Impact of Karakoram Highway on Land use and Agricultural Development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan

This research paper analyses the impact of Karakoram Highway (KKH) on land use and agricultural development of Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Pakistan is gifted with a lot of natural resources in the shape of fertile agricultural lands, water resources and minerals. Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy. About 70% of its population is directly or indirectly associated with this sector. Gilgit-Baltistan is a vast mountainous and remote area in the extreme north of Pakistan.. The inhabitants of this area are mostly engaged in the agricultural sector. Before the construction of KKH, their mode of agriculture system was subsistence and crude techniques were applied due to non-availability of modern machines and techniques. This was because of the remoteness and communication gap with the rest of the country. Therefore, this study is an effort to compare and analyze the impacts of KKH on the land use and Agricultural development of Gilgit-Baltistan before and after the construction of KKH. Results show a significant change in land use and development in the agriculture sector after the construction of KKH. However, still, the land use and agriculture sectors need Government attention in land use planning, regulations, improvement of water channels, the introduction of high yielding seeds and farmer awareness.