6. Conclusions
The primary purpose of this research was to explore how the issue of climate change in Sindh can be handled effectively in connection with sugarcanefarmers. This research is based on primary data from a survey and secondary data including related studies on climate change and growthof sugarcane production. To this end, on the basis of the empirical findings,we conclude that in comparison with other factors addressed in several previous studies, environmental factors should be prioritized in overcoming the less growth in sugarcane production.The various factors include technical factors, economic factors, and social factors, but environmental factors, as discussed in this research, need time to manage them through effective strategies. The outcome is not immediate, but the causes of climate change need to be tackled first, particularly the three significant factors found in this study. Rise in the production of sugarcane depends only on a favorable climate rather than on social and financial factors. Instead of focusing on all climate change factors, we emphasize the formulation of measures and strategies to resolve clearly defined issues to provide a favorable environment for the farmers for alarge-scale sugarcaneproduction with confidence. The cross-sectional survey data collected here prove that the effects of climate change cannot be overcome overnight. They require serious efforts and effective actions to restore the average sugarcane production at least in Sindh. The increase in production will come as time passes, but immediate action must be taken to deal with the three main factors discussed above. This study does not include all the steps and approaches needed for further research since it highlights only the most relevant questions for Sindh’s sugarcane producers. The review is entirely reliable for a future study, but certain drawbacks need to be addressed. The first constraint was the targeted areas, as only a few areas of Sindh could bechosen because of accessibility issues. The second limitation is the sample size that does not reflect all farmers of Sindh. The third constraint is the time factor that might be taken into considerationin future if social issues and other environmental factors are known. The study covers a small range of environmental factors, which does not take inti account other facts and figures, such as initiatives by the current Pakistani government, climate change figures for Sindh, and the reasons for soil damage in Sindh. For this analysis, the following three variables may be used as a basis for further research: rainfall, soil conditions, and irrigation. Research is also needed to develop effective and appropriate measures and strategies to address the identified factors that would help Pakistan government to address these issues specifically. The issues raised as a result of climate change differ from region to region in Pakistan, and as a main contribution, this research has identified specific issues for sugarcane farmers in Sindh.
Technical knowledge and assistance may help sugarcane producers deal with unusual damages and environmental issues. Monetary assistance can be made available in the form ofloans to farmers, whileNGOs can reach out to thefarmers to assist with new technological knowhow. While lack of advance technologycan harm the growthof sugarcane production, the availability of the same could handle the damage caused to the environment. However, when farmers are technologically advanced and have advanced knowledge, they could easily manage environmental damage such as disease attacks. Astudy by Abdul et al. (2012) showed that climate change has an impact on agricultural production, but it is not necessary for every outcome of climate change to affect crop production;technological advancementmay be made in the fight against increases in CO2 due to climate change (Abdul et al. 2012). Although it is difficult for the government to meet all the criteria or make all relevant schemes more accessible to all,certain subjective measures such as planting of trees in agricultural areasare in place to cope with heatwaves. Specific problems such as highdemand of water for irrigation are due to the heatwave situation, as evaporation increases during high temperatures. In Pakistan, heatwavesare a rampant environmental problem which iscreated due to elevated CO2 levels, and this has affected the growth of sugarcanefarming, as sugarcane needs intense heat to grow (Ehsanullah et al. 2011;Ghaffar et al. 2012). Due to the adverse effects of climate change, farmers need pesticides to cope with diseases. However, the cost of these pesticides is high, which preventsthem from buying them, and this leads to the farmers resorting to the cultivation of disease-affected sugarcane crops (Chohan et al. 2013).