Abstract:
In Pakistan sugarcane is an important cash crop, a source of income and
employment for the farming community. The environmental degradation
results in the increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather
events has significant consequences for sugarcane production in the
world, especially in the developing countries like Pakistan, because of
relatively low adaptive capacity, high vulnerability to natural hazards,
and weak forecasting systems and mitigating strategies. This paper is an
attempt to analyze the impact of environmental change on sugarcane
production in Sindh province of Pakistan.
Qualitative and quantitative data
approach were adopted for the analysis and the data is collected through
exploratory design, case study, and survey design. The sample consists
of sugarcane growers, i.e., landowner farmers, ex-farmers, and employed
farmers. The results based on multiple regression model indicated that
only three factors (rainfall, soil conditions, and irrigation) have
significant effect on the production of sugarcane. Some suggestions and
implications are mentioned based on empirical findings.
Keywords: Climate Change; Environmental Degradation; Exploratory Design;
Multiple Regression
Introduction
Agriculture is an important sector of Pakistan’s economy. This sector
directly supports the country’s population and accounts for 26% of its
GDP. The rising population puts pressure on agriculture to improve
production to meet the increased demand. Sugarcane is an important cash
crop in Pakistan. A C4 crop, it mainly grows in the tropic and
sub-tropic regions and is an important source of bioenergy and sugar in
the world. Sugarcane is a perennial crop cultivated on 20 million ha
with an annual yield of approx. 1325 million tons, which is used for
sugar, energy, rum, and chemicals (Saunders 2009). Sugarcane is one of
the world’s major food-producing crops, providing about 75% of sugar
produced in the world for human consumption (Dehlavi, Groom, and Gorst
2015). During 2015–2016, sugarcane was cultivated on 1132 thousand
ha,as compared 1141 thousand ha of the previous year in Pakistan, which
produced 65,475 thousand tons (Muslehuddin and Faisal 2006). The total
cultivated area and production of sugarcane in Pakistan is given in
Figure 1.