05/09/13

Erratic weather threatens livelihoods in Pakistan

By: Saleem Shaikh

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<h1>Erratic weather threatens livelihoods in Pakistan</h1>
<h4>By: Saleem Shaikh</h4>
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<p>[TAXILA, PAKISTAN]  In recent years, climatic stresses, particularly <a href="https://www.scidev.net/environment/disasters/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">droughts and floods</a>, have devastated yields and caused crops to fail for many farmers across Pakistan.<br />
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Erratic rainfall — particularly in rain-fed areas like Taxila, 20 miles northwest of the capital, Islamabad — has further exacerbated farmers' problems and led to a slump in <a href="https://www.scidev.net/agriculture/farming/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">yields</a>. With four dry winters in a row since 2008, deciding which crops to grow, and if they should continue to cultivate traditional crops such as wheat, has become increasingly complicated for farmers.<br />
 <br />
Rain-fed areas contribute 12 per cent of the 24 million tonnes of wheat produced annually in Pakistan.  Wheat is an important crop for Pakistan's agricultural economy, accounting for 3 per cent of GDP and earning around US$600 million in foreign exchange reserves through exports each year.<br />
 <br />
But with the rains now arriving in January rather than the second week of December — as reported by the Pakistan Meteorological Department in Islamabad — wheat yields have been falling, and many farmers are now abandoning the cultivation of their lands and moving to urban areas, where jobs are scarce and they eke out a living working in brick kilns, hotels or even begging.<br />
 <br />
With World Water Week underway and the global spotlight on water-related issues, Saleem Shaikh spoke to farmers in Taxila about their struggles to adapt to erratic weather patterns and their decisions over whether to continue with these traditional livelihoods. </p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/multimedia/erratic-weather-threatens-livelihoods-in-pakistan/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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[TAXILA, PAKISTAN] In recent years, climatic stresses, particularly droughts and floods, have devastated yields and caused crops to fail for many farmers across Pakistan.

Erratic rainfall — particularly in rain-fed areas like Taxila, 20 miles northwest of the capital, Islamabad — has further exacerbated farmers' problems and led to a slump in yields. With four dry winters in a row since 2008, deciding which crops to grow, and if they should continue to cultivate traditional crops such as wheat, has become increasingly complicated for farmers.

Rain-fed areas contribute 12 per cent of the 24 million tonnes of wheat produced annually in Pakistan. Wheat is an important crop for Pakistan's agricultural economy, accounting for 3 per cent of GDP and earning around US$600 million in foreign exchange reserves through exports each year.

But with the rains now arriving in January rather than the second week of December — as reported by the Pakistan Meteorological Department in Islamabad — wheat yields have been falling, and many farmers are now abandoning the cultivation of their lands and moving to urban areas, where jobs are scarce and they eke out a living working in brick kilns, hotels or even begging.

With World Water Week underway and the global spotlight on water-related issues, Saleem Shaikh spoke to farmers in Taxila about their struggles to adapt to erratic weather patterns and their decisions over whether to continue with these traditional livelihoods.