maximize the utilization of existing resources. Indices for the development of Infrastructure have been designed by applying Principal Component Analysis. Random effects model is implemented to analyze how diverse categories of infrastructure affect agricultural productivity. CPEC projects have potential to cover the current energy crises in Pakistan and open up business horizons for the small scale farmers to raise productivity and exports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study examines the role of the agriculture and foreign remittances in mitigating rural poverty in Pakistan. Methods: The data used relate to the period 1980– 2017 and are sourced from the World Bank and the Economic Survey of Pakistan produced annually by the Ministry of Finance. The ARDL technique was used to calculate the effects of agriculture and foreign remittances on rural poverty. Results: The results of this study indicate that agriculture helps to mitigate rural poverty in the long run, but that foreign remittances are more effective in reducing rural poverty in the short run. In this paper, results confirm the existence of correlations between agriculture, foreign remittances and rural poverty. Conclusion: The outcomes of this study support the call for the government to introduce agricultural credit schemes for the rural population of Pakistan. Moreover, the government should take steps to enhance diplomatic relations with other countries and simplify policies and visa application procedures for Pakistani workers. Finally, this study suggests the government should simplify procedures for the transfer of foreign remittances to Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture is one of the primary contributors to Pakistan's economy. However, over the last few decades, the atmospheric carbon dioxide emission has been amplified to a great extent in Pakistan. This amplification may cause climate change, global warming, and environmental mitigation in Pakistan. This paper empirically investigates the impact of CO2 emissions on the agricultural export trade of Pakistan over the period 1975–2017. Evidence suggests that climate change could be a primary cause for the decline in Pakistan's agriculture export trade; no studies have been carried out for this specific issue, particularly over time. In this paper, the empirical analysis suggests the negative coefficient of agriculture export trade with CO2 emissions subsequently decreases agriculture export trade, which leads to direct impact on Pakistan's economy. Both theoretical and empirical outcomes suggest that the adaptation of clean and green energies and technologies are the key to reduce pollution in Pakistan. Overall, the effects of carbon dioxide emissions on agriculture export trade are stronger in the long‐run dynamics, thus making the finding heterogeneous. Possible initiatives should be taken by the government of Pakistan to improve the agriculture sector and it should also introduce new policies to reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan faces considerable losses in the field of agriculture every year as a result of termite activity. Numerous crops, particularly sugarcane, cotton, and wheat, are severely damaged by termites, resulting in substantial economic loss. Termites can potentially inflict significant agricultural losses, ranging from 20% to 45% of the harvest yield. Termites are also known to cause damage to stored food, wooden objects, household furniture, paper products, and various synthetic materials. They can attack both buried and above-ground parts of plants. They bite and chew on tubers, young and old leaves, stems, lower branches of the plants, and peanut seeds. Termite infestation is a considerable problem in the livelihood of the farmers of Pakistan. Termite swarming is a major problem and revenue constraint in the area, destroying crops in the field and store. Forests and orchards are rarely termites free, particularly when conditions are favourable for termites, such as drought. Furthermore, pasture lands used for grazing are susceptible to termites, leading to an acute shortage of animal feed. In this review, we tried to reveal all about the damages of termites in agriculture of Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc deficiency is a global public health problem, affecting ~17% of the world's population, with the greatest burden in low‐ and middle‐income countries. An increasing body of evidence suggests that biofortification may be a cost‐effective and sustainable approach to reducing zinc and other micronutrient deficiencies. Biofortification enhances the nutritional quality of food crops through conventional plant breeding techniques and agronomic practices. This paper presents ongoing research on biofortification in Pakistan, where over 40% of women are zinc deficient. The Biofortified Zinc Flour to Eliminate Deficiency (BiZiFED) project aims to investigate the impact of biofortification as a strategy to alleviate zinc deficiency in Pakistan. The project is supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Global Challenges Research Fund from May 2017 to April 2019. This paper outlines the four objectives and work packages within the BiZiFED project: (1) a double‐blind, randomised controlled trial to examine the effect of consuming flour made from a high zinc variety of biofortified wheat (Zincol‐2016/NR‐421) on dietary zinc intake and status; (2) a cost‐effectiveness study to assess the health and economic impact of agronomic biofortification of wheat; (3) a mixed methods study to explore the cultural acceptability and sustainability