Crops, Crises, and Climate Change: The Case Study of Mianwali |
“I stopped growing cotton because every year the floods wiped out my entire field.”
Muhammad Roshan Khan, a farmer from Kacha Tari Khel—a village 20 kilometers from Mianwali city along the eastern bank of the Indus River—gestures toward his barren land, where lush cotton plants once bloomed. For years, he followed the same pattern: wheat in the rabi season, cotton in the kharif. But after repeatedly losing his crops to floods, Roshan finally gave up.
“I can’t afford to lose lakhs of rupees every year,” he says. “Now I grow fodder crops that mature in 50 to 60 days. They’re less risky, even if the income is lower.”
His story is echoed across Mianwali district, where climate change is rapidly transforming agriculture—from shifting sowing patterns and reduced crop yields to mounting uncertainty. This transformation is not only visible in changing agricultural practices but also in the climate itself.
Rahmatullah Khan, Assistant Director at the Mianwali Environment Department, explains that climate change has led to a 2–3°C rise in local temperatures. However, rising temperatures are just one part of the problem. “Winters now arrive late and last longer. This disrupts the natural growth cycles of crops,” he says.
The consequences are far-reaching. Dr. Owais Khan, a PhD in agriculture and research officer at a multinational agritech firm, points out that climate stress is reducing the productivity of staple crops. “Persistent fog and intense cold during winter halt the grain formation process. In recent years, both potato and tomato yields have dropped significantly,” he........