Climate Change Impact On Agriculture In Pakistan

Climate Change Impact On Agriculture In Pakistan Climate change is a phenomenon that arises due to emissions of greenhouse gases from fuel combustion, deforestation, urbanization and industrialization, resulting variations in solar energy, temperature and precipitation. (Upreti, 1999). It is a real threat to life which largely affects water resources, agriculture, coastal regions, freshwater habitats, vegetation, forests, snow cover, and geological processes such as melting, land sliding, desertification and floods all of which have long-term affects on food security and human health. (G.Malla.2008). Climate change is a global issue; debated on at all fronts whether its political, economic or scientific. Climate must be prevented from further damage. Before the end arrives, there is a need on all levels of society to understand climate, the factors behind change and its impact on our agriculture and economy. It is a well known fact that agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan. Agriculture and agri-related activities form 80% of the countrys economy. Agriculture is comparatively more sensitive to changes in climate, and can be impacted severely due to events such as untimely rainfalls, extreme temperatures and carbondioxide concentrations. A need arises to closely observe the environment and take up necessary measures for tackling these challenges. This research work is an attempt to address the issues and problems faced by Pakistans agricultural sector and find the necessary solutions. 2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Pakistans economy and prosperity is closely linked to its agriculture. Pakistans economic activities relate directly or indirectly to agricultural sector. Agricultural sector is dependent on nature. The uncertain changes in nature i.e. changing in precipitation pattern, extremely high and low temperatures, cyclones, thunderstorms, variation in water level, impurification of air, water and soil, have made agriculture and agri-production a challenging issue. Unusual heavy rain storms in 2010, which resulted in floods and distortion of agriculture and property, are an example of climate change. The loss to the economy and the people sufferings are still remembered and unforgettable. It is the need of the day to carefully observe climate change, the causes of extreme weather events and find the necessary solutions to the problems. Issues regarding susceptibility to extreme climate conditions should be addressed with seriousness to save Pakistans agricultural sector and consequently the national economy. This research study is an attempt in addressing and ultimately solving the problems faced by Pakistans agriculture sector due to uncertain climate revolutionization. 3. OBJECTIVES: Considering the importance of agricultural sector for the economy and food requirements of Pakistan, there is a need for reliable estimates of major crop production under varied climate change provisions and circumstances. Although climate is an immeasurable fact that is affected by various factors i.e. Carbon dioxide concentration in atmosphere, temperature variations, precipitation rates, water level, soil erosion, salinity etc. The factors that are directly effecting crop production are temperature and precipitation rates. This research study will analyze crop production with temperature and precipitation rates. The core purposes of this research study will be as under; 1. To observe the trend of climate change from the last three decades i.e. from 1980 to 2010; 2. To analyze temperature and rainfall, as the key factors effecting agricultural production, with the major cash crops and food crops in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa; 3. To investigate the probable impacts of recent and predicted future climate change on different crops production; 4. To scrutinize different adaptive strategies in coping with the catastrophic conditions of environment and improving the total crops yield; 4. SIGNIFICANCE: Pakistan is an agricultural country; climate change impact on agricultural sector is a serious issue that demands immediate attention. This research study mainly focuses on the impact of climate change on agricultural sector of Pakistan such as untimely rainfalls and temperature variations that ultimately results in either prolonged droughts, unalarmed floods, increase in soil erosions and decrease in land productivity, which ultimately results in the migrations and desertification. The countrys socio-economic setup suffers the most that leads to a weak nation. The most recent impact of climate change was seen in July 2010, when floods destroyed thousands of villages all over Pakistan. The greatest hit among them was Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KPK). The core purpose of this research study is to analyze the temperature and precipitation effects on agricultural produce in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Major crops will be taken up in this regard, to analyze them in relation with temperature and precipitation from 1980 to 2010. Predictions of temperature and precipitation will help us adapt in the future with extreme cropping and harvesting seasons. Prevention can be done before disaster strikes to safeguard the interest of a poor farmer. 5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS: This research study will strive towards finding answers to the following questions; 1. Is there any potential damage caused by climate change to Pakistans economy as a whole and agriculture sector in particular? 