of biofortification in Pakistan; (4) capacity building and development of long‐term research partnerships in Pakistan. The findings will contribute to the evidence base for the potential impact of biofortification to alleviate zinc deficiency among the poorest communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impressive growth rates in rice and wheat yields achieved in Asia during the 1960s and 1970s were not maintained in the 1980s and 1990s. Cereal yields are still increasing, but the rates of increase have slowed and many farmers are applying larger amounts of purchased inputs to maintain and extend earlier gains in productivity. The declining growth rates are caused largely by declining soil fertility, insufficient use of phosphorus fertilizer, waterlogging, salinization, and groundwater depletion. This paper describes how subsidy programs implemented to motivate adoption of Green Revolution technologies have contributed, over time, to the inappropriate use of inputs and the resource degradation that may be causing the declining rates of growth in crop yields. Alternative policies that encourage farmers to consider the true costs of scarce resources and the long-term impacts of their decisions may be helpful in restoring positive rates of growth in crop yields. Those policies are described within the context of a dynamic, farm-level input use, and decisions made in one year may have long-term impacts on land and water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain, the foundation of Bitcoin, has made significant progress in agriculture in recent years. Blockchain is a decentralized computing technology that consists of an ever-growing list of records (called blocks) linked together. There are point-to-point connections in this technology through which data can be transferred from one block to another. All product data is under strict supervision, and no one changes the product or takes the product from there. It is impossible to manipulate the data or the items associated with it. Our paper aims to reduce the farmers' problems by making a crystal clear system in which all the process of carrying out any crop from its root level farmer to sale distributor is transparent. The study is conducted on a wheat tracking system for farmers in 2020 at Department of Computer Sciences, NFC, Institute of engineering and Fertilizer Research, Faisalabad. We build a web-based application by using blockchain that benefits our farmers as most of our farmers are being traped by the agents. They don't get the price announced by the government that they want because there are a lot of people involved indirectly. We tried to figure out that problem through a web-based application where farmers get the opportunity to sell their products at market prices. Moreover, this paper also explains the working, functionality, data flow, and states of the blockchain system through diagrams under which the proposed application will operate and behave. We also used some different testing techniques to evaluate the proposed system. Finally, this paper discusses relevant existing applications and highlights the prospects of applying blockchain technology in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The canal colonization in Bahawalpur was influenced by the extensive schemes of human settlements on canal lands in the British Punjab by which the agricultural communities of Punjab were settled on the wastelands in the province. During the first half of the twentieth century, the system of perennial canals proved a considerable step forwarded in extending the cultivation towards the barren lands of the princely state of Bahawalpur. This paper addresses two important questions. What was the procedure of settling the colonists in the Bahawalpur colony and what was the result of that process in the agricultural sphere of the newly opened agrarian frontier. However, the colonization in Bahawalpur was distinct in a way that it was an interrelationship of the farming skills and agrarian practices of both the British India and the princely India. This paper is mainly based on published and unpublished official reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pakistan's agricultural productivity is considered to be low despite several agriculture promotion policies. Such policies concentrate primarily on on-farm development and overlook rich prospects for off-farm diversification. Livelihood diversification of small-scale farmers plays a major role in reducing hunger and mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change. Therefore, this paper seeks to analyze livelihood diversification in managing catastrophic risks among rural farm households of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. We have interviewed a total of 600 farm households through a standardized questionnaire in two districts (Nowshera and Charsadda) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan that were badly affected by the 2010 flood. For empirical analysis, a logistic regression model was chosen to analyze the important attributes that are correlated to livelihood diversification of the rural households in flood-susceptible areas of Pakistan. The survey findings indicate that 50% of the total sample respondents adopted off-farm livelihood diversification strategies, while 40.5% of farm households adopted on-farm livelihood diversification strategies in managing catastrophic risks. The logistic regression model results show that attributes including socioeconomic and demographic, institutional, and risk perception significantly influenced households' choices