Sir Basit Notes

Pakistan Studies Class 9 Unit 8: Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Notes

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Key notes

Short questions 5 marks, 5 points each

1. [Model] Identify the challenges the agriculture sector is facing and propose strategies. (5 points)

  1. Water. Water scarcity and poor irrigation management.
  2. Climate. Climate change: heat, floods and droughts.
  3. Land loss. Shrinking arable land as farmland is converted to housing societies, and land degradation.
  4. Costs. High cost of seeds, fertilizer and pesticide, and low prices for farmers.
  5. Strategies. Strategies: stop conversion of farmland, build water schemes and dams, use high-yielding varieties, organic farming, Kissan cards, subsidies and extension services.

2. Explain agriculture as a system with inputs, processes and outputs. (5 points)

  1. Natural inputs. Natural inputs: land, soil, water, climate, sunlight.
  2. Human inputs. Human inputs: labour, machinery, capital, seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.
  3. Crop processes. Processes in crops: planting, weeding, irrigating, harvesting and threshing.
  4. Livestock processes. Processes in livestock: feeding, breeding, milking, and caring for animals.
  5. Outputs. Outputs: food (wheat, rice, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs) and non-food (cotton, wool, flowers, biofuels). Profit is reinvested in the farm.

3. Describe the three types of farming practised in Pakistan. (5 points)

  1. Subsistence. Subsistence farming: for farmers' own use, mostly on under 12.5 acres, with traditional methods and animals.
  2. Share of output. It produces about 60 percent of agricultural output and basic crops (wheat, rice, maize), and women and children help.
  3. Cash crops. Cash crop farming: commercial farming for profit, on a large scale, using machinery and skilled labour.
  4. Examples. Cash crops: cotton, sugarcane, wheat, rice, maize, tobacco, oilseeds.
  5. Livestock. Livestock farming: raising animals for milk, meat, eggs and wool (nomadic, settled and transhumance).

4. Describe the geographical requirements and problems of the cotton crop. (5 points)

  1. Climate. Cotton needs warm temperature (25 to 35 C), moderate rainfall and irrigation.
  2. Soil. It needs well-drained loamy soil (pH 6.0 to 7.5).
  3. Importance. It is a key cash crop and raw material for the textile industry, and earns foreign exchange.
  4. Problems. Problems: pests (whitefly, pink bollworm, leaf curl virus), heat stress, and high input costs.
  5. Solutions. Solutions: support price, subsidies, extension services, GM seeds and Kissan cards.

5. Describe the geographical requirements and growing areas of wheat. (5 points)

  1. Staple crop. Wheat is the main staple crop of Pakistan and key to food security.
  2. Season. It is a cool-season (Rabi) crop needing 10 to 20 C, and above 30 C reduces yield.
  3. Soil and water. It needs well-drained loamy soil and moderate rainfall or irrigation.
  4. Punjab. Punjab produces over 70 percent: Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Chakwal.
  5. Other areas. Other areas: Sindh (Larkana, Shikarpur), KPK (Mardan, Swabi), Balochistan (Quetta, Pishin). High-yielding varieties such as Maxi Pak and MH-21.

6. Suggest approaches to sustainable agriculture including organic farming. (5 points)

  1. Crop rotation. Crop rotation: different crops in sequence, with fallow land, to improve soil fertility.
  2. Intercropping. Intercropping: two or more crops together to improve soil and reduce weeds.
  3. Cover crops and compost. Cover cropping to prevent soil erosion, and composting from plant residues and manure.
  4. Pest control. Biological pest control using natural predators (ladybugs for aphids).
  5. Protect farmland. Stop conversion of farmland to housing and increase water schemes.

