The enormous amounts of food going as waste to landfills is of great concern in Saudi Arabia. The... more The enormous amounts of food going as waste to landfills is of great concern in Saudi Arabia. The issue of food waste is complex, with its numerous social, cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions warranting further investigations. Food waste is one of the prime issues threatening food security in Saudi Arabia. This article aims to gauge the real issue, to create awareness among those who waste large amounts of food, and to encourage planners and policy makers to implement corrective measures. This article aims to stimulate interest within the scientific community, seek support from different branches of Saudi Arabian government, and engage all major segments of society. A thorough search of the international scientific publications and the grey literature published in English and Arabic was made. It was discovered that the available literature is scarce, and tends to focus on finding knowledge about the problem rather than on generating solutions. Thus, furth...
Emerging Challenges to Food Production and Security in Asia, Middle East, and Africa, 2021
Agriculture is one of the main climate-intense economic segments that is affected both positively... more Agriculture is one of the main climate-intense economic segments that is affected both positively and negatively by climate change. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy. It contributes 21% to the GDP of the state. Nearly 67% of the population is linked directly or indirectly with agriculture. Agriculture is the livelihood of a large majority of agricultural communities, but it is categorized as a risky occupation. Variations in temperature or precipitation generate substantial variation in crops output and yields. It is worthwhile to mention that Pakistan contributes less than one percent of global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, but it is one of the most exposed to climate change impacts. Furthermore, Pakistan has an insufficient technical and financial capacity to adjust to these adverse impacts. Due to its agrarian economy, climate change is becoming a serious issue. Pakistan has the world’s largest irrigation system and the major water source for it is snow and glacial melt. Climate change is not only threatening the irrigation system due to fast melting glaciers, but also increases the risk of floods, droughts, landslides, power shortages, and avalanches. It is a continually mounting concern with unlimited importance owing to its pronounced, comprehensive socio-economic effects. Variation in temperature and rainfall patterns is a very frightening issue in the crop sector, especially the arid zone. This chapter highlights the status, consequences/risks, adoption practices, and policy recommendations to address climate change in Pakistan. The chapter also covers the role of agriculture under climate change and Sustainable Development Goals.
Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resource Management, 2018
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a forest deficit country due to high temperatures and lack of wate... more The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a forest deficit country due to high temperatures and lack of water resources, covering only 1.0% of the country’s landmass. The unfavorable climate not only causes low vegetation forests, but also makes it hard to re-establish forest vegetation once destroyed. Factors responsible for thin forest cover include low and variable rainfall, high temperatures; and low humidity. The lack of rivers and scarcity of underground water also have a great influence on forest stands of Saudi Arabia. In addition to these factors, anthropogenic activities like over-grazing, illegal felling, and heavy extraction of wood fuel by the locals highly damage the local forests, hampering the natural growth and making regeneration of the forests very slow. To bring back the forest cover, various afforestation and tree planting programs, though very expansive, have been initiated in the Kingdom. However, to keep the existing forest cover in place, the most viable option would b...
Science, Policy and Politics of Modern Agricultural System, 2014
ABSTRACT The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most water deficit coun-tries. The country is ... more ABSTRACT The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most water deficit coun-tries. The country is not suitable to support sustainable agriculture. Even though to achieve food security, the agriculture sector receives prime importance in the national developmental plans. Water remains an essential input for crop production, and hence it has to be used wisely and economically. Farmers in the Kingdom are still using old traditional methods to irrigate their farmlands. However, to conserve and maintain the precious water resources, it is important that farmers use modern irrigation methods. The present research primarily aims at studying the farmers' attitude towards the use of different irrigation methods, in the region of Tabuk. Data were collected through the structured questionnaire and administered person-ally after checking its validity and reliability. Simple random sample technique was used to take a sample of 320 farmers which represents 7.9 % of the total popula-tion of farmers employing irrigations in order to meet the study objectives. The questionnaire phrased in simple language consists of sixteen questions to measure the attitudes of farmers towards irrigation methods. The correlation between some personal characteristics and socio-economic conditions of the farmers and their atti-tudes towards the use of both traditional and modern methods of irrigation were studied. Data were subjected to statistical analysis by using SPSS (2009). Findings of the study indicate that farmers have the positive attitudes towards the use of modern irrigation methods. Therefore, sufficient quantity of water can be saved by the farmers by replacing the old traditional irrigation methods with the modern ones. The study suggests the need for awareness campaigns among the farmers. Launching of agricultural extension education programs on efficient and water sav-ing irrigation methods could be very suitable and viable option for conserving and maintaining water resources of the kingdom.
