As Pakistan is currently facing a severe shortage of irrigation water, this paper analyzes the determinants of water scarcity and its impact on the yield of cereal crops (wheat, maize and rice), household income, food security and poverty levels by employing the propensity-score-matching approach. This study is based on a comprehensive set of cross-sectional data collected from 950 farmers from all four major provinces in Pakistan. The empirical analysis indicated that farmers with a water-scarcity problem have lower yield and household income, and are food insecure. Poverty levels were higher: in the range of 7–12% for a household facing a water-scarcity problem. The policy implications of the study are that the public and private sector in Pakistan needs to invest in irrigation water management to maintain the productivity of cereal crops which is important for household food security and poverty reduction.
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Research Article|
December 18 2015
Impact of irrigation water scarcity on rural household food security and income in Pakistan
Dil Bahadur Rahut;
Dil Bahadur Rahut
1Socioeconomics Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), El Batan, Texcoco, Mexico
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Akhter Ali;
2International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), National Agricultural Research Center, Park Road, Islamabad, Pakistan
E-mail: akhter.ali@cgiar.org
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Muhammad Imtiaz;
Muhammad Imtiaz
3International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Islamabad, Pakistan
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Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb;
Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb
1Socioeconomics Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), El Batan, Texcoco, Mexico
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Olaf Erenstein
Olaf Erenstein
1Socioeconomics Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), El Batan, Texcoco, Mexico
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Water Supply (2016) 16 (3): 675–683.
Article history
Received:
June 25 2015
Accepted:
December 01 2015
Citation
Dil Bahadur Rahut, Akhter Ali, Muhammad Imtiaz, Khondoker Abdul Mottaleb, Olaf Erenstein; Impact of irrigation water scarcity on rural household food security and income in Pakistan. Water Supply 1 June 2016; 16 (3): 675–683. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2015.179
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