Deciphering the role of socio-economic factors and agronomic practices on wheat production in Shujaabad, Multan, Pakistan

Abstract

Wheat productivity in Shujaabad remains suboptimal, largely due to a complex interplay of socio-economic constraints, inconsistent agronomic practices, and limited access to agricultural information and resources. To address this issue, the present study investigates the influence of farmers’ socio-economic characteristics, agronomic practices, and information sources on wheat production in Shujaabad, Multan, Pakistan. The data were collected from 250 wheat farmers using a multistage sampling technique. The results indicated that 72.8 % of the farmers were landowners, 44.8 % had landholdings of 6–10 acres, and 67.6 % lacked access to personal tube wells. Education level, income, farming experience, credit access, and tractor ownership were significantly associated with wheat yield (p < 0.05). For example, 50.6 % of farmers with primary education and 51 % with middle-level education achieved high wheat yields (>1600 kg/acre), while only 25.7 % of illiterate farmers reached this level. Similarly, 66.7 % of tractor owners achieved high yields compared to 38.9 % of non-owners. The most adopted agronomic practices were the use of recommended seed rate (mean score = 4.66), proper soil preparation (mean = 3.77), and irrigation scheduling (mean = 3.70). The most cited sources of agricultural information were electronic media (56.8 %), fellow farmers and early adopters (47.2 %), and private agro-based companies (41.2 %). Key constraints to wheat production included low income (ranked 1^st), lack of technical knowledge (2^nd), and unavailability of quality seed (5^th). The study concludes that improving farmers’ access to information, extension services, credit facilities, and mechanization alongside promotion of best agronomic practices can significantly enhance wheat productivity and socio-economic conditions in the region. The findings would be helpful for researchers and policy makers to understand influence of socio-economic features and agronomic practices on the major staple crop (wheat) of Southern Punjab (Multan), Pakistan. © 2025 The Author(s)