of livelihood diversification. Also, the findings indicated a wide range of livelihood diversification constrained including climatic risks and uncertainties (23%), inadequate natural resources (17%), limited level of skills and training (15%), lack of institutional support (12%), lack of credit facilities (11%), poor infrastructure including markets and roads (16%), and lack of labor availability (4%). The study urges the need for robust climate change adaptation policies, in particular, by aiming at training initiatives, improving access to services, and enhancing institutional assistance, and better infrastructure. The livelihood of small-scale farmers could only improve if the Government pays due consideration and adopts the right policy initiatives that promote the diversification of livelihoods as part of the creation of national jobs to save many lives and improve livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that a water market is physically feasible in the existing reality of Pakistan’s Indus Basin Irrigation System at the watercourse and distributary levels. The paper starts by describing the existing system and contrasts it with ideal economic management of surface water. It then lays out the degree and extent of modification to outlet structures that would be needed to enable trading based on structure type and the scale of the water-trading region, along with a first glance at the relative costs of those modifications. The ongoing decentralization of irrigation management should support water-trading efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With diminishing land availability and increasing population, food security and loss of agricultural biodiversity are two of the current common challenges faced by the global community. In this context, the Plant Breeders' Rights Act 2016 (PBRA 2016) may have far‐reaching consequences for Pakistan, an agricultural country where the livelihood of a majority of the population is linked with agriculture. This paper critically analyses the new legislation and seeks to answer the following research questions: To what extent the PBRA 2016 complies with Pakistan's obligations under Article 27(3)(b) of the TRIPS Agreement and to what extent has Pakistan availed itself of the flexibility or latitude offered under TRIPS? What are the salient features of the Act? What are the prospects and challenges for the seed industry in Pakistan? What are practical implications for farmers, especially small farmers, who find it difficult to access protected or certified varieties of seeds from the formal seed sector due to physical and financial constraints? To what extent the Act is able to reconcile Pakistan's conflicting obligations under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (CPB) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

adopting innovative technologies. The competition in the international market depends on the rate and production of agriculture yield. Future is all about the Internet of Things (IoT) where each device is going to be smart and interconnected with each other through available network. These IoT based devices are intelligently controlled and accessible across the world. The purpose of this research work is to introduce the crucial role of IoT in the field of agriculture, and its viable application make a smarter agriculture system of Pakistan. The farmers are still using the traditional methods to look after their crops. Traditional methods and lack of technology eventually decrease the production rate gradually. To enhance the production of crops, in this paper we proposed the IoT based model for the real time agriculture systems of Pakistan. By employing this model in agriculture system, our farmers will be aware of their crop conditions irrespective of their locations. The key feature of this model is that it experiences less congestion at the sink node, so the farmers get an accurate sensing information about their crops. This model also have the solar energy harvesting system to cope with the energy issue of sensing nodes. In this paper two well-known routing protocols namely as (a) Destination Sequenced Distance Vector (DSDV) and, (b) Ad hoc On Demand Distance Vector (AODV)are deployed in the grid topology of our proposed IoT based agriculture environment of Pakistan to get the accurate sensing information. Moreover, the generated results revealed less congestion in proposed system in terms of Packet dropped ratio (Pdr) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the Environmental Kuznets curve based on quantile behavior of the relationship between economic growth, forest area, agriculture production, renewable energy, and environmental degradation. The current literature generally used a single indicator to address environmental issues; however single indicator neither measures overall environmental conditions nor does specify that the environment issue is generally diminishing. Our study is the first one that used ecological footprint (EF) as an indicator to test environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for Pakistan by employing recent approach of quantile autoregressive distributed lag (QARDL) initiated by Cho et al. (J Econ 188(1):281–300, 2015). The result of this study validates the EKC hypothesis for Pakistan and shows quantile-dependent relationship, and in that case, using the conventional methods may somewhat lead to biased results. Moreover, the rejection of the null hypothesis of parameter constancy is also confirmed by Wald test. In the long run, the findings of renewable energy consumption and forest area show