Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Agriculture Sector

This factsheet outlines greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation options for Pakistan's agriculture sector, which contributed nearly 42 per cent of national GHG emissions in 2012. It identifies twelve potential mitigation options and details five high-priority, cost-effective measures—improving irrigation, reducing methane from rice, implementing agroforestry, improving manure management, and limiting crop burning—that could collectively reduce emissions by 11.83 MtCO2e by 2030.

• The agriculture sector is a significant economic driver and emissions source in Pakistan, contributing 21.4 per cent of the GDP and employing 45 per cent of the workforce. In 2012, the sector accounted for nearly 42 per cent of the country's national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
• Enteric fermentation is the largest source of agricultural emissions, accounting for more than 60 per cent of the sector's total. While reducing these emissions is considered meritorious, they could not be quantified during initial screening due to data availability and uncertainties.
• Five high-priority mitigation options are identified as cost-effective and immediately implementable, with a combined projected emission reduction of 11.83 MtCO2e (4.3% of the sector's Business As Usual scenario) by 2030. These include improving irrigation/water management, reducing methane from rice cultivation, implementing agroforestry, promoting better manure storage, and limiting basmati rice crop burning.
• Improving irrigation efficiency could reduce emissions by 1.58 MtCO2e by 2030. Currently, approximately 1 million diesel-run tube wells emit about 2.4 MtCO2e annually; a 10 per cent improvement in irrigation schedules could drastically reduce the fuel required for groundwater pumping.
• Reducing methane from rice cultivation through Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), Controlled Irrigation (CI), or dry seeding could reduce emissions by 1.16 MtCO2e by 2030. AWD technology has demonstrated the ability to decrease CH4 emissions on pump-irrigated farms by nearly 70 per cent.
• Implementing agroforestry practices offers the highest individual abatement potential among the priority options, with a projected reduction of 8.4 MtCO2e by 2030. This is based on applying these practices to an additional 3 per cent of agricultural land using fast-growing and multipurpose tree species.
• Better manure storage and management could reduce emissions by 0.15 MtCO2e by 2030, assuming a 10 per cent participation rate. In Pakistan, 652 million kg of manure is produced daily from cattle and buffalo, with nearly 50 per cent remaining uncollected.
• A progressive ban on burning basmati rice crop residues, starting in 2018 and reaching 80 per cent coverage by 2030, could reduce emissions by 0.54 MtCO2e. This is critical as crop residue burning is estimated to have released 0.73 MtCO2e in 2015 and is projected to reach 1.24 MtCO2e by 2030.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (n.d.). Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Agriculture Sector. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Agriculture-sector.pdf

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Agriculture Sector. n.d. https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Agriculture-sector.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Agriculture Sector |url=https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Agriculture-sector.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetworkndgreenhouse, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Options for Pakistan: Agriculture Sector}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/sites/default/files/files/fact-sheet-Pakistan-Agriculture-sector.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }