LINKING LAND DISTRIBUTION WITH FOOD SECURITY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM PAKISTAN
H. Z. Mahmood1, A. Ali2, D. B. Rahut3, B. Pervaiz1 and F. Siddiqui4
1Dept. of Economics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus; 2International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), CIMMYT-Pakistan Office, Park Road, Islamabad, Pakistan; 3International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Texcoco, México; 4Imperial College of Business Studies, Lahore
Corresponding author’s email:drhafizzahid@cuilahore.edu.pk
ABSTRACT
Equitable distribution of rural lands amongst farming communities plays a pivotal role in food production and contributes to adequate calorie intake. Based on land distribution, this study estimates the disparities of operational farmland holdings at the district level in Pakistan, and ranks the districts in terms of land distribution in descending order. It also investigates the impact of land distribution, farm fragmentation, and land-use intensity on various aspects of food security (i.e., food availability, food access, and food absorption) by employing Pearson correlation and econometric models. The results from show that food security is heigthened with the improvement in distribution of land (i.e., operational land holdings) and land-use intensity, while food security declines with an increase in farm fragmentation. Therefore, land reform policies which aim to reduce disparity in land distribution and fragmentation would strongly contribute to enhancing food security in Pakistan.
Keywords: Land distribution, food security, land fragmentation, Pakistan
|
