Environmentally friendly farming and yield of wheat crop: A case of developing country

The adverse effect of climate change on wheat is observed worldwide, but thanks to the environmentally friendly behavior of rural farmers to mitigate the impact of adverse environmental factors on their crops. The efficacy of Environmentally Friendly Farming (EFF) strategies needs to be tested in a developing country like Pakistan. This study intends to quantify the impact of Changing Crop Variety (CCV), Changing Planting Dates (CPD), Tree Plantation (TP), and Soil Conservation (SC) strategies on the yield of wheat crop. We also test some farm-specific and farmer-specific determinants of the wheat yield. A multistage random sample technique is utilized to collect the data from 224 farmers in rural Punjab, and a two-stage least square approach is employed for impact analyses. We find that all EFF strategies are found helpful to improve the wheat yield. SC and TP strategies are found significantly more productive than CCV and CPD. Moreover, some farms' inputs and socioeconomic factors also have significant effects on the wheat yield. The government should provide financial and non-financial incentives to the farmers to use EFF strategies in wheat farming because EFF strategies may increase the wheat yield and carry positive environmental spillovers. Moreover, the government should explore/invent pro-environmentally techniques and disseminate their efficacy among the farmers through extension services and awareness programs.

Automated summary

The study demonstrates that environmentally friendly farming strategies are beneficial for increasing wheat yield, with soil conservation and tree plantation strategies showing significant effectiveness. Specific factors related to farms and socioeconomic factors also have a significant impact on wheat yield.