Food waste has emerged as one of the prime issues and the major challenges threatening food secur... more Food waste has emerged as one of the prime issues and the major challenges threatening food security on the global level, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is exposed to harsh climatic conditions and has limited arable lands and scarce water resources to produce agricultural crops, therefore food requirements are met through heavy imports. Demands for food commodities are rising due to population increases and rising living standards. Saudi Arabia makes good quality food available to the society at the highly subsidized prices despite several limiting factors. Saudis still spend about 27–30% of their incomes on their food. They like to organize festivals and celebrate events by providing more food than required resulting in enormous wastes. In an estimate, about 78% of food purchased in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not being consumed and is thrown in the garbage to make place for the new set of groceries in the refrigrators. Food leftovers make the single-largest component of the landfills. The food is wasted through the entire food chain starting from the farmers’ fields, to the food industries, retailers, caterers and till it reaches to the consumers. The principal drivers of food waste include: lack of awareness; unplanned shopping for groceries; consumable leftovers; and losses in households, restaurants, parties, friends and families get togethers, religious celebrations and special occasions. The chapter examines these factors responsible for food waste, identifies the major food waster groups and discusses the over-all food waste scenario in the Kingdom. The purpose of the work is to determine the implications for extension education to reduce the food waste in the Kingdom through sound and appropriate capacity-building programs for the youth and women in particular and the society in general.
In Egypt, the agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the health of the economy. Agriculture c... more In Egypt, the agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the health of the economy. Agriculture contributes almost 20% towards the GDP and involves about 35% of its workforce. More than 50% of the population lives in the rural areas and, directly or indirectly, their livelihood depends upon the agricultural sector. Despite agriculture's positive and significant contributions to food security and supply, the economy, employment, export earnings, the ecological balance, the sector faces many threats and challenges. Egypt's agricultural extension service can help realize higher yields through sustainable agriculture. Today, extension activities are carried out through a one-way transfer of knowledge, where farmers are considered recipients, not participants. However, an efficient extension service, an effective extension system and dedicated extensionists can help achieve sustainable development. Initiatives to improve the technical knowledge and enhance communication and facil...
The present study was carried out to investigate food habits and associated risk factors of depre... more The present study was carried out to investigate food habits and associated risk factors of depressed patients with cardiovascular disease in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Depressed and healthy females (n = 30 each) and males (n = 30 each) aged 18–65 years were involved in this study. Sociodemographic, anthropometric proxies, and nutritional status were evaluated. Cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels of respondents’ blood were determined. The respondents were varied according to demographic factors and anthropometric proxies. The majority of depressed males had higher values than healthy ones. The student t-test analysis showed that the average daily intake of fat especially saturated fat, by depressed respondents was higher than that of the healthy ones as well as the dietary requirement intake (DRI). The analysis of respondents’ blood showed that the number of depressed females had higher abno...
Saudi Arabia is an arid country that lacks permanent water-bodies. Saudi Arabia relies on its oil... more Saudi Arabia is an arid country that lacks permanent water-bodies. Saudi Arabia relies on its oil resources to operate its desalination plants to supply potable water. Paradoxically, it has the third highest per capita fresh-water consumption in the world, despite being one of the world’s driest countries. Extensive agricultural programs almost depleted the nonrenewable groundwater and deteriorated water quality. The rates of water being used by the urban population and the agricultural sector for producing crops appear to be wasteful (MEWA 2018). Efforts have been made to develop an extensive but efficient water transmission system. The water sector’s infrastructure is outdated and, in some areas, deteriorating. It is estimated that an average of 20% of distributed water remains unaccounted. The Saudi Government has streamlined the water sector’s regulatory regime through implementation of a strategic water policy. Through its water policy, it is looking at the most efficient ways to produce and regulate water. No country can be expected to try every possible solution, but in Saudi Arabia, no single solution would be adequate to address this complex issue. However, the most important step would be to bring behavior change in the society to use water economically and wisely by adopting water conservation practices.