7. Describe nomadic, settled and transhumance livestock farming. (5 points)

  1. Nomadic. Nomadic: herders move animals for pasture and water in dry areas (Baloch and Pashtun tribes), mainly sheep and goats.
  2. Settled. Settled: animals in permanent enclosures where water and land are plentiful (Punjab and Sindh).
  3. Livestock types. Settled livestock includes cattle, buffalo, goats and poultry.
  4. Transhumance. Transhumance: seasonal movement between mountain pastures and low land, practised by the Gujjar and Bakarwal in Kashmir.
  5. Importance. Livestock gives milk, meat, eggs and wool, supports leather and carpet industries and about 11 percent of GDP.

8. Describe the problems of the fishing industry and government efforts to develop it. (5 points)

  1. Overfishing. Overfishing from high demand, weak rules and illegal fishing.
  2. Pollution. Pollution from industrial and farm waste.
  3. Climate change. Climate change, rising sea levels and warm water disrupt fish habitat.
  4. Poor infrastructure. Lack of modern infrastructure and technology.
  5. Government efforts. Government efforts: catch limits, closed seasons during spawning, ban on destructive gear, waste water treatment, fishing harbours and cold storage, and training.

Long questions 10 marks, 10 points each

1. Evaluate agriculture's contribution to employment, processing industries and exports and offer sustainable approaches to agricultural development.

Contribution to the Economy

Agriculture is important for the economy, food security and employment of Pakistan. It contributes about 19.2 percent to the GDP and employs about 38.5 percent of the labour force, and over 65 percent of the people depend on it for their livelihood. It is the main source of food for the ever-growing population. It is a primary industry, which means it takes raw materials from the earth, and these can be used directly or processed by industries.

Industries and Exports

Farm products are the raw material of many industries. Cotton is the base of the textile industry, sugarcane supplies the sugar mills, rice goes to rice mills, and livestock gives milk, meat, wool and leather. Cotton is an export-oriented crop and plays a big part in earning foreign exchange. Rice is the second biggest export after cotton. Pakistan is the fifth largest producer of fruit in the world, and fruit farming gives jobs and earns foreign exchange. Fisheries give about 1.6 percent of total exports. Livestock gives about 11 percent of the GDP and is also a source of good quality protein.

Sustainable Approaches

Pakistan can follow organic farming methods for sustainable agriculture. In crop rotation, different crops are grown in the same field one after another, and one patch is left to rest (fallow), which improves soil fertility and reduces pests and diseases. In intercropping two or more crops are grown together, which improves soil and reduces weeds. Cover crops protect the soil from erosion. Compost made from plant waste, manure and food waste adds nutrients. In biological pest control, natural enemies such as ladybugs and lacewings are used against pests like aphids and whiteflies. Farmland must not be turned into housing schemes, and more water schemes are needed. The government should give farmers subsidies, high-yielding seeds and training, such as the National Programme for the Development of Horticulture, which helps fruit growers. These steps will raise output and income and protect soil and water.

2. Describe the major crops of Pakistan: wheat, rice, sugarcane and cotton, with their requirements and growing areas.

Wheat

Wheat is the main staple crop of Pakistan and is essential for food security. Every government has tried to make the country self-sufficient in wheat. It is a cool-season (Rabi) crop which needs 10 to 20 degrees Celsius, and above 30 degrees the crop is stressed and the yield falls. It grows best in well-drained loamy soil and needs moderate rainfall or irrigation. Punjab produces over 70 percent of the total wheat, in areas such as Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang and Chakwal. Other areas are Larkana, Jacobabad and Shikarpur in Sindh, Mardan, Nowshera and Swabi in KPK, and Quetta, Pishin and Zhob in Balochistan. High-yielding varieties such as Maxi Pak and MH-21 help farmers to get more yield and profit.

Rice

Rice is the second most important staple food after wheat and the second largest export after cotton. It is a Kharif (summer) crop, and is of two types, basmati (fine) and coarse. It needs 20 to 35 degrees Celsius, high rainfall (1,270 to 2,000 mm) or irrigation, and well-drained loamy soil. Seeds are sown in a seedbed and the seedlings are moved to the main field when they are 3 to 4 weeks old. The rice is harvested 3 to 4 months later. Punjab produces over 70 percent of it (Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Narowal), Sindh about 20 percent (Larkana, Jacobabad) and KPK about 10 percent (Swabi, Mardan). Its problems are pests and diseases, drought, salinity and floods.

