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Farming technologies and food yields in Pakistan

undergo industrial development. Industrialized nations rice production. However, rice-growing acreage,
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have seen improvements in labor productivity due to output, and productivity have shown signs of decline
technical advancements made possible by research and in the first decade of this century. Poverty and rice
development efforts, which serve to lower input costs agriculture are linked because over 900 million people
and increase the efficiency of total production factors. in severe poverty grow or consume rice. Sharma et al.
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Regardless of whether in emerging or affluent nations, found that most of the 400 million malnourished people
the agricultural industry must continue to operate to in the world cultivate rice on plots of <20 ha. Due to
supply the world’s population with food. Despite the the growing worldwide incomes and populations, rice
ongoing technological advancements, feeding the consumption is expected to climb from 479 million
world’s population, which is projected to reach 9.7 tons in 2014 to 536 – 551 million tons by 2030. To
billion people by 2050, remains a challenging task. In accommodate this need, agricultural and irrigation
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recent years, farmers and agricultural businesses have infrastructure expansion should be implemented.
implemented “smart farming” by integrating machine Basic data-driven applications like Global
learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) into their Positioning System (GPS)-enabled autonomous
operations. 5 steering devices are employed in agricultural decision-
Fuentes-Peñailillo et al. describe precision making. However, the technologies used vary widely,
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agriculture as an information-driven, production- and each one requires unique types of data about the
oriented, integrated agricultural system that maximizes soil’s fertility, nutrient levels, water retention capacity,
profitability, efficiency, site-specific, and long-term weed density, and weather patterns such as rainfall and
productivity with minimum environmental impact. temperature (TEMP). Precision agriculture is widely
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Population growth and changes in food consumption defined, although its application differs across developed
have increasingly augmented the severity of agricultural and developing countries. Big farms in industrialized
water pollution. As agricultural systems struggle to nations have access to many technologies. However,
satisfy global food demand, water footprint emerges developing-world farmers face financial, infrastructural,
as a major concern. Strategic agricultural decisions and technical constraints. Receptivity to new ideas
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may reduce the effect of farming on water quality, and information, age, technological complexity and
particularly non-point source pollution. There are cost, financial help, and farm size all affect the adoption
apprehensions about agriculture-related water pollution of precision agriculture. These limitations make
in rich and developing nations. In developed countries, adoption slower and more uneven compared to earlier
the agricultural sector contributes to water pollution agricultural technology, with considerable differences
through the heavy use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, among farming operations. 13
and other inputs. As they drain into nearby waterways, Pakistan is an intriguing case study for understanding
these contaminants eutrophicate and destroy the aquatic emerging nations’ growth and development. It has a
ecosystems. Agricultural runoff may harm groundwater, strong agricultural base, a growing industrial sector, and
which many communities depend on. 8 a fast-growing services sector. Pakistan is the world’s
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Wheat, maize, and barley are among the common sixth most populous country, with about 230 million
crops grown in Pakistan, but rice remains the most people. Despite these benefits, poverty, infrastructure,
significant since it is the staple of most Pakistanis and and inequality persist throughout the country. Pakistan’s
generates export revenue. Methane (CH ) emissions complex social, cultural, and natural landscape provides
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from flooded paddies have a greater influence on many development indicators for evaluating economic
Pakistan’s rice output than other crops due to water usage growth. The diverse mix of rural and urban regions,
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and emission dynamics. While wheat and maize also various climates, and substantial socioeconomic
contribute to Pakistanis’ caloric intake, rice represents inequalities in the country make studying development
a more important crop for rural livelihoods that require paths difficult. However, since Pakistan has undergone
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seasonal labor cycles, occupying a significant spot in both tremendous economic growth and relative
the country’s agro-industrial activities. Rice, a staple for stagnation, it provides an ideal case for examining what
4 billion people, provides 21% of the world’s calories makes an economy successful.
and 15% of its protein. It is grown in agro-industrial Pakistan is particularly vulnerable to the ramifications
zones from Latin America and Africa to South and of climate change, such as rising TEMPs and erratic
Southeast Asia. In this era of the Green Revolution, the precipitation, which pose a threat to its economy. Thus,
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application of genetic approaches has enabled enhanced addressing environmental issues in a climate-sensitive

Volume 22 Issue 3 (2025) 105 doi: 10.36922/AJWEP025130096