2. What are the impacts of 2010 floods on the production of major crops in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa? 3. Are there any adaptative strategies to climate change that can help rural communities strengthen their capacity to cope with disasters? 4. What should be the future land-management skills of farmers to climate change? 5. What measures should be taken in the future to diversify the livelihood of the poor farmers? 6. METHODOLOGY: The methodology to be adopted for this study will be as under; Major factors effecting climate change on agricultural sector are temperature and precipitation rates. According to the plant physiology literature, plant development is a linear positive function of temperature, within a range of temperature between minimum and maximum thresholds (Ritchie and Smith, 1991). Keeping this in mind, the econometric model used for analyzing the climate impact on agricultural sector will employ both maximum and minimum temperatures, which are positively related to crops yield. Moreover, precipitation rates effecting crops yields will be captured by the relevant econometric and mathematical equations. The data regarding the temperature and precipitation variables will be obtained from Pakistan Metrological Department. The data for the total yield of various crops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) will be attained from the Pakistan Federal Bureau of Statistics. Climate change trend will also be observed by engaging different econometric and statistical techniques and procedures. The econometric model used in the research study will be analyzed with the help of econometric software; SPSS or SAS. The detailed analysis of the econometric models will be explained and conclusions will be drawn from it. The socioeconomic impacts on people as well as on the development of country will also be addressed. Future recommendations as well as the adaptive strategies for copping with extreme environment conditions will also be given. 7. PROVISIONAL CHAPTER STRUCTURE: The proposed chapter structure of the study will be as under; CHAPTER I; Agriculture sector and its importance to the economy of Pakistan. CHAPTER II; Climate change and its impact on Pakistan agricultural sector. CHAPTER III; Agricultural production in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa as affected by the change in climatic conditions; Review of the major crops over the last three decades. CHAPTER IV; Analysis and investigation of the major crops of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa with climate change factors, using Econometric techniques. CHAPTER V; Concluding the study; various adaptability and compatibility strategies in relation to climate change will be discussed. 8. LITERATURE REVIEW: Agriculture is extremely vulnerable to climate change. Higher temperatures ultimately reduce yields of desirable crops while encouraging weed and pest production. Changes in precipitation patterns elevate the short-run crop malfunction and declines long-run productions . Although there will be an increase in some crops production in some regions of the world, the overall impacts of climate change on agriculture are expected to be negative, intimidating global food security. International Food Policy Research Institute (2009) conducted a study that concentrates on various agricultural sector issues in Asia and the Pacific. It presents indicators of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of agriculture sector in the region. Those indicators underline the vulnerability of the agriculture sector as a source of livelihood and food security for many people. This study also represents vast heterogeneity in farming systems across Central, East, Southeast, and South Asia and the Pacific Islands. It also highlights many other aspects of vulnerability to climate change across the region that includes undernourishment, poverty and slow productivity., all of which are aggravated by the effects of climate change. Neil Leary and Jyoti Kulkarni, (2007), work is based on a combination of case studies from different regions of the world. These studies have debated climate vulnerability to impacts from climate variation and change. The potential outcomes from exposure to climate hazards and climate change are identified as high-level concern in these studies.. It includes water scarcity that retards progress towards development goals, losses of entire ecosystems and their species, more frequent and greater loss of life in coastal zones, land degradation, food insecurity and famine, loss of livelihoods and increase in infectious disease epidemics. All of these are possible outcomes of exposure to climate hazards. It is a source of greater information as it has addressed climate change impacts on all fronts of life whether it is social, economic or political. Santiago Olmos (2001) provides an outline of adaptation issues, subject to climate vulnerability literature and climate discussions. This paper covers assessments of climate vulnerability in various regions of the world and developing countries in particular. The paper also discusses some of the existing resources that can be used to conduct climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation work. The current research work is unique in the sense that it will point out the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector of Pakistan. More specifically, major areas of concern will be the climate impact on crops yields in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa over the last three decades. The direct and indirect social and economic impacts of climate change will also be analyzed in this study. Adaptive and preventive measures in copping with extreme climate conditions will also be given in this research study.