significant negative effects on ecological footprints, which indicates that by increasing renewable energy usage and forest area, ecological footprints can be minimized. Interestingly, the short-term effects of agricultural production findings on EF show statistically negative results. This illustrates that EF can also be reduced in the agriculture sector by adopting environment-friendly technologies. In order to create efficient policies for environment deterioration, the empirical findings of the current analysis can be used as a guideline for policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recharge to the aquifer through seepage from irrigation canals is often quoted as one of the main causes for waterlogging in Pakistan. In the design of drainage systems to control this waterlogging, rules-of-thumb are often used to quantify the seepage from canals. This paper presents the option to use a groundwater model for a more detailed assessment. Groundwater models may assist in evaluating the effect of recharge reducing measures such as interceptor drains along irrigation canals and lining. These measures are commonly aimed at reducing the drainage requirement of adjacent agricultural lands. In this paper an example is given of the application of a numerical groundwater model, aimed at assessing the effect of interceptor drainage and canal lining in the Fordwah Eastern Sadiqia project, being a typical and well-monitored location in Pakistan. The paper also presents references to other conditions. The model was used to obtain a better insight in the key hydraulic parameters, such as the infiltration resistance of the bed and slopes of irrigation canals, the drain entry resistance of interceptor drains and the hydraulic conductivity of soil layers. The model was applied to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of interceptor drains under various conditions. The results of the study show that the net percentage of intercepted seepage is too low to have a significant effect on the drainage requirement of the adjacent agricultural lands. Besides, the operation of the system, with pumping required, is often an added headache for the institution responsible for operation of the system. The marginal effect of interceptor drains and lining on the drainage requirement of adjacent agricultural land does not always justify the large investments involved. It can be concluded that: Relevant hydrological concepts and modelling parameters with respect to leakage from irrigation canals and interception by interceptor drains are presented in a separate paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on global campaign launched by WHO in 2023, advocating for growing food instead of tobacco to address food crises, particularly affecting low-income countries heavily impacted by the tobacco epidemic. Topics include criticizes the rise of heated tobacco products (HTPs) as a new generation of tobacco products marketed as safer alternatives; and contrasting claims made by the tobacco industry with independent studies on the emissions and potential health risks.

The FPI inflows are very critical for growth of agriculture sectors in developing economies. The objective of this research is to examine the association of different governance indicators with inflows of FPI in Pakistan’s agricultural sector during 2005 to 2017 through applying OLS regression technique. The research findings depict that variables of governance index and GDP positively affect FPI, whereas, variable of inflation negatively influence FPI inflows in agriculture sector. Thus, it is essential to improve governance variables for strengthening trust level of foreign investors and increasing inflows of FPI in Pakistan’s agricultural sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper analyses the impact of Karakoram Highway (KKH) on land use and agricultural development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Pakistan is gifted with a lot of natural resources in the shape of fertile agricultural lands, water resources and minerals. Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy. About 70% of its population is directly or indirectly associated with this sector. Gilgit-Baltistan is a vast mountainous and remote area in the extreme north of Pakistan. The inhabitants of this area are mostly engaged in the agricultural sector. Before the construction of KKH, their mode of agriculture system was subsistence and crude techniques were applied due to non-availability of modern machines and techniques. This was because of the remoteness and communication gap with the rest of the country. Therefore, this study is an effort to compare and analyze the impacts of KKH on the land use and Agricultural development of Gilgit-Baltistan before and after the construction of KKH. Results show a significant change in land use and development in the agriculture sector after the construction of KKH. However, still, the land use and agriculture sectors need Government attention in land use planning, regulations, improvement of water channels, the introduction of high yielding seeds and farmer awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successful implementation of bed-furrow, a resource conservation intervention (RCI), for rice-wheat cropping system has become the prime goal for researchers and cultivators by developing bed-seeded crops in South Asia. The paper reviews the output, need, methods, merits, demerits and constraints for adopting bed-furrow RCI in Pakistan. The potential of this intervention and the issues of adopting permanent raised beds have also explored in