Sugarcane

Sugarcane is a valuable cash crop, and it feeds the sugar industry. It needs a temperature of 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, moderate to high rainfall or irrigation, and well-drained loamy soil. The soil is prepared by ploughing, and pieces of the stalk 30 to 45 cm long are planted in furrows. It needs regular watering, fertilizer and weeding. Punjab produces over 60 percent of the total, in Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh and Jhang. Sindh produces about 25 percent and KPK about 10 percent.

Cotton

Cotton is a vital crop for agriculture and the textile industry, and it is the main cash crop. It is a warm-season crop and needs 25 to 35 degrees Celsius, moderate rain or irrigation and well-drained loamy soil. It is picked by hand and grown mostly in Punjab and Sindh. Its production has been falling, because it is no longer as profitable as maize, rice and sugarcane, pests such as whitefly and pink bollworm attack it, and fertilizers, seeds and pesticides are expensive. To revive it, the government should fix a support price, give subsidies on time, improve extension services, give pest-resistant seeds and give loans on easy terms through Kissan cards.

Maize and Tobacco

Maize is the third important cereal crop after wheat and rice. It is used for food, flour, animal feed and fodder. It needs about 35 degrees and grows well in porous soil. Tobacco is grown on about 0.25 percent of irrigated land, mostly in KPK in the districts of Swabi, Mardan, Nowshera and Charsadda, which produce over 90 percent of the Flue Cured Virginia tobacco. It is a labour-intensive crop which needs regular care.

3. Describe the types of fishing in Pakistan and measures to protect and develop the fishing industry.

Marine Fishing

Pakistan has a coastline of about 1,050 km along the Arabian Sea with two main fishing centres, Sindh and Makran. These coasts have rich fishing grounds and give about 64 percent of the total fish production, while inland fisheries give 36 percent. Karachi and Korangi are the main fishing ports of Sindh, and Makran has smaller ports like Sonmiani, Jiwani and Ormara. Gwadar port is being developed as a modern fishing centre with a fish curing yard, an ice factory and refrigeration. Subsistence fishing is done by small fishermen with hand lines, nets and traps, in traditional boats which stay only up to 5 km from the coast. The catch is small and is mainly for the family. Commercial fishing is done by large vessels with modern methods such as trawling and purse seining. Mechanized boats can stay 50 to 60 km offshore in deep water. It earns export money and gives jobs to thousands of people.

Inland Fishing and Fish Farms

Inland fishing uses methods such as cast netting, gill netting, hook and line to catch fish from freshwater lakes, rivers, reservoirs and old channels of canals. The common fish are carp, catfish, perch, Palla, Thaila, Rahu and trout. Inland fishing gives work to many people in villages and helps reduce poverty. Aquaculture is the farming of fish and shellfish in controlled conditions, such as ponds. A fish farm needs clean water, fish feed, and equipment such as pumps, aerators and feeders. The main fishing centres are Haleji in Thatta, Manchar Lake in Dadu, the Indus at Kotri and Sukkur, and the reservoirs of Tarbela and Mangla.

Problems

The fishing industry has four major problems. Overfishing is the biggest threat and is caused by high demand, weak rules and illegal fishing. Water pollution from factories and farms contaminates fish and makes them unsafe to eat. Climate change is raising sea levels and water temperature, which harms fish habitats and breeding. There is also a lack of modern infrastructure and technology, so it is hard for fishermen to catch and process fish well.

Measures

The government should set catch limits for different fish based on scientific study, to stop overfishing. Fishing grounds should be closed in spawning seasons so that fish can breed. Destructive equipment such as dynamite and bottom trawls should be banned. The government should also invest in waste water treatment plants and control factory and farm waste, build fishing harbours, processing plants and cold storage, train fishermen in modern methods, and put more fish in inland waters.