Economics of Pakistan

Agriculture Sector:

Economy of Pakistan:
Introduction:

The economy of Pakistan is the 25th largest in the world in

term of purchasing power parity; and 42nd largest in term of nominal gross
domestic product.
Pakistan has a population of over 207 millions. GDP per capita
of $1641 in 2018, which ranks 147th in the world for 2016

Agriculture

Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. But the growth of Agriculture in

Pakistan is facing a lot of problems. Due to various causes, per acre yield is very
low in Pakistan as compare to other developed countries. Agriculture constitutes
the largest sector of our economy. Majority of the population directly or indirectly
dependent on this sector.

Pakistan’s population 60% is living in villages and 40% living in cities. 60% of
them are engaged in farming, livestock and agro based industries.

The total area of Pakistan 796,095 km round about 80 million hectares.

In which 27.76% is cultivated area, 10.36% is cultivable waste and 5.71%is under
forests. Other 57% area consists on deserts and not able to cultivate.
 Past performance of Agriculture in Pakistan

In year 2004-2005, there was a modest recovery in Agriculture

due to heavy rain of water. The growth of agriculture was 6.7% during
2004-05. The performance of agriculture during the fiscal year 2005-06 was
weak. The agriculture growth was 1.6%. There was a sharp recovery in
agriculture growth in 2007 and it grew by 5.6%. The agriculture growth in
2016 (0.27%) and in 2017 (3.46%).

Importance of Agriculture
Agriculture is the of process of cultivation of land or soil for production purpose".
Agriculture plays a very vital role for economy of Pakistan and its development.
48% of labor force is engaged directly with agriculture. So it is the main source of
living or income of the major part of economy population.

About 70% of population is relates to agriculture directly or indirectly.

Agriculture is the major source of food of huge population of Pakistan. Agriculture
is also the major source of provision of raw martial to industrial sector of
Pakistan. Its contribution towards GDP is about 25% which is higher than
contribution of any other sector. Following are the main points of importance of
agriculture for Pakistan economy.

Agriculture holds great significance for Pakistan. Pakistan has great potential of
agriculture and at the time of independence Pakistan was mainly an agricultural
country. Industrialization is the period of social and economic change that
transforms a country from an agrarian society to an industrial one. Pakistan’s
principal natural resources are arable land and water. About 25% of Pakistan’s
agriculture accounts for about 21% of GDP and employs about 43% of the labor
force.
Source of employment.
Pakistan as developing economy the employment on consistent level has much
importance. In this behalf agriculture has much importance because it provides
employment directly or indirectly to the public. Employment directly affects the
GSP of economy as well as the per capita income. With the increase in per capita
income living standard increases, higher hygiene facilities & better education
facilities are also increases. All these signs are the factors of economic
development. So we can say that agriculture has a great contribution toward
economic development by providing the employment.

Food requirement.
Population growth rate of Pakistan is increasing rapidly. According to UNDP
human development report population growth rate of Pakistan is 2% per year. So
with the rapidly increasing population the food requirement is also increasing
rapidly. In this behalf agriculture is the only the major sector which is the meeting
the increasing requirement of food. It also reduces the import of food from other
economies. So we can say that agriculture sector is playing very vital role in
development of Pakistan by providing the food for massive population as well as
supporting the economic growth.

Contribution in exports.
Major exports or cash crops of Pakistan are wheat, rice and cotton. 9.8 billion
Bales of cotton are produced per year. Rice crop is produced 4.3 million ton per
year. These agricultural commodities are exported to various countries against
foreign exchange. This foreign exchange is utilized for the import of industrial or
technological equipments such as machinery or automobiles. Further this foreign
exchange is utilized to improve the infrastructure of economy or for improving the
other sector of economy like education, health and investments.
Raw material for industries.
Industries have great importance for the development of any country specially for
developing economies like Pakistan. Industries need raw material to produce finish
goods. In Pakistan agriculture provides raw material to industries. Cotton is very
important agricultural production which is also major export of Pakistan. It is
used as raw material in textile industries. The production of these textile industries
is exported to various countries against foreign exchange. Live stock is also an
agricultural sector. It also plays very important role to export goods by providing
the raw material to various industries like sports goods industries and leather
industries. So in this way agriculture helps to Pakistan economy and its growth
toward development.