the study. The application of Bed-furrow is only limited to few hectares for field demonstrations and research in Pakistan. The findings of research reveal substantial enhancement in output and profitability by including residue straw mulching on bed-furrow. The strategies that enhance the adoption, merits and output of bed-furrow for Pakistan in particular are as follows: i) selection of rice germ-plasm in aerobic circumstances gives improved output, ii) Provision of accurate and efficient seed and fertilizer at economical cost by improving the design etc. of four wheel tractors, iii) The scope and use of bed-furrow should be further enhanced by taking onboard all the state holders including farmers, agronomist, engineers, machine operators and manufacturers. Data collection and monitoring should be properly carried out for its sustainable usage within the region of South Asia and iv) to enhance the areas of farms where bed-furrow is suitable for their growing cops, soil and topographic conditions, thus offers economic profit and output/productivity. The participation and consultation of all the stakeholders including farmers, researchers, equipment operator is utmost important to manage hurdles for acquiring potential benefits, productivity and sustainability of bed-furrow intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely accepted that the use of advance agriculture technology increases the yields and/or agriculture output. While the dominance of technology in the agriculture sector, the factors affecting the adoption and management of the various agriculture technologies cannot be ignored. Pakistan, like other developing economies, largely depends on agriculture. Therefore, it is quite surprising that like other developing countries, Pakistan is still struggling to access the modern advance agriculture technology of the 21st century. This paper deals with the questions vital to identify the factors affecting the use of appropriate and available agricultural technologies in Peach farming. Peach farming is the largest in terms of cropland use and the production in District Swat amongst other districts in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, in terms of productivity and yield, it is found significantly low concerning identified potential. An objective analysis is conducted to identify the available technologies and factors that affect the extent of usage in the sample farm households and communities. The collected data with the help of questionnaire was analyzed with frequency distribution, percentages and mean values. Empirically, aprobit model is used to determine the influence of different factors on the adoption of new technologies. It is revealed that the main factors that affect the level of the adaptation new technologies are the lack of information about new technologies and lack of credit services. The probit model indicated that there are significant links between lack of information, lack of credit funds, the high cost of fertilizers, lack of improved verities and adoption of appropriate technologies. Government intervention is highly needed to facilitate the access to technology and ensure the availability of inputs for the adoption of technology. The results and recommendations are indicative to take the appropriate measure for the development of peach farming and adoption of advance technology in the agriculture that could have taken to improve the yield and produce at its maximum potential for the benefit of masses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence of high rural poverty with spatial distribution necessitates tracking of growth distribution dynamics across different cropping zones to work out precisely the accrual of growth benefits across different regions and segments of population to frame specific policies for sustained growth and effective poverty reduction in Pakistan. This paper for the first time disaggregates Poverty Equivalent Growth Index (PEGR) at the most disaggregated level of different agro-climatic zones of Pakistan to measure growth pro-poorness in both relative and absolute terms. Results summarize variant growth pattern, relatively high poverty concentration among non-farming rural households despite relatively larger net real growth, more reduction in poverty among farming households and largest contribution to overall rural poverty by major cropping zones. PEGR analysis for overall studied period shows pro-poorness of growth in relative terms for the majority of agro-climatic zones due to reinforcing effect of declining relative inequality to positive growth effect, except for Mixed (II) and Rain-fed Punjab (V) zones. Contrarily, anti-pro poor pattern of growth is observed for majority of the zones in absolute terms with the exception of Rice/Other Sind (VII) and Baluchistan (IX). However, considerable volatility in the quality of growth has emerged during different sub-periods over the time. High (low) growth periods are largely found to be anti-poor (pro-poor) while negative growth turned to be poverty reducing pro-poor in certain cases. The findings explicitly identify the negative role of resource inequalities on poverty reduction in areas of major cropping zones during high growth scenarios due to highly skewed regional distribution of irrigated land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mountainous areas are generally considered among the least developed and fragile regions. Climate change has exacerbated the effect on livelihood of the mountainous areas, particularly small farmers who are striving hard to adopt the farming practices in accordance