ZAHARANI, K. H., M. SHAy AA Al-SHAy AA and M. B. BAIg, 2011. Water conservation in the kingdom of... more ZAHARANI, K. H., M. SHAy AA Al-SHAy AA and M. B. BAIg, 2011. Water conservation in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for better environment: implications for extension and education. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 17: 389-395 The kingdom of Saudi Arabia faces an acute water shortage due to arid climate and absence of permanent lakes and rivers. The demand for water is growing substantially and that is being met through the available scarce and dwindling water resources. Ever-increasing imbalances are usually met by increasing water supplies, whereas the concepts of water-demand management have not been given due importance and weightage. Meeting the rapidly rising demand with scarce and depleting resources remains the critical issue. This paper places emphasizes on the urgency of adopting conservation and water-demand management initiatives to maintain demand supply relationship and achieve an acceptable balance between water needs and availability. The kingdom places emphasis on the shift from su...
Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2020
Purpose : Generally Cooperative Associations play positive and productive role in disseminating t... more Purpose : Generally Cooperative Associations play positive and productive role in disseminating the latest information on all aspects and services to the farming communities. However, it seemed imperative to assess the perceptions of the members and evaluate role of the Unaizah Agricultural Cooperative Association (UACA) to improve its working by addressing the issues and concerns of its members.Research Method : One hundred thirty-two respondents representing 25% of registered member farmers of the association were identified by applying a random sampling technique. Data were collected by using a well-designed and pre-tested questionnaire to achieve the objectives of the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and interpret the data. Findings : Respondents had high perceptions regarding the role of UACA in the following areas: makes agricultural innovations available to the farmers at suitable prices; establishes good contacts with extension staff; brings useful activiti...
Chapter 3 Sustainable Agriculture Ensures Sustainable Rural Development: A Reality or a Myth Mirz... more Chapter 3 Sustainable Agriculture Ensures Sustainable Rural Development: A Reality or a Myth Mirza Barjees Baig and Gary S. Straquadine Abstract Agriculture sector is a dominant driving force for the ... Modified after IMF (2004); Hanif et al.(2005); Mahmood and Malik (2007). ...
All the developmental projects launched in Pakistan, forestry and related programmes have receive... more All the developmental projects launched in Pakistan, forestry and related programmes have received an important place and considerable attention. Pakistan has been ranked among the most forest deficient countries. The meagre national forests of the country are also diminishing at an alarming rate and at present are under great stress due to indiscriminate cutting and falling of trees. In this situation, fortunately farm forestry/agroforestry has come up as an alternate to meet the country's wood and timber needs. Farms of Pakistan provide a significant portion of food, fibre and fuel to meet the needs of an ever increasing population. Agroforestry along with other social, cultural, and ecological benefits has proved the greatest economic mean of development of the rural areas and the source of the economic uplift of the rural dwellers. It is established that agroforestry has the great potential in reviving the rural economy. In this article, picture of rural Pakistan, an overvi...
The rural sector in Pakistan is considered the back bone of the national economy and feeds the en... more The rural sector in Pakistan is considered the back bone of the national economy and feeds the entire population. It earns about 50 per cent of the foreign exchange, employs about 46 per cent of the labour force, and serves as the principal market for a large proportion of industrial products. Agriculture is the major sector of the economy and accounts for 24 per cent of GDP and engages 46.8 per cent of the labour force. This sector is the trend setter of the economy. An estimated 27.71 million individuals are in the rural labor force and the majority of individuals in the rural sector are engaged in self-and family employment. In Pakistan, poor people mostly live in the rural areas and are dependent on agriculture. It is established that rural development cannot be accomplished with improving the efficiency and elevating profit margins in agricultural production. Effective Extension programmes have played a significant role in elevating the economic uplift and development of the ru...
The enormous amounts of food going as waste to landfills is of great concern in Saudi Arabia. The... more The enormous amounts of food going as waste to landfills is of great concern in Saudi Arabia. The issue of food waste is complex, with its numerous social, cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions warranting further investigations. Food waste is one of the prime issues threatening food security in Saudi Arabia. This article aims to gauge the real issue, to create awareness among those who waste large amounts of food, and to encourage planners and policy makers to implement corrective measures. This article aims to stimulate interest within the scientific community, seek support from different branches of Saudi Arabian government, and engage all major segments of society. A thorough search of the international scientific publications and the grey literature published in English and Arabic was made. It was discovered that the available literature is scarce, and tends to focus on finding knowledge about the problem rather than on generating solutions. Thus, furth...
Emerging Challenges to Food Production and Security in Asia, Middle East, and Africa, 2021
Agriculture is one of the main climate-intense economic segments that is affected both positively... more Agriculture is one of the main climate-intense economic segments that is affected both positively and negatively by climate change. Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy. It contributes 21% to the GDP of the state. Nearly 67% of the population is linked directly or indirectly with agriculture. Agriculture is the livelihood of a large majority of agricultural communities, but it is categorized as a risky occupation. Variations in temperature or precipitation generate substantial variation in crops output and yields. It is worthwhile to mention that Pakistan contributes less than one percent of global greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, but it is one of the most exposed to climate change impacts. Furthermore, Pakistan has an insufficient technical and financial capacity to adjust to these adverse impacts. Due to its agrarian economy, climate change is becoming a serious issue. Pakistan has the world’s largest irrigation system and the major water source for it is snow and glacial melt. Climate change is not only threatening the irrigation system due to fast melting glaciers, but also increases the risk of floods, droughts, landslides, power shortages, and avalanches. It is a continually mounting concern with unlimited importance owing to its pronounced, comprehensive socio-economic effects. Variation in temperature and rainfall patterns is a very frightening issue in the crop sector, especially the arid zone. This chapter highlights the status, consequences/risks, adoption practices, and policy recommendations to address climate change in Pakistan. The chapter also covers the role of agriculture under climate change and Sustainable Development Goals.
Climate Change, Food Security and Natural Resource Management, 2018
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a forest deficit country due to high temperatures and lack of wate... more The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a forest deficit country due to high temperatures and lack of water resources, covering only 1.0% of the country’s landmass. The unfavorable climate not only causes low vegetation forests, but also makes it hard to re-establish forest vegetation once destroyed. Factors responsible for thin forest cover include low and variable rainfall, high temperatures; and low humidity. The lack of rivers and scarcity of underground water also have a great influence on forest stands of Saudi Arabia. In addition to these factors, anthropogenic activities like over-grazing, illegal felling, and heavy extraction of wood fuel by the locals highly damage the local forests, hampering the natural growth and making regeneration of the forests very slow. To bring back the forest cover, various afforestation and tree planting programs, though very expansive, have been initiated in the Kingdom. However, to keep the existing forest cover in place, the most viable option would b...
Science, Policy and Politics of Modern Agricultural System, 2014
ABSTRACT The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most water deficit coun-tries. The country is ... more ABSTRACT The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most water deficit coun-tries. The country is not suitable to support sustainable agriculture. Even though to achieve food security, the agriculture sector receives prime importance in the national developmental plans. Water remains an essential input for crop production, and hence it has to be used wisely and economically. Farmers in the Kingdom are still using old traditional methods to irrigate their farmlands. However, to conserve and maintain the precious water resources, it is important that farmers use modern irrigation methods. The present research primarily aims at studying the farmers' attitude towards the use of different irrigation methods, in the region of Tabuk. Data were collected through the structured questionnaire and administered person-ally after checking its validity and reliability. Simple random sample technique was used to take a sample of 320 farmers which represents 7.9 % of the total popula-tion of farmers employing irrigations in order to meet the study objectives. The questionnaire phrased in simple language consists of sixteen questions to measure the attitudes of farmers towards irrigation methods. The correlation between some personal characteristics and socio-economic conditions of the farmers and their atti-tudes towards the use of both traditional and modern methods of irrigation were studied. Data were subjected to statistical analysis by using SPSS (2009). Findings of the study indicate that farmers have the positive attitudes towards the use of modern irrigation methods. Therefore, sufficient quantity of water can be saved by the farmers by replacing the old traditional irrigation methods with the modern ones. The study suggests the need for awareness campaigns among the farmers. Launching of agricultural extension education programs on efficient and water sav-ing irrigation methods could be very suitable and viable option for conserving and maintaining water resources of the kingdom.
