Agricultural sustainability assessment at provincial level in Pakistan

•This is a regional research on agricultural sustainability in Pakistan.•The analyses revealed inter-provincial variations in agricultural sustainability.•Economic and social sustainability of agriculture were higher in Sindh and Punjab.•The agriculture in KPK and Balochistan was more environmentally sustainable.•Sub-national policies are beneficial because of regional differences in agriculture.

Agriculture sector of Pakistan has traditionally followed an unsustainable path due to degradation of agricultural resources. Therefore, this study was carried out to find environmental, economic and social sustainability of agriculture in Punjab, Sindh, KPK and Balochistan provinces of Pakistan. Based mainly on secondary data, covering the period of 2005/06-2012/13, each dimension of sustainability was analyzed using selected indicators. Crop diversification, soil salinity, and the use of organic and inorganic fertilizers and pesticides were the indicators considered for environmental sustainability analysis. For economic sustainability analysis, change in overall crop production and stability of crop production were the indicators used. Employment of rural labor force and food security were indicators used for social sustainability analysis. The findings from the analyses revealed a tendency towards unsustainable agricultural production in all provinces. This was caused by overuse of inorganic fertilizer, pesticides and groundwater for irrigation in Sindh and Punjab. The lack of sustainable agricultural production in KPK and Balochistan was due to limited use of fertilizer and pesticides in some areas and altogether no use in other areas. Use of groundwater for irrigation in the coastal areas of Balochistan further reinforced agricultural unsustainability. Thus, it was deduced from the findings of this research that there are regional differences in agricultural sustainability in Pakistan. Therefore, it is recommended to formulate effective regional agricultural policies based on local level research and revise agricultural extension structure in order to incorporate need-based services with better dissemination of information and farm level trainings. In addition, broad policy recommendations are made for sustainable agricultural development in each province under the scope of the study.

Graphical abstractSchematic framework of agricultural sustainability in Pakistan.Download high-res image (177KB)Download full-size image