Cabin in the woods :: essays research papers

Being invited to a friend’s house the other day, I began to get excited about the journey through the woods to their cabin. The cabin, nestled back in the woods overlooking a pond, is something that you would dream about. There is a winding trail that takes you back in the woods were their cabin sits. The cabin sits on top of a mountain raised up above everything, as if it was sitting on the clouds. As I began to walk this trail, I began to recollect the days of when I was a kid playing in the woods, the birds chirping and the squirrels running free. The trees interlocking each other as if I am walking through a tunnel with the smell of fresh pine and a hint of oak all around me; a hint of sunshine every now and then is gleaming down on the beat path. This path is not like your ordinary path, it has been used quite some time, as if hundreds of soldiers have marched this very path. As I walk even farther down the winding trail, I can see the cabin in the distance. It appears as if the sun is only shining on the cabin itself. As I get closer, I get the redolence of home made apple pie. This is the exact moment that I forgot about everything else that existed and began to wonder, â€Å"Am I still on Earth?† I finally arrive at the cabin, in amazement; something this beautiful sits so far back in the woods. After admiring the cabins for several minutes, I walk up to the door and gave it a light knock. The door opens and to my surprise, a beautiful brown hair, blue eyed girl was there to greet me. Her hair glistens in the sun, like fresh silk. Staring into her magnificent blues eyes, reminded me of the ocean. Smiling as she told me to come in, I entered the cabin. As I walk into the cabin to my astonishment not only was their one beautiful brown hair, blue eyed girl but there are two, both girls appearance closely resembling the other’s. The second girl a little younger than the first but as beautiful, she is quieter but continues to smile, the kind of smile that melts your heart. I began to walk around the inside of the cabin and began to wonder if these two exquisite girls are here all by themselves.

Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: a Merger Proposal

Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: A Merger Proposal The Utah Symphony (USO) and the Utah Opera (UOC) Merger was a union that was brought forth by the leadership committee at the USO in Salt Lake City. The proposal was an opportunity to strengthen a struggling symphony with a financially sound opera company. Although mergers between opera and symphony companies in the United States had been successfully in the past, the merging of a two major companies had yet to materialize (Delong & Ager, 2005, p. 2). William Bailey, Chairman of the Board for the Utah Opera Company had motivation to move forward with the merger.Successfully combining the two companies the size of Utah’s Opera and Symphony Orchestra would be a first in the nation, and set precedence for others to follow. If the merger were successful, the proposed name of the new organization would be the Utah Symphony & Opera (USUO), and with its potential draw, it had the power to elevate the Opera to the national stage making i t a tier-one organization, affiliating it with other such powerhouses to the likes of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. In comparison to other major operas, its viability to increase the current combined annual endowment 10 fold was a likely probability.The merger did not come without opposition. Carolyn Abravenal, widow to the longstanding maestro and music director to the USO publicly denounced the new company. Scott Parker, Chairman to the Utah Symphony is best suited to discuss the merger with Mrs. Abravenal to gain her support so that the symphony could achieve the true potential her husband had envisioned. Her husband had given 32 years of his life to the USO building it from a part-time ensemble to a world-class symphony (Delong & Ager, 2005, p. 4). Mrs.Abravenal’s main concern was that the symphony would take a back seat to the opera, conversely, it would lead in name with the new company, the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera. Parker might consider sharing with Mrs. Abravenal t hat the merger was actually his idea and that Anne Ewers was also his choice to take the company into the future. Through Ewers’ leadership, musicians could add variety to their repertoire, giving them access to a broader spectrum of performances. Performing with the Opera would allow for additional productions each year creating rotations for instrumentalists wanting to crossover and perform in oth genres. Combining the two styles could create a pop style opera that could potentially reach the younger demographic, once again increasing revenue. Although Ewers’ experience was primarily in opera, it is her positional power and knack for building fiscally sound companies that made her the easy choice to lead both companies. While the symphony struggled at fundraising, Ewers’ UOC annual budget grew 3X from her predecessor, mainly due to her corporate sponsorships that reached beyond the state of Utah (Delong & Ager, 2005, p. 3).One of Ewers’ first challenges was to get Keith Lockhart, Music Director for the USO onboard with her plan on how to merge the two entities. Lockhart’s concern was the proposed organizational chart that showed him reporting directly to Ewers rather than the Chairman as he had with the USO (Delong & Ager, 2005, p. 14). Ewers personal strengths allowed her to share her vision with Lockhart, however she was dependant on Lockhart’s leadership among the orchestra to help facilitate a smoother transition. The success of the USUO moving forward could only happen with the collaboration of the musicians.It was they who held strength in numbers, and without them the entire merger could collapse. If Lockhart failed to follow along with the proposed plan, Ewers faced an even greater obstacle, dissention amongst the majority of the company. Lockhart expressed concern that had the orchestra not believed in his leadership; they had the ability to render him ineffective as a conductor (Delong & Ager, 2005, p. 9). This exposed a window of opportunity for Ewers to sidestep Lockhart should she feel his efforts were counterproductive.Ewer could meet with the musicians without the presence of Lockhart and share with them that the symphony would not be taking a backseat to the opera, and it was the symphony they depended on for performances due to their year round schedule. The new direction could potentially allow for expansion of the symphony if they were to become the sole orchestra for the opera. This could allow for either growth in headcount, or increased pay from the additional productions. If they were successful in becoming a Group I orchestra, this would give them national exposure and perhaps advancement onto grander stages.This approach for power and affiliation might be the key to motivate. The final obstacle Ewers faced was overcoming the concerns of the opera trustees, full-time staff, along with the artists. What Ewers had in her favor was that the each entity in its own was net po sitive in their income statements for 2000-2001, and both were forecasting the same in 2001-2002 (Delong & Ager, 2005, p. 15). The symphony was operating without a CEO, which made it easy for the opera leadership to take step in and take charge.This would ensure a seat at the helm, and someone that could operate with the opera’s interest in mind. With the positional strengths of Ewer, she could exercise her marketing strategies for the symphony and tap her existing base to increase their annual contributions. If Ewers was successful in pulling all the departments together to support the merger, she will have demonstrated her strengths to overcome obstacles no other symphony and opera had been able to do in the history of our country. It was an opportunity to create precedence and pioneer a process for others to follow.Ewers would eventually complete this venture and lead the USUO for the next five years until her departure to the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts where she be came the President and CEO of Kimmel Center, Inc (Kimmel Center, Inc. 2010). References Delong, T. J & Ager, D. L (2005, August 8). Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: A Merger Proposal. Harvard Business Journal, 9-404-116, 1-16. Kreitner, R. & Kinicki, A. (2010). Organizational Behavior, 9th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education Kimmel Center, Inc. (2010). Anne Ewers. Retrieved from http://www. kimmelcenter. org/about/anne. php

