Despite being the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, agriculture continues to suffer from structural inequalities that reflect not just economic disparity, but a deep-rooted feudal capture that remains largely unchallenged. The latest agriculture and livestock census — the first in 15 years — shows that 97% of Pakistani farmers own less than 12.5 acres of land, with an overwhelming 61% holding less than 2.5 acres. In contrast, a mere 16,958 landlords control over 6.2% of all farmland, averaging 215 acres each.
Unequal land fragmentation continues to erode the viability of small farms and such patterns have locked millions of rural households into poverty, with most living crop to crop, vulnerable to market shocks and climate change. While the growing precarity of smallholders is a cause for concern, the enduring concentration of land in a small, powerful class should be recognised as a structural barrier to reform.
For decades, Pakistan’s political economy has remained tethered to the interests of large landowners, many of whom continue to wield outsized influence in policymaking circles. This has hindered any meaningful progress on long-overdue land reforms and discouraged the development of efficient land markets, thus preventing a more equitable distribution of agricultural resources.
There is an urgent need to reorient agriculture policy away from patronage and towards productivity and inclusion. Expanding access to land through tenancy regularisation, land ceilings and inheritance reform must be placed back on the national agenda. At the same time, investment in cooperative farming models along with climate-resilient techniques and access to markets can help smallholders increase their yields and incomes. Women — who constitute a significant share of the rural workforce — must also be given legal rights to land ownership and decision-making roles. The future of farming cannot be left to the dictates of inherited privilege.