Increase in GDP level:

Agriculture has huge contribution toward GDP of Pakistan economy. it contributes
about 25% of total GDP, which is larger than other sectors of Pakistan. Increase
in GDP shows the developing progress of the economy. It has played very
important role since independence toward GDP of Pakistan. Now agriculture is
the 3rd largest sector of contributing to GDP. Live stock and fisheries are the huge
sector of agriculture in order to providing the employment. Employment contribute
to GDP, it is as with the increase in employment the per capita income will
increase which results to increase in GDP rate of the economy.

Role of textile industries.

In economic development textile industries plays very important role. These
industries totally depend on agriculture production in raw form. Cotton is the
major crop which is used as raw material for these industries for production
purpose. Further these products are exported to many economies against foreign
exchange. So cotton as raw material from agriculture side contributes toward
increase in NI (National Income). Textile industries also provide employment level
which increases the per capita income of the person. So we can say that
contribution of textile industries in the development of economy has much
importance.

Problems
About 70 percent of Pakistan’s population is living in rural areas and is directly
involved in agricultural activities. The major crops of Pakistan are wheat, rice,
maize, cotton and sugar cane. These major crops contributed 7.7 percent last year
against the set target of 4.5 percent. Though the agricultural sector is facing
problems in Pakistan yet the major chunk of money comes from this sector.

No mechanism has been adopted to eradicate the issue of soil erosion and even
after harvesting, nothing is done to improve or restore the soil energy. Therefore,
the fertility of soil is decreasing day by day. Water wastage is also very high in our
country. The archaic method of flood irrigation is still in practice, which wastes
almost 50 to 60 percent of water.

A new irrigation system called drip irrigation system has been introduced in many
parts of the world. This not only saves water but also gives proper quantity of
water according to the needs of plants. Thirdly, owing to old methods of cultivation
and harvesting, Pakistan has low per acre yield, whereas Nepal, India and
Bangladesh are using modern scientific methods to increase their yield. Fourthly,
the small farmers are increasing in our country as the lands are dividing
generation by generation. So, there are large numbers of farmers who own only 4
acres of land. These small farmers do not get credit facilities to purchase seeds,
pesticides, fertilizers etc.

Additionally, a large area of land is owned by feudal and the farmers, who work
on their lands, are just tenants. Fifthly, water logging and salinity is increasing
day by day. No effective measures have been taken to curb it. As the storage
capacity of the dams is decreasing so the water availability per acre is also
decreasing.
 TECHNO-ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

1) Limited Cultivable Area

The total area of Pakistan is about 79.6 million hectares, out of which only
23.7 million hectares (28%) area is used for agricultural purposes. About 8 million
hectares area is idle and un-utilized. There is vast sub-division and fragmentation
of land holdings, as a result modern technology cannot be applied in agriculture
sector.

2) Water Logging and Salinity

Water logging and salinity are twin problems of agricultural sector due to
salinity, deposits of salt in land have appeared on the surface of land and they
have adversely affected the performance of agricultural sector. Water logging and
salinity affect about 0.10 million acre of land in every year. It is not only waste of
land but also reduction in productivity.

3) Slow Growth of Allied Products

Allied products refer to those productions, which are not agricultural but
indirectly, help the farmer to improve his living standard. Pakistan is in-sufficient
in the production of fruits, milk, poultry, fisheries, livestock and forestry. As a
result not only our food quality is poor but also industries such as furniture,
textiles and dairy cannot be developed.

4) Low Per Hectare Yield

The most important problem of agriculture is its low yield per hectare for
almost every major crop. 45.0% of labor force is engaged in this sector in Pakistan
while it is less than 5% in developed countries. But, other countries of world are
getting higher yield per hectare due to use of modern technology and trained
labor.

5) Old Methods of Production

No doubt, mechanization of agriculture is increasing in Pakistan, but in
most of the areas, the old implements are still being used for agricultural
production. Old and orthodox techniques of production cannot increase the
production according to international levels.
6) Problem of Land Reforms

Land reforms have been implemented against the will of people. There is an
urgent need to conduct a proper land reform for improving agricultural growth.
Due to this problem agricultural production cannot increase to desired level.

Financial Problems

10) Lack of Credit

Basically our farmer is poor and he has low level of income. Agricultural credit
facilities are not common in Pakistan. Credit that can facilitate agriculture is not
available easily. Moreover non-institutional sources are available but these are
not reliable due to high rate of interest. About 50.8% poor borrow from landlords
in Pakistan.

11) Poor Financial Position of Farmers

It is a common saying about our farmer that he borns in debts, grows in

debts and dies in debts. It means that financial position of Pakistani farmer is weak
and poor. According to “Pakistan Human Development Report 2003” about
57.4% poor are working for feudal-lords without wages.

12) Instability in Market Prices

The price market of agricultural goods generally remains unstable in the

country. Cobweb theorem is very popular in case of market prices; it means that a
price of one commodity is much high in this year and much low in the next year
 and vice versa. The farmers, do not get due reward from the sale of their
productions. So, they remain unsatisfied.

13) Shortage of Agricultural Finance

Agricultural credit facilities are not sufficient in Pakistan. Rate of interest on

agricultural credit is high and loan is not provided in time. According to “Pakistan
Human Development Report 2003” in Pakistan about 50.8% poor borrow from
landlords at very high rate of interest.

Solution of these problems

1) Supply of Agriculture Credit

Poor farmers cannot afford the expensive technology from their own resources in
Pakistan. So, supply of agriculture credit at easy terms and conditions is very
necessary. An amount of Rs. 85,177 million is disbursed by commercial banks in
2009 and Rs. 49 billion was distributed by ZTBL. ZTBL issued credit or Rs. 37.4
billion during 2010-11.

2) Water Logging and Salinity Control

Water logging and salinity destroys about one million acre of land every
year in Punjab and Sindh. It reduces our cultivable area. For this purpose,
installation of tube wells, repair of canal banks and drainage of water etc. are
needed. The Ministry of Agriculture proposed to invest Rs. 18.5 billion with the
objective of converting 2, 00,000 acres of irrigated land to drip and shower
irrigation system

.
 3) Construction of Dames

Sometimes, due to heavy unwanted rains and floods agricultural

productivities destroys. To tackle this problem it is necessary to construct dames
and bands on rivers.

4) Provision of HYV Seed

High yielding variety seed is not available at suitable price in Pakistan. So,
farmers have to depend upon low quality of seeds that causes 20% reduction in
total production. Government should provide HYV seed at minimum price in this
case.
5) Mechanization

Farm mechanization is necessary to remove the problems to agriculture

sector. Sowing, cultivation and harvesting of crops through agricultural machines
increase the productive quality and quantity.

5) Agricultural Research

Agricultural research is compulsory to remove the backwardness of

agriculture sector. Major agricultural colleges and universities are only about 16
in Pakistan. Government should increase the research work in the field of
agriculture.

7) Agro-based Industries

Agro-based industries like poultry, fisheries, dairy and livestock should

establish. These industries indirectly lead to improve the agricultural sector.

8) Tax Concessions
 Mechanization is necessary to remove the problems of agriculture sector.
Government should give tax concession on imports of agricultural technologies to
enhance the process of farm mechanization.

9) Training of Farmers

Our farmers are illiterate and ill trained so, their efficiencies are poor.
Government should start special education programme for farmers and give them
training about farming.

10) Prices of Agricultural Productivities

Sometimes, our farmers receive low prices of their crops. There is no

proper effective price policy of government. Government should set reasonable
prices of agricultural productions to develop the living standard of farmers.

Conclusion
Being an agrarian country, agricultural sector of Pakistan’s economy is still
backward. Use of modern techniques, provision of credit facilities, basic
infrastructure and agriculture research facilities are needed to remove all the
problems of agriculture sector.

Economy of Sri Lanka

Economical Review of Sri Lanka

In mainly Sri Lanka economy is developing by largely on agriculture, services, and

light industry. Agriculture accounts for approximately 21% of the gross domestic
product (GDP) and employs 38% of the workforce. Agricultural output is divided
into two categories, cash crops from plantation agriculture and food crops from
subsistence agriculture. Cash crops like tea, rubber, and coconuts are largely
grown on plantations. Rice is the principal food crop and the staple food for over
70 % of Sri Lanka's rural population.

Manufacturing industries include textiles, ceramics, petroleum products, vegetable

oils, fertilizers and cement etc. Manufacturing industries accounts for
approximately 19% of the GDP and employ about 17% of the workforce. The
service sector which consist Tourism, banking, finance, and retail of is the largest
of the Sri Lanka economy, employing 45% of the workforce and contributing
roughly 60%. Because of Sri Lanka is a developing country, some citizens who are
in below the poverty level try to live with many financial difficulties.

Over 45% of the population depends on benefits under the income supplement
programs initiated by the government like “samurdi”. The balance of payments
problem remains unresolved. The persistent trade deficit has led to increased
reliance on foreign aid to meet the country's import requirements, leading to an
inevitably mounting foreign debt.

Agriculture of Sri Lanka

The agriculture sector contributes about 7.5 percent to the national GDP out of
which fisheries sector contributes around 1.4 percent and livestock sector
accounted for 0.8 percent. Over 30 percent of Sri Lankans are employed in the
agricultural sector. Sri Lanka is a fertile tropical land with the potential for the
cultivation and processing of a variety of crops.

Sri Lanka’s primary food crop is rice. Rice is cultivated during two seasons. Tea is
cultivated in the central highlands and is a major source of foreign exchange.
Vegetables, fruits and oilseed crops are also cultivated in the country. One of
President Sirisena’s top priorities is to increase productivity in the agriculture
sector. There has been low adoption of mechanization in farming. The president
wants to increase mechanization and grow higher value cash crops such as fruit,
flowers, and other export oriented crops.

Sri Lanka imports a variety of agricultural products and food including wheat,
lentils, sugar, fruits, milk and milk products. Further, Sri Lanka is emerging as an
important market for international business and tourism. A variety of upscale
international and local hotels, resorts, and restaurants have opened in Colombo,
Kandy, Galle, and around major tourist sites. They offer a good platform for
introducing new-to-market imported food products.

Additionally, upscale retailers are creating avenues for imported foods and
beverages. Sri Lanka also imports animal feed. Total agriculture, food and
beverage imports were $1.9 billion in 2017. and U.S. suppliers have significant
opportunities in this market.

Importance of Agriculture

Agriculture is the most important sector of the Sri Lankan economy. Even though
its contribution to the gross domestic product declined substantially during the
past 3 decades (from 30 percent in 1970 to 21 percent in 2000), it is the most
important source of employment for the majority of the Sri Lankan workforce.
Approximately 38 percent of the total labor force was engaged in agriculture in
1999.

A Number of distinct changes to the structure of economy in Sri Lanka were

occurred since the Western colonial powers governed the country starting from the
Portuguese to the Dutch and finally the British. One of the key introductions to the
“agriculture” sector during this period was plantation agricultural crops,
including tea, rubber, coffee, cashew etc.

Before that, the economy was considered as “rural” and “subsistence

agriculture-based”, where a vast majority of fellow citizens was involved with
cultivation of paddy and other field crops that can be used in domestic
consumption. Since the independence from the British rule in 1948 to date, the
successive governments came into power have taken many steps to promote the
activities pertaining to these two sub sectors (i.e. paddy / other field crop and
plantation crop) in the areas of production, processing, and marketing. Since the
independence, alongside the food and agriculture sector, both “manufacturing”
and “services” sectors have also expanded. However, the relative performance of
each sector has been uneven, where the manufacturing and services sectors grow
rapidly in compared to the food & agricultural sector.

The most notable feature in this regard is the structural transformation1 where the
manufacturing and services sectors make higher contributions to economic
development, measured in terms of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), than the
agriculture sector (Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2005; Sanderatne, 2005). At
present, the manufacturing sector contributes about 26.5% of GDP in Sri Lanka,
while agriculture, together with forestry and fishing sectors, contribute 17.9% of
GDP. The historical data from the Central Bank Annual Reports (1951-2005)
show that this

(1) Increase the supply of food available for domestic consumption (food
security)
(2) Release the labor force engage in agriculture related activities for
specialized.
3) Increase the supply of domestic savings from the agriculture sector (capital
formation),
(4) Increase the supply of foreign exchange earned through exportation of
agricultural committed.

Problems

The agriculture in Sri Lanka during the last two decades suffered from stagnation
if not declining production and productivity. The impact of this was mostly felt on
living standards of farmers operating smallholdings, investors dealing with
functions of market integration and consumers. In this context, the target
achievement of 5 percent growth in agricultural sector per year and sustaining it
over the decades to come would be a major challenge for Sri Lanka.

For the market and people friendly approaches to agricultural development there
are four major strategies that the Sri Lanka can peruse in reaching the above
objectives. These include integration into higher and regional niche markets and
the global economy through regionalization and globalization;

Improving the climate for agro-enterprises through market integration;

investments in human capital and technology; and maintenance of macroeconomic
stability. Therefore, HARTI organized this two-day workshop under the 100-day
development programmer of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Samurdhi
to identify challenges and opportunities in the Sri Lankan agriculture in relation to
the issues it faces today.

A single well trained and knowledgeable agricultural extension officer would

suffice for the purpose in a farming community of around 200 – 250 families. But
he should preferably live in the farmers’ village and thereby be available to help a
farmers at short notice. My experience of the current situation is that they cannot
be contacted in an emergency or even to attend to a routine matter. The other
problem is that we always tend to forget that even though all living beings go to
rest or sleep after a hard days’ work, it never happens in the case of plant life.
Every plant of agricultural use is a potential factory by itself. It has to be nurtured
both by night and day. Therefore it is very imperative that dose attention is paid to
them at all times.
Therefore with the dawn of a world food crisis of shortages, rising prices, etc., the
situation needs a sort of revolution if our country is to tide over the situation. A
revamping of the existing set up is required most urgently. The duties of various
officers mentioned above should be properly defined without allowing for any
overlapping. Statistics of all production records should be accurately maintained
area wise according to the particular area coming under each and every officer.
This would help in closely identifying the more efficient of them besides the lazy
types such that disciplinary action could be taken against the latter. Also, the more
efficient ones among them could be rewarded with suitable incentives such that
they would get motivated even further. But most of all, the senior supervisory staff
of the extension services should spend more time in the fields away from their
offices and conference tables.

it is this very important aspect of the close communication between farmers and
those in authority whose duty is to closely monitor their work, advice and guide
them, that I wish to highlight as a very important area of activity which has a
direct bearing on the many problems facing the agricultural sector of the country.
It appears as if too many officers are involved with farmers and their activities and
none of them could be held responsible for ensuring the achievement of better
productivity from them.
There is the local agricultural instructor in apparent overall charge at the grass
root level agriculture sector. But he is more confined to a distant office or
attending conferences. In short he is usually unable to spare any time for the
solution of a problem affecting a farmer. Besides this, the other officers involved
with agricultural extension activities are Grama Niladaris and the Samurdhi
Niyamakas. As such officers are all from rural areas I have no complaint
regarding their aptitude to doing agricultural work. The main problem is that they
are not properly trained to do the job of serving the farmers in a committed
manner. Having more than one category of officer to do the same work in a
farming community is absurd.
What I therefore envisage is the establishment of a fully fledged agricultural
university in a suitable location of our country wherein undergraduates could be
given all the instruction and guidance necessary in all aspects of all crop
production and also animal husbandry.

I would treat it to be of urgent importance as before long agriculture could

become the only hope for the country’s future. Such an institute could chum out all
the expertise necessary to motivate our farming communities by providing the
necessary advisory and extension officers who will live with them and guide them
to the glorious future they deserve to be in. As happens now to a small extent we
should even strive to develop an export market. The prevailing faculties of
agriculture in our campuses has to give way to such an institution and all local
expertise available shall have to be pooled in it. Such expertise would also include
the knowledgeable staff available to the Department of Agriculture, the various
research institutes such as Tea,. Rubber, Coconut and Sugar, the Palmyra
Development Board and also the corporate sector. Therefore staffing such an
institution need not be an insurmountable problem. What the country requires is
strong action before it becomes too late.

Solutions
Agriculture is an important part of the Sri Lankan economy, engaging one-third of
the working population. However, most farm households have limited knowledge
of modern production methods and struggle to access commercial markets. These
obstacles constrain their ability to compete in the market and increase their
incomes. In response to these challenges, USAID and Chemonics are partnering
on the Supporting Opportunities in Livelihoods Development (SOLID) project,
which trains farm households in the northern and eastern regions of the country on
improved agricultural practices and new technologies. The project focuses on
providing training for value chains in the dairy and horticulture sectors.

Project interventions in the dairy sector have had a sustainable impact on the rural
economy. In the 1970s, local milk production covered 80 percent of Sri Lanka’s
consumption needs, but an open economic policy and growing demand resulted in
a sharp increase in imports of dairy products, especially milk powder. Presently,
domestic milk production covers only 20 percent of national consumption.