A Look Into the Field of Agriculture Essay - 2163 Words

History and Development Agriculture has been around for millenniums. It has been around since the beginning of time and has undergone significant developments since the time of the earliest cultivation. It was first thought of in the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East and later spread to northern and southern China, Africa’s Sahel, New Guinea and several regions of the Americas. Agriculture practices such as irrigation, crop rotation, fertilizers, and pesticides have made great strides in the past century to meet the needs of farmers. (Wikipedia) Strawberries have a history that goes back over 2,200 years. Strawberries grew wild in Italy as long ago as 234 B.C. and were discovered in Virginia by the first Europeans while early†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Two major agencies were created to regulate trade among the agriculture industry. These included the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs and the North American Free Trade Agreement.† (Wikipedia) The developm ent of agriculture has gone to levels no one expected. It is very powerful and is needed to survive. Future Growth The future of agriculture and especially strawberry growing can be predicted in many different ways. It really depends on who you are and how you think of the economy. Many say that large agriculture businesses will die out while others say people will always need to eat and will be just fine. â€Å"There are over 52,000 jobs involving agriculture annually.† (Washington State University) Between 1950 and 2000, the aver- age amount of milk produced per cow increased from 5,314 pounds to 18,201 pounds per year, the average yield of corn rose from 39 bushels to 153 bushels per acre, and each farmer in 2000 produced on average 12 times as much farm output per hour worked as a farmer did in 1950. 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April985 Words   |  4 Pagesconsequences associated within the field. Genetic Engineering has shown to provide major benefits in the field of medicine and agriculture but is faced with extreme criticism and backlash, specifically on the basis of ethics. To understand the modern concept over field of the Genetic Engineering, one must note that, Genetic Engineering has been around since the early stages of human society. Most prominently is the domestication of plants and animals. Ranchers would look for favorable traits in livestock