A new, single stage model for estimating technical inefficiencies of production in a stochastic frontier production function is applied in the analysis of panel data on wheat farmers in selected districts of Pakistan. The technical inefficiency effects are highly significant, implying that the traditional production function model is inadequate for the analysis of wheat production of the four districts involved. In the district of Faisalabad, for example, technical inefficiencies of production tend to be smaller for older farmers and those with greater formal schooling. In addition, the levels of wheat production for farmers in Faisalabad tend to approach their potential frontier production levels over time, although there is no evidence of technical change. The technical efficiencies of the wheat farmers show considerable variation over time within each district, such that the mean technical efficiencies range from 57 per cent to 79 per cent in the four districts.
The global food crisis of mid-2000s resulted in a several-fold increase in the prices of essential food items. Resultantly, the incidence of food insecurity, hunger, and poverty has increased in many developing countries [Ivanic and Martin (2008); Harttgen and Klasen (2012); De Hoyos and Medvedev (2009); World Bank (2010); Regmi and Seale (2010); Andreyeva, et al. (2010). Pakistan is also hit hard by this crisis. Prices of several food items increased by more than a 100 percent since 2006-07. Consequently, nearly half of the population is currently unable to meet its minimum (subsistence) caloric requirements for healthy and productive living [Malik, et al. (2014)]. A large proportion of household expenditure is spent on food (on average about 48 percent in 2010) and thus very little is left for the other expenditures necessary for human welfare, such as, health and education. Moreover, dietary diversity is extremely limited. Nearly 70 percent of food expenditure is on cereals, dairy, sweeteners, and fats. Wheat is the major source of calories, providing about half of the total daily calories [Malik, et al. (2014)]. However, the price of wheat increased by 125 percent between 2005-6 and 2010-11. Existing analyses indicate that these price shocks entail significant additional expenditures to maintain their pre-crisis consumption levels [Haq, et al. (2008); Friedman, Hong, and Xiaohui (2011)]. There is thus overwhelming evidence that rising food prices and the decline in real wages have serious implications for poverty, food security, and nutrition through food consumption patterns in the country
The 2010 floods in Pakistan had a devastating effect on the Pakistani population. This paper summarises recovery experiences from previous natural disasters in South Asia, including the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the 1998 flood in Bangladesh, and suggests several lessons relevant for recovery efforts following the 2010 Pakistan flood. First, market and trade policies should maintain adequate price incentives so that private trade and imports can contribute to postdisaster recovery. Second, a strong institutional framework is needed to coordinate the large-scale disaster response. Third, recovery efforts should also include support for livelihood security and restoration, ensuring inclusion of the stakeholders. Fourth, restoring and upgrading infrastructure facilities can lead to enhanced flood resistance as well as a reduction in future disaster loss. Two alternative institutions may be possible vehicles for poverty-alleviation—the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). To address future disasters, however, it is important to establish and strengthen disaster response capability, including applying lessons learned from the relief and rehabilitation response to the 2010 floods.
This paper attempts to explain female time allocation for rural women in selected districts of Pakistan. This topic is of considerable importance for several reasons. At an academic leveL the fact that the female labour force participation decision and the hours worked are jointly determined raises interesting problems of modelling and econometric estimation in taking account of the selectivity bias thus introduced into OLS estimation. At the policy level, an insight into the factors influencing female labour force participation is extremely important in a developing country such as Pakistan where the majority of females do not participate in mainstream economic activities. The objective of this study is to determine the factors affecting the optimum time allocation between market and housework of females in rural Pakistan. In a male dominated society like Pakistan with strong cultural taboos, a woman's labour force participation can be expected to depend significantly on non-market factors. In this study we examine, in particular, whether women's decisions not to work outside the home are influenced more by social norms, for example purdah and patriarchy, or by economic constraints such as lack of relevant education and training, non-availability of job opportunities and low wages etc.
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