Pulses: Essential for Pakistan's Agriculture

Pakistan’s agricultural sector is facing mounting pressure from interconnected challenges that threaten both productivity and sustainability. Severe soil degradation, growing water scarcity, rising input prices, and intensifying climate variability have placed traditional farming systems under strain (FAO, 2023). The long-standing dominance of cereal-based cropping patterns, particularly wheat and rice, has contributed to declining soil fertility, inefficient use of water and nutrients, and increased vulnerability to climatic shocks. These systems have also narrowed dietary diversity, reinforcing nutritional deficiencies at the national level. Within this context, pulses emerge as a scientifically sound yet persistently neglected option for rebalancing Pakistan’s agricultural landscape.

Pulse crops offer multiple agronomic and environmental advantages that directly address current constraints. Through biological nitrogen fixation, pulses can contribute between 40 and 170 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare per season, reducing reliance on synthetic fertilizers that are increasingly costly and environmentally damaging (Stagnari et al., 2017). This not only lowers production expenses for farmers but also curtails nitrous oxide emissions associated with chemical fertilizer use. Pulses are also inherently water efficient. Their water footprint is roughly half that of major cereals, making them particularly suitable for Pakistan’s water-stressed and rainfed regions, where groundwater depletion and erratic rainfall are already undermining crop reliability (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011).

Beyond resource efficiency, pulses play a critical role in improving soil structure, breaking pest and disease cycles, and enhancing farm-level resilience when integrated into crop rotations. Nutritionally, they provide affordable plant-based protein, iron, and micronutrients, offering a pathway to address widespread malnutrition. Despite these clear benefits, pulses account for only about 5.4 percent of Pakistan’s total cropped area, and domestic production satisfies just 65 percent of national demand, forcing reliance on imports that strain foreign exchange reserves (PBS, 2023; FAO STAT, 2022).

This policy brief argues that expanding pulse cultivation is not merely an agronomic choice but a strategic necessity. It outlines the role of pulses in enabling sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture, identifies institutional and policy bottlenecks limiting adoption, and presents actionable, SDG-aligned recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners seeking durable solutions for Pakistan’s food and farming systems.

Pulses as a Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture in Pakistan

Pulses occupy a unique and strategic position in the pursuit of sustainable agriculture in Pakistan, offering measurable benefits across soil health, water use, nutrition, and climate resilience. One of their most significant contributions lies in biological nitrogen fixation. Pulse crops can fix between 40 and 170 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare, substantially enriching soil fertility and reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers in subsequent crops by an estimated 25 to 30 percent (Stagnari et al., 2017). This not only lowers production costs for farmers but also reduces environmental damage associated with excessive fertilizer use, including greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation.

Water efficiency is another critical advantage. Pulses require roughly half the water consumed by major cereals such as wheat and rice, making them especially suitable for Pakistan’s increasingly water-scarce agro-ecologies (Mekonnen & Hoekstra, 2011). As groundwater tables decline and surface water becomes more unreliable, crops with lower water demands are no longer optional but essential. Despite this suitability, pulses currently occupy only about 5.4 percent of Pakistan’s total cropped area, reflecting long-standing policy and market biases toward cereals (PBS, 2023).

This limited domestic production has direct economic consequences. Pakistan spends more than 200 million US dollars annually on pulse imports to meet domestic demand, placing additional pressure on foreign exchange reserves (Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, 2023). Expanding local pulse production could reduce this import bill while strengthening farmer incomes. From a nutritional perspective, pulses provide 20 to 25 percent protein by weight, along with essential micronutrients, offering an affordable and culturally acceptable protein source for low-income households.

Importantly, pulses enhance climate resilience. When integrated into diversified cropping systems, they can improve yield stability by up to 30 percent during climate shocks such as droughts (Campbell et al., 2022). These combined agronomic, economic, and nutritional benefits position pulses as a cornerstone for a more resilient and sustainable agricultural future in Pakistan.

Strategic Importance of Pulses in Pakistan’s Agricultural Transition

Agriculture continues to anchor Pakistan’s economy, employing more than 37 percent of the labor force and sustaining rural livelihoods across diverse agro-ecological zones (Pakistan Economic Survey, 2022–23). Yet the sector’s productive base is under growing threat from entrenched, unsustainable practices. The long-standing dominance of cereal monocropping, reinforced by heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers and intensive irrigation, has steadily degraded soil health. In many regions, soil organic matter has fallen below 0.5 percent, a level at which soils lose their capacity to retain nutrients and water effectively (Ahmad et al., 2022). These biophysical stresses are now being amplified by climate change, which is manifesting through more frequent heatwaves, erratic monsoon rainfall, and extended drought periods, further destabilizing already fragile production systems (IPCC, 2022).

