The Soil Survey of Pakistan was established in 1962 as "Soil Survey Project of Pakistan" under the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (MINFAL), with assistance of UNDP to prepare an inventory of the soil resources of Pakistan through reconnaissance soil surveys in the form of maps and reports.
- It was regularized in July 1973 as “Soil Survey of Pakistan” – an attached department of Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock
- Soil Survey of Pakistan was devolved to Government of Punjab on 1st July 2011 after 18th Constitutional Amendment
- Government of Punjab renamed it as Directorate General Soil Survey of Punjab and declared it an attached department of Agriculture Department
- The Directorate General has experienced technical staff in the field of Soil Surveying, Mapping and Geographic Information System Applications etc
- Directorate General Soil Survey of Punjab has its office building in Lahore in a spacious campus at Multan Road, Lahore
- It is the sole custodian of land resource data of the country
Objectives
Soil Survey, comprehensive inventory of the soil resources and their proper utilization which includes:
- To prepare soil resource inventory through reconnaissance surveys and maintain an updated database concerning the national land resources
- To promote sustainable land use and land management for increasing agricultural production and ensuring conservation of the land resources for future generations
- To develop integrated database in digital format
- To assist Govt. and semi Govt. organizations in preparation of development projects
- To evaluate the land resources for various kinds of agricultural/non-agricultural uses
- To interpret, generate and transfer soil and land resources data to Govt. organizations and to participate in scientific working groups to contribute to the development of scientific knowledge on land resource. Soil Survey provides services about land resource surveys, land evaluation, soil and water analysis, consultancies and training