with the climate change. Agricultural advisory service in the mountainous areas has always been challenge for the extension workers especially in context of climate change. This paper examined the role of agricultural extension in adaptation to climate change in Kaghan valley of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used for the purpose of data collection. The paper argues that agri. extension department can play a crucial role by creating awareness regarding adaption of best practices regarding climate change, deforestation and planting of trees. There is also need of launching campaign to educate the farmers and to build their resilience to cope with the negative effects of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, around 2000 plant species are used against pest control. The utilization of botanicals is considered the most economic and biodegradable methods for the control of stored grains pests. Therefore, the current study was carried out to investigate the repellency potential of five botanicals against Callosbruchus maculatus F. in Haripur, Pakistan. The concentrations of Azadirachta indica L., Nicotiana tabacum L., Melia azedarach L., Nicotiana rustica L., and Thuja orientalis L. were, i.e., 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0% in four replicates to establish contact effects. The data were recorded after 1, 2, 3, 6, 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours. The repellency effect of these plant species against C. maculatus were increased in both the time- and dose-dependent manner, and highest effect was observed at 72 h. In addition, the repellency effect was 91% for A. indica (class: V), 86% M. azedarach, 82%, N. tabacum (class: V), 79% N. rustica (class: IV), and 75% T. orientalis (class: IV) at 3% concentration against C. maculatus. Furthermore, following 96 hours' exposure to treatment the sensitivity response of insects decreases as the time interval increases, i.e., 86% A. indica (class: V) was followed by 71% M. azedarach (class: IV), 65% N. tabacum (class: IV), 61% N. rustica (class: IV), and T. orientalis 57% (class: III) repellency at highest concentration of 3%. The current study concluded that A. indica and M. azedarach can be incorporated for the management of C. maculatus and these plant species might be helpful in the productions of new biopesticides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) is an important pest of date palms in many regions of the world. This paper reports the first survey of insecticide resistance in field populations of R. ferrugineus in Pakistan which were collected from seven date palm growing areas across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces, Pakistan. The resistance was assessed by the diet incorporation method against the formulated commonly used chemical insecticides profenophos, imidacloprid, chlorpyrifos, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, spinosad, lambda-cyhalothrin and a fumigant phosphine. Elevated levels of resistance were recorded for cypermethrin, deltamethrin and phosphine after a long history of insecticide use in Pakistan. Resistance Ratios (RRs) were 63- to 79-fold for phosphine, 16- to 74-fold for cypermethrin, 13- to 58-fold for deltamethrin, 2.6- to 44-fold for profenophos, 3- to 24-fold for chlorpyrifos, 2- to 12-fold for lambda-cyhalothrin and 1- to 10-fold for spinosad compared to a susceptible control line. Resistant R. ferrugineus populations were mainly found in southern Punjab and to some extent in KPK. The populations from Bahawalpur, Vehari, Layyah and Dera Ghazi Khan were most resistant to chemical insecticides, while all populations exhibited high levels of resistance to phosphine. Of the eight agents tested, lower LC50 and LC90 values were recorded for spinosad and lambda-cyhalothrin. These results suggest that spinosad and lambda-cyhalothrin exhibit unique modes of action and given their better environmental profile, these two insecticides could be used in insecticide rotation or assist in phasing out the use of older insecticides. A changed pattern of both insecticides can be used sensibly be recommended without evidence of dose rates and frequencies used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's role in agriculture is widely reported to be essential; despite this, women's role in the wheat-sector is under-researched. Feminist standpoint theory is applied in analyzing 73 documents on women's role in agriculture from 1990 until 2016 to answer the following questions: How does the world look, and operate, for males and females in wheat growing households? What do we know about social relationships and mediating processes (i.e., social factors mediating men's and women's access to resources and activities) that exist in the prime wheat growing regions in Pakistan? The paper highlights a knowledge gap in relation to the life histories, local experiences, as well as unofficial and informal networks of small farmers in general, and of poor and marginalized women in particular. This neglect of rural subjects is a missed opportunity to learn and to engage in improved program design that contributes to enhanced food security and resilience in rural communities. The paper is relevant to development professionals and agriculture researchers and proposes further research questions on topics that appear to have an influence on women's role in wheat farming and food systems and women's ability to be successful in securing a wheat-based livelihood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat is planted through the broadcast method on 7.8 million ha and irrigated