Pakistan: agriculture in context.

Pakistan was among the 27 countries and territories named in WFA’s founding initiative. The association’s first international conference took place on 15–16 December 2022 in Yiwu, Zhejiang, China.

The founding network connected agricultural communities across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas around cooperation, practical knowledge and farmer livelihoods.

The figures above describe land use, work and primary production. Agricultural land includes permanent pasture as well as arable land and permanent crops. Employment covers agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing and uses a modeled ILO estimate.

The land-use figure is from 2024; employment and value added are from 2025. Each percentage has a different denominator: land area, total employment or GDP. Value added deducts intermediate inputs from output; it is a share of the economy, rather than a growth rate or measure of farm income.

Food manufacturing, distribution and retail can create additional work and value outside the agriculture category. Following those activities helps explain how primary production connects with the wider food economy.

Pakistan’s employment figures make livelihoods a useful starting point for a discussion of agricultural water management. A field-level assessment can follow water from its source to the root zone, considering rainfall, irrigation timing, drainage and maintenance together. The agricultural-land category also includes permanent pasture, so a land-use percentage alone cannot describe the water requirements of a particular farm.

Farmers and water users can compare operating costs, crop requirements and competing uses before selecting equipment. A practical plan identifies who maintains shared structures, how access is agreed and what observations will show whether a change has helped. Those questions connect resource care with the costs and responsibilities that people meet during a season.

The linked World Bank country profile brings together economic, social and environmental information. Read the historical series alongside recent experience from farmers, producer organizations, researchers and public agencies. Together, they can help define the resources, skills, costs and market requirements behind a local agricultural decision.