The project has also gone a long way in helping farmers incorporate new farming
methods and technology in the horticulture sector. For example, chili production
had hit an all-time low in the north-central Anuradhapura District — a traditional
chili growing area — due to difficulties in marketing and cultivation. To combat
some of the cultivation obstacles, SOLID project staff brought sprinkler systems to
Anuradhapura and helped 62 chili farmers install and implement the new tools.

A leading blue chip company in Sri Lanka, recently announced their latest
innovation, the use of agriculture drones for Precision Agriculture Practices –
Smart Farming. The technology helps to scan fields and distribute agro chemicals
and fertilizer with the minimum human involvement and wastage. This is the first
time in the world that areas are being identified and automatically treated using
the drone and GPS technology.

Commenting on the project, Samantha Ranatunga – Managing Director, CIC

Holdings stated, “CIC has been a pioneer in agriculture and research and this is a
result of that effort. With this project we hope to reduce the misuse of agro
chemicals (pesticides and fertilizer) while reducing the human exposure to agro
chemicals in Sri Lanka. This method will also help to reduce the excess amount of
agro chemicals and fertilizer released to the environment.”

Manju Gunawardana, one of Sri Lanka’s most recognized and highest awarded
innovators has been working on this project with CIC Holdings for the past 7
years. Gunawardene has already won 3 gold medals and a silver Medal at the
Innovators Competition staged in Geneva, Switzerland. He started his career in
1990 by winning the National inventors title and won the title again in 2012.
Manju is currently working as a consultant to CIC Precision Agriculture and runs
his own research firm In India.

Commenting on its status, Manju Gunawardene – Inventor, Senior Research

Scientist, CEO at Hybrid Technologies, Consultant – CIC Precision Agriculture,
said “The country needs productivity increase in agriculture sector to meet
increasing food demand, to enhance farmer profitability as well as to optimize
utilization of resources such as land, water, fertilizers to make the whole system
more sustainable. As a stepping stone in that direction, we thought of introducing
this solution to Sri Lanka. The normal agro practice is that you observe and
measure and finally respond to it which is time consuming, destructive to the field
and has a high variability due to different perceptions of people.”

Mobile agriculture services change farming practices

for 1.5 million users
Our most recent publication, “Creating scalable, engaging mobile solutions for
agriculture”, is the culmination of three years of work for the magi programmer.
Under the Nutrition Initiative funded by UK aid from the UK government (DFID),
we have been working with six mobile network operators (MNOs) to support the
launch and scale of agricultural value-added services (Agri VAS). Leveraging
findings from user experience (with help from our partners frog design), business
intelligence analysis, customer feedback and sharing knowledge with each other,
the product teams developed services that cumulatively reached more than five
million registered users worldwide.

Those are registered users, but if we dig beneath the vanity metric to see how many
users are engaging with the services regularly, we find that 59% of the whole
registered user base was active in December 2016, and that two thirds of those
were power users – active users who were returning to the service. This represents
a ten-fold increase in the number of power users from our last set of projects,
the mFarmer initiative. You’ll have to look into the report series to understand
what we think contributed to this success in detail, because today I want to focus
on the outcomes for end users.

Agriculture sector result profile

Agriculture is increasingly called upon to address a wide range of critical needs:
nutritious food for 9 billion people by 2050; higher and more resilient incomes;
and environmental services. The fundamental needs to boost productivity,
especially of smallholders, increase access to markets, reduce risks, boost rural
employment, and provide environmental services come in a context where
agriculture is challenged by accelerating climate change, increased market risk,
tightening resource constraints, a growing need for engagement of the private
sector in delivering agricultural public goods, too-slow progress on raising rural
incomes in some regions, and too-slow progress on improving nutrition, especially
for women and infants. The World Bank Group has increased its response to more
than US$7 billion annually in new assistance and working with a cross-sectoral
and landscape approach, combining agriculture, water, forestry, and biodiversity.

The future needs an agricultural system that produces about 50 percent more food
to feed the world’s 9 billion people by 2050; that provides food for adequate
nutrition; that substantially raises the levels and resilience of incomes and
employment for most of the world’s poor (75 percent of which live in rural areas
and mostly rely on agriculture for their livelihoods); that provides environmental
services, such as sequestering carbon, managing watersheds, and preserving
biodiversity; and that uses finite land and water resources more efficiently. This
system can be achieved with more and better investment in the sector, with more
attention to addressing cross-sectoral linkages between agricultural actions and
outcomes for economic growth, livelihoods security, the environment, nutrition,
and public health.