Review of Available Knowledge on Land Degradation in Pakistan
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Review of Available Knowledge on Land Degradation in Pakistan Acknowledgments: We would like to express gratitude to all that contributed in the preparation of this review report. Special appreciations are for the relevant information shared by Dr. Muhammad Islam, Director Range Research Institute, NARC. The documents provided helped to prepare a thorough review of land degradation situation in Pakistan. Dr. Umar Faroq contributions are especially acknowledged for the critical review of different drafts of this study. Guidance provided by Dr. Abdul Majeed, ICARDA country Manager in Pakistan and project team members are especially acknowledged in the finalization of this document. Feedback: ICARDA welcomes comment and feedback on this publication. Please visit www.icarda.org/ to share your views. ISBN: 92-9127-266-3 Key words: Land, degradation, Pakistan, agricultural policies International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo, Syria. Tel: (963-21) 2213433 Fax: (963-21) 2213490 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.icarda.org The views expressed are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of ICARDA. Where trade names are used, it does not imply endorsement of, or discrimination against, any product by the Center. Maps have been used to support research data, and are not intended to show political boundaries. The information provided in this publication is not official U.S. Government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of the U.S Agency for International Development or the U.S. Government. Copyright © 2012 ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas). All rights reserved. ICARDA encourages fair use, sharing and distribution of this information for non-commercial purposes, with proper attribution and citation. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................vii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................1 Brief Description of the Land Resource base in the Country ..........................................................1 Economic Significance of Land Degradation in the Country ...........................................................1 History of Soil Surveys ....................................................................................................................2 Land Classification ..........................................................................................................................3 Land Degradation ...........................................................................................................................3 Characterization of Land Degradation in Relationship to Agriculture ............................................5 Agro-ecological zoning: .........................................................................................................5 Forms and Types of Land Degradation ...........................................................................................6 Dealing with Land Degradation Policy Environment in the Country ..............................................9 Priority Status of Dealing with Land Degradation in the National Development Plan ..........9 Institutions Dealing with Land Degradation (Government Agencies), Their Responsibilities and Capacity .......................................................................................9 Federal Organizations ..........................................................................................................10 Provincial and Local Organizations ......................................................................................10 Non Gvernmental and Community Based Organizations ....................................................10 Existing Policies: ..................................................................................................................11 Objectives: ...........................................................................................................................11 Agricultural Policies Influencing Land Use Patterns: ...........................................................12 Rainfed Areas ......................................................................................................................12 Irrigated Areas .....................................................................................................................12 Cultivable Waste Lands .......................................................................................................12 Rangelands ..........................................................................................................................13 Forest Management ............................................................................................................13 Previous and Existing Projects Dealing with Land Degradation ..........................................15 Available Technologies to Deal with Land Degradation ................................................................17 CONCLUSIONS: ............................................................................................................................18 Knowledge Gaps ...........................................................................................................................19 Research Implications ...................................................................................................................19 Development Implications ...........................................................................................................20 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................21 v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Review of Available Knowledge on Land Degradation in Pakistan This publication reviews the historical and current literature on land degradation in Pakistan. It is intended as a useful guide for Government officials, donor agencies, NGO’s, farmers, rural groups and others in determining a route forward to combat land degradation in-country and in delivering practical assistance on the ground. Desertification and degradation affect about 68 million hectares of fragile lands across the country. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that Pakistan has a highly complex and diversified agro-ecological and socio-economic structure that makes it difficult to control the different types of land degradation. Such damage is mainly due to water erosion, wind erosion, depletion of soil fertility, deforestation, unsustainable livestock grazing and water logging practices (little recharge and overexploitation). These problems of land degradation in Pakistan are aggravated by water scarcity, frequent droughts and mismanagement of land resources that contribute to reduced productivity and increased rural poverty. Land degradation has been worsening in the absence of effective land policies and political will to address the long-lasting effects from land degradation. At present there is no organization in the country responsible for coordinating and monitoring the use of land according to its potential. The Pakistan government has recently launched the National Action Plan as a strategy to combat desertification. This strategy aims at implementing a land policy plan to overcome degradation through the three policy pillars of conservation of natural resources, sustainable development and improved efficiency in the use and management of resources. The priority programs to recover degraded lands include projects of afforestation, improved crop production in dry lands, improved range/livestock feeding and management, soil and water conservation, water harvesting and increased water use efficiency, rehabilitation and reclamation of saline/sodic soils, improved drainage and on-farm management, improved production of horticultural crops, improved biodiversity. The sustainable management of a huge, inter-linked and very complex natural resource base is the single most challenging long-term task for natural resource managers in Pakistan and requires the development of world-class capacity in adaptive management of the natural resources, development and management of water resources and new institutional arrangements involving communities in natural resource management. Pakistan has been striving to streamline the use of natural resources in a manner to provide a decent to living to its more than 117 million peoples, further growing at annual rate of around 2%. There is real urgency in merging the economic and the environment in decision making and in the use of economic instruments rather than regulation to control land degradation. The authors welcome comment and feedback on this report—Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan ([email protected]) vii Introduction BRIef DescRIPtIon of the LAnD ResouRce BAse In the countRy Pakistan is predominantly a dry-land country where 80 percent of its land area is arid or semi-arid, about 12 percent is dry sub-humid and the remaining 8 percent is humid. Two-thirds of Pakistan’s rapidly increasing population depends on dry-lands to support their livelihood mainly through agro-pastoral activities (GOP, 2006). However, like many other developing countries dry lands in Pakistan are severely affected by land degradation and desertification due to unsustainable land management practices and increasing demands on natural