Unusual Rains Bring Lands in Bajaur Back to Life

Shah Khalid Shah

Bajaur: For years, eight kanals of land owned by Sabz Ali in Karkani village of Nawagai tehsil remained largely unused, with the farmer unable to grow crops beyond wheat because his fields had no irrigation system.

This year, however, the unusually heavy and timely monsoon rains have changed his calculations.

For the first time, Sabz Ali has planted jowar, or sorghum, on land that he previously left barren. As rains continue across Bajaur, he is now hoping that the unexpected change in weather will bring a better harvest and improve his household’s financial situation.

“We have never seen rainfall at this time like we have this year,” Sabz Ali said, explaining that his farming depends entirely on rain because there is no irrigation facility available for his land.

He normally grows only wheat and leaves the remaining land uncultivated because insufficient water makes other crops difficult to produce. But this year’s rainfall encouraged him, as well as other farmers in Karkani and surrounding areas, to experiment with sorghum.

So far, he said, the crop is developing well.

Farmers Take a Chance on Sorghum

Sabz Ali is not the only farmer responding to the unusual weather.

Ghulam Syed, a farmer from Khar tehsil, cultivates 10 kanals of land belonging to another landowner under a sharecropping arrangement. The land had remained barren for nearly 15 years, with wheat being the only crop grown there.

This year, Ghulam decided to plant sorghum after observing favourable rainfall during the crop’s sowing period.

“The rains were good when we planted the crop and they are still continuing,” he said, adding that the sorghum is currently growing well.

Ghulam has also applied fertilizer to support the crop, taking a calculated risk in the hope that the continued rainfall will translate into a strong yield and allow him to recover his investment.

For farmers who rely almost entirely on rainfall, such weather conditions can make the difference between leaving land unused and putting it back into production.

Rainfall Offers More Than a Grain Harvest

For Sabz Ali, the benefits of a successful sorghum crop could extend beyond the sale of grain.

He says the crop has also provided a significant amount of fodder for his livestock. With greater availability of feed, milk production has increased, helping his family meet some of its household needs.

The development illustrates how a change in rainfall patterns can influence not only crop choices but also the wider rural economy, particularly in areas where farmers have limited access to irrigation.

Water Scarcity Remains Constraint

Agricultural experts say Bajaur’s farming sector remains heavily dependent on rainfall because much of the district lacks reliable irrigation infrastructure.

Agricultural expert Dr Adalat Khan said sorghum requires sufficient water for healthy growth and that inadequate water management can reduce production.

However, he said the rainfall recorded during the current season could benefit sorghum cultivation and potentially increase yields.

Official figures from the Agriculture Department (Extension) show that Bajaur has approximately 129,036 hectares of reported agricultural land. Of this, around 77,062 hectares are cultivable, while the remainder is classified as barren.

Only about 15,970 hectares of the cultivable area are irrigated, leaving more than 61,000 hectares dependent on rainfall.

Sorghum currently covers only around 5,365 hectares in Bajaur, with limited irrigation facilities identified as one of the major reasons for its relatively small cultivation area.

A Season of Opportunity

Imranuddin, an agriculture officer with the Agriculture Department (Extension) in Bajaur’s Mamond Circle, said rainfall during the sorghum-growing season has been favourable this year and has continued intermittently.

According to him, the improved availability of rainwater has encouraged farmers to cultivate sorghum even on fields that had previously remained unused.

The development has created cautious optimism among farmers who traditionally struggle with water shortages.

For Sabz Ali and other growers across Bajaur, the season has offered an unusual opportunity: rainfall that was once simply awaited has allowed them to bring neglected land back into cultivation.

Whether the rains translate into a significantly larger sorghum harvest remains to be seen, but for now, fields that once stood barren are green again — offering farmers the prospect of both food and income.