Food waste has emerged as one of the prime issues and the major challenges threatening food secur... more Food waste has emerged as one of the prime issues and the major challenges threatening food security on the global level, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is exposed to harsh climatic conditions and has limited arable lands and scarce water resources to produce agricultural crops, therefore food requirements are met through heavy imports. Demands for food commodities are rising due to population increases and rising living standards. Saudi Arabia makes good quality food available to the society at the highly subsidized prices despite several limiting factors. Saudis still spend about 27–30% of their incomes on their food. They like to organize festivals and celebrate events by providing more food than required resulting in enormous wastes. In an estimate, about 78% of food purchased in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not being consumed and is thrown in the garbage to make place for the new set of groceries in the refrigrators. Food leftovers make the single-largest component of the landfills. The food is wasted through the entire food chain starting from the farmers’ fields, to the food industries, retailers, caterers and till it reaches to the consumers. The principal drivers of food waste include: lack of awareness; unplanned shopping for groceries; consumable leftovers; and losses in households, restaurants, parties, friends and families get togethers, religious celebrations and special occasions. The chapter examines these factors responsible for food waste, identifies the major food waster groups and discusses the over-all food waste scenario in the Kingdom. The purpose of the work is to determine the implications for extension education to reduce the food waste in the Kingdom through sound and appropriate capacity-building programs for the youth and women in particular and the society in general.
In Egypt, the agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the health of the economy. Agriculture c... more In Egypt, the agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the health of the economy. Agriculture contributes almost 20% towards the GDP and involves about 35% of its workforce. More than 50% of the population lives in the rural areas and, directly or indirectly, their livelihood depends upon the agricultural sector. Despite agriculture's positive and significant contributions to food security and supply, the economy, employment, export earnings, the ecological balance, the sector faces many threats and challenges. Egypt's agricultural extension service can help realize higher yields through sustainable agriculture. Today, extension activities are carried out through a one-way transfer of knowledge, where farmers are considered recipients, not participants. However, an efficient extension service, an effective extension system and dedicated extensionists can help achieve sustainable development. Initiatives to improve the technical knowledge and enhance communication and facil...
The present study was carried out to investigate food habits and associated risk factors of depre... more The present study was carried out to investigate food habits and associated risk factors of depressed patients with cardiovascular disease in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. Depressed and healthy females (n = 30 each) and males (n = 30 each) aged 18–65 years were involved in this study. Sociodemographic, anthropometric proxies, and nutritional status were evaluated. Cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels of respondents’ blood were determined. The respondents were varied according to demographic factors and anthropometric proxies. The majority of depressed males had higher values than healthy ones. The student t-test analysis showed that the average daily intake of fat especially saturated fat, by depressed respondents was higher than that of the healthy ones as well as the dietary requirement intake (DRI). The analysis of respondents’ blood showed that the number of depressed females had higher abno...
Saudi Arabia is an arid country that lacks permanent water-bodies. Saudi Arabia relies on its oil... more Saudi Arabia is an arid country that lacks permanent water-bodies. Saudi Arabia relies on its oil resources to operate its desalination plants to supply potable water. Paradoxically, it has the third highest per capita fresh-water consumption in the world, despite being one of the world’s driest countries. Extensive agricultural programs almost depleted the nonrenewable groundwater and deteriorated water quality. The rates of water being used by the urban population and the agricultural sector for producing crops appear to be wasteful (MEWA 2018). Efforts have been made to develop an extensive but efficient water transmission system. The water sector’s infrastructure is outdated and, in some areas, deteriorating. It is estimated that an average of 20% of distributed water remains unaccounted. The Saudi Government has streamlined the water sector’s regulatory regime through implementation of a strategic water policy. Through its water policy, it is looking at the most efficient ways to produce and regulate water. No country can be expected to try every possible solution, but in Saudi Arabia, no single solution would be adequate to address this complex issue. However, the most important step would be to bring behavior change in the society to use water economically and wisely by adopting water conservation practices.
ZAHARANI, K. H., M. SHAy AA Al-SHAy AA and M. B. BAIg, 2011. Water conservation in the kingdom of... more ZAHARANI, K. H., M. SHAy AA Al-SHAy AA and M. B. BAIg, 2011. Water conservation in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for better environment: implications for extension and education. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 17: 389-395 The kingdom of Saudi Arabia faces an acute water shortage due to arid climate and absence of permanent lakes and rivers. The demand for water is growing substantially and that is being met through the available scarce and dwindling water resources. Ever-increasing imbalances are usually met by increasing water supplies, whereas the concepts of water-demand management have not been given due importance and weightage. Meeting the rapidly rising demand with scarce and depleting resources remains the critical issue. This paper places emphasizes on the urgency of adopting conservation and water-demand management initiatives to maintain demand supply relationship and achieve an acceptable balance between water needs and availability. The kingdom places emphasis on the shift from su...
Journal of Agricultural Sciences – Sri Lanka, 2020
Purpose : Generally Cooperative Associations play positive and productive role in disseminating t... more Purpose : Generally Cooperative Associations play positive and productive role in disseminating the latest information on all aspects and services to the farming communities. However, it seemed imperative to assess the perceptions of the members and evaluate role of the Unaizah Agricultural Cooperative Association (UACA) to improve its working by addressing the issues and concerns of its members.Research Method : One hundred thirty-two respondents representing 25% of registered member farmers of the association were identified by applying a random sampling technique. Data were collected by using a well-designed and pre-tested questionnaire to achieve the objectives of the study. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze and interpret the data. Findings : Respondents had high perceptions regarding the role of UACA in the following areas: makes agricultural innovations available to the farmers at suitable prices; establishes good contacts with extension staff; brings useful activiti...
Chapter 3 Sustainable Agriculture Ensures Sustainable Rural Development: A Reality or a Myth Mirz... more Chapter 3 Sustainable Agriculture Ensures Sustainable Rural Development: A Reality or a Myth Mirza Barjees Baig and Gary S. Straquadine Abstract Agriculture sector is a dominant driving force for the ... Modified after IMF (2004); Hanif et al.(2005); Mahmood and Malik (2007). ...
All the developmental projects launched in Pakistan, forestry and related programmes have receive... more All the developmental projects launched in Pakistan, forestry and related programmes have received an important place and considerable attention. Pakistan has been ranked among the most forest deficient countries. The meagre national forests of the country are also diminishing at an alarming rate and at present are under great stress due to indiscriminate cutting and falling of trees. In this situation, fortunately farm forestry/agroforestry has come up as an alternate to meet the country's wood and timber needs. Farms of Pakistan provide a significant portion of food, fibre and fuel to meet the needs of an ever increasing population. Agroforestry along with other social, cultural, and ecological benefits has proved the greatest economic mean of development of the rural areas and the source of the economic uplift of the rural dwellers. It is established that agroforestry has the great potential in reviving the rural economy. In this article, picture of rural Pakistan, an overvi...
The rural sector in Pakistan is considered the back bone of the national economy and feeds the en... more The rural sector in Pakistan is considered the back bone of the national economy and feeds the entire population. It earns about 50 per cent of the foreign exchange, employs about 46 per cent of the labour force, and serves as the principal market for a large proportion of industrial products. Agriculture is the major sector of the economy and accounts for 24 per cent of GDP and engages 46.8 per cent of the labour force. This sector is the trend setter of the economy. An estimated 27.71 million individuals are in the rural labor force and the majority of individuals in the rural sector are engaged in self-and family employment. In Pakistan, poor people mostly live in the rural areas and are dependent on agriculture. It is established that rural development cannot be accomplished with improving the efficiency and elevating profit margins in agricultural production. Effective Extension programmes have played a significant role in elevating the economic uplift and development of the ru...
Uploads
Papers by Mirza B Baig