Within this context, pulses represent a strategic but underutilized pathway toward agricultural recovery and resilience. Their contribution extends well beyond nitrogen fixation. Pulse crops increase soil organic carbon, stimulate microbial activity, and improve soil aggregation, resulting in 20 to 35 percent gains in water infiltration and moisture retention, benefits that are particularly critical in rainfed and semi-arid areas (Gan et al., 2015). These processes help reverse long-term degradation and create the conditions necessary for sustainable intensification without escalating input use.

Pulses also play a central role in addressing Pakistan’s nutritional and food security challenges. National protein intake remains below recommended levels, and micronutrient deficiencies are widespread. Increasing the availability of affordable, domestically produced pulses beyond the current per capita level of roughly 6.5 kilograms per year offers a practical strategy to combat hidden hunger while reducing dependence on imports (FAO, 2022). From a climate perspective, pulses enhance system resilience through their inherent drought tolerance, short growth cycles, and adaptability to marginal lands. Crops such as mungbean, with growth cycles of 60 to 75 days, allow farmers to adjust planting windows, diversify incomes, and buffer households against climate-induced shocks, making pulses a cornerstone of a more resilient agricultural future.

Promoting Pulse Crops for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Pakistan

Several pulse crops hold promise for Pakistan due to their adaptability, nutritional value, and compatibility with existing farming systems. Chickpea remains a cornerstone rabi crop in rainfed areas of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where it fits naturally into low-input systems. The release of high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties such as NIFA-2023 demonstrates that productivity gains are achievable if improved seed is widely disseminated. Mungbean is another strategic crop, especially for Punjab and Sindh, where its heat tolerance and short growth cycle allow it to diversify the dominant rice–wheat system. Its ability to mature quickly makes double-cropping feasible, improving land use efficiency and farm incomes. Lentil, typically grown on marginal lands, offers significant scope for yield improvement, as current average yields remain below 700 kilograms per hectare. Better agronomic practices and improved varieties could substantially raise productivity without expanding cultivated area.

Despite these advantages, pulses remain marginalized within Pakistan’s agricultural policy framework. They are often treated as minor crops, resulting in weak institutional support. Certified seed availability is limited, with adoption of improved varieties estimated at less than 15 percent. Market volatility further discourages farmers, as the absence of price stabilization mechanisms and structured value chains exposes producers to high risk. Research and development investment in pulses remains minimal compared to major cereals, while extension services provide limited guidance on improved pulse management practices.

Addressing these constraints requires a coherent, policy-driven shift. Pluses must be integrated into core agricultural and climate strategies such as climate-smart crops aligned with food security and adaptation goals. Targeted incentives, including minimum support prices, insurance schemes, and input subsidies for rainfed regions, can reduce farmer risk. Strengthening public–private research partnerships and seed systems is essential to scale up climate-resilient and bio-fortified varieties. Finally, embedding pulses within crop diversification programs and strengthening value chains through farmer organizations, storage infrastructure, and agro-processing linkages can reduce post-harvest losses and create sustainable market demand.

Conclusion

Pulses are not a peripheral component of Pakistan’s agricultural system but a strategic necessity for addressing the interlinked challenges of soil degradation, water scarcity, nutritional insecurity, and climate vulnerability. The continued dominance of cereal-based monocropping has undermined soil health, intensified resource depletion, and narrowed dietary diversity, leaving farming systems increasingly exposed to climatic and economic shocks. In contrast, pulses offer a rare combination of agronomic, environmental, and nutritional benefits. Their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, improve soil structure, and use water efficiently provides a low-cost pathway to restore productivity while reducing dependence on synthetic inputs. At the same time, pulses contribute directly to food and nutritional security by supplying affordable plant-based protein and essential micronutrients, particularly for low-income households.

Despite these advantages, pulses remain underrepresented in cropped areas and under-supported in policy, research, and market development. This disconnect reflects institutional bias rather than agronomic unsuitability. Correcting requires a deliberate shift in agricultural priorities, recognizing pulses as climate-smart crops central to sustainable intensification rather than minor alternatives. Integrating pulses into national food security strategies, strengthening seed and research systems, stabilizing markets, and embedding pulses within crop diversification programs can generate wide-ranging benefits for farmers, consumers, and the environment. Ultimately, scaling up pulse cultivation offers Pakistan a practical, evidence-based route toward resilient agriculture that aligns productivity goals with ecological sustainability and long-term food security.

References: Ahmad et al; Campbell et al; FAO; Gan et al; IPCC; Mekonnen & Hoekstra; Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; Stagnari et al; Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

The writer is affiliated with the Department of Agronomy, University of Sargodha, Sargodha. Pakistan and can be reached at ather.nadeem@uos.edu.pk

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