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.