Rural urbanization, land, and agriculture in Pakistan

Rural urbanization is taking place rapidly in most areas of Pakistani Punjab. Although agriculture remains the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, many rural people have abandoned agriculture to adopt different occupations as a consequence of rural urbanization. This paper discusses the changing use of, and attitude toward, land in the rural areas of Pakistani Punjab in the context of rural urbanization. It offers a case study from Southern Punjab as an evidence of the effects of rural urbanization on rural social organization with regard to land and agriculture.