Role of women in Agriculture a Lecture at Islamabad to Workshop on WID by Allah Dad Khan

2. Role of Women in Agriculture
Development In Pakistan
A presentation to the Students of
Mphil in Agriculture and
Geography
By
Allah Dad Khan Visiting Professor
Agriculture University Peshawar

4. Four categories, representing a range of women's responsibility:
1. Men are completely responsible for livestock, with no involvement of
women.
2. Men are responsible for managing all livestock, and women are
responsible for processing livestock products.
3. Women are responsible for managing and processing small stock and any
other animals kept near the homestead, whereas men are responsible for
other animals.
4. Women are responsible for managing and herding large stock and other
animals and for processing livestock products.
IFAD 1994 report

5.  The beginnings of livestock keeping date back some nine to ten thousand
years, and there is good reason to believe that women played a key role in
the process of domesticating the major livestock species. Before the onset of
farming, in the hunter-gatherer stage of human evolution, humans practised
an archetypal division of labour: men were hunters, while women gathered
plants and fruits. This allotment of tasks was due to the role of women in
reproduction and child care, which restricted them to activities that could be
conducted in tandem with nursing and taking care of infants.

6. The role of livestock for the rural poor is crucial and complex; it goes far
beyond just providing marketable products. For the question at hand, it is
noteworthy that small-scale livestock keepers generally pursue a diverse
range of livelihood activities. Instead of specializing in any one activity, such
as dairying or fattening, their livelihood portfolio consists of a number of
different activities. Natural resource-based activities are supplemented by
wage labour, trade and crafts to provide for the livestock keepers’ various
needs and buffer against risks (Waters-Bayer and