through low-efficiency flood basin irrigation methods. With decreased water availability, there is a need to adopt water use efficient planting techniques. The current paper uses two-year trials data set as well as farmer survey data to demonstrate benefits of ridge-furrow planting wheat and farmer perception regarding the technology in Pakistan. During 2014–15 and 2015–16, ridge-furrow planting of wheat was compared with farmer practice of planting on flat surface through broadcasting at 162 sites located in 15 districts of Pakistan. In a survey, 134 farmers shared their experiences about ridge-furrow planting. Data collected from field trials and demonstrations showed that better tillering and crop growth contributed towards 12% higher wheat grain yield with ridge-furrow planting in comparison with the farmer practice of flat planting in all 15 districts during both years. Furrow-irrigated ridge planting of wheat helped farmers in saving of 30–35% water in comparison with farmer practice. Farmers adopting ridge-furrow wheat planting earned USD 100.63 per hectare more profit than nonadopter farmers. Adoption of this technology on one million hectare can help in saving 1 million acre foot of water and produce additional 0.36 million tons of wheat per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing trend of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main cause of harmful anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, which may result in environmental pollution, global warming, and climate change. These issues are expected to adversely affect the agricultural ecosystem and well-being of the society. In order to minimize food insecurity and prevent hunger, a timely adaptation is desirable to reduce potential losses and to seek alternatives for promoting a global knowledge system for agricultural sustainability. This paper examines the causal relationship between agricultural ecosystem and CO2 emissions as an environmental pollution indicator in Pakistan from the period 1972 to 2014 by employing Johansen cointegration, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, and Granger causality approach. The Johansen cointegration results show that there is a significant long-run relationship between the agricultural ecosystem and the CO2 emissions. The long-run relationship shows that a 1% increase in biomass burned crop residues, emissions of CO2 equivalent of nitrous oxide (N2O) from synthetic fertilizers, stock of livestock, agricultural machinery, cereal production, and other crop productions will increase CO2 emissions by 1.29, 0.05, 0.45, 0.05, 0.03, and 0.65%, respectively. Further, our finding detects that there is a bidirectional causality of CO2 emissions with rice area paddy harvested, cereal production, and other crop productions. The impulse response function analysis displays that biomass-burned crop residues, stock of livestock, agriculture machinery, cereal production, and other crop productions are significantly contributing to CO2 emissions in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the technical efficiency of broiler farms in district Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Primary data were collected from 134 respondents using multi-stage sampling technique through well-structure interview schedule. For the estimation of Stochastic frontier tans-log production function, maximum likelihood estimation technique was used. To ensure the abnormality of data set Chow test and Dummy variable test was employed for any possible structure break across the broiler farms. Results indicated that there were significant structural breaks across the sampled farms. Based on these findings three different model was estimated for small, medium and large farms, respectively. The mean calculated technical efficiencies for small, medium and large farms were respectively 0.76, 0.96 and 0.92. This implies that the medium size farms in the study area were the most efficient in resource utilization as compared to small and large size farms whereas the small size farms were the most inefficient in resource allocation. Education has a positive and significant effect on the technical efficiency of small and medium farms. Therefore government should encourage educated people in broiler farming. Broilers farmers also need to be provided with loan facility on easy installments, for a smooth running of broiler farms in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Research was conducted to explore the role of females in agricultural events in Muzaffargarh district, Pakistan. Our research indicates that women are essential to all agricultural tasks, from the preparation of the land through selling. Compared to males, they undertake a greater percentage of the labour in the agricultural sector. This paper emphasizes 'The Roles and Responsibilities of Women to Agriculture. In the agricultural sector, rural women from all over the world contribute significantly to both the growth and stability of rural regions as well as to agricultural production. Rural men and women both contribute significantly to the agriculture business, including cottage industries, animal production, and crop production. For this research data was gathered from 100 female respondents using random sampling technique. The data that had been gathered, was examined using SPSS. According to the findings of our research, women in the study area were energetically involved in agricultural activities. To better meet the requirements of their family, they invested more time in agricultural activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]