In Rahdari village in Punjab’s Khushab district, farmers have taken up growing trees as a cash crop on barani, or rain-fed lands, where yields were often uncertain and usually poor.

“It’s like a bank account but with a difference,” says a beaming Ramzan, 36, referring to the trees he planted 5 years ago on half a hectare of land. “You water the trees and see them grow every day. And when you need the cash, you cut the tree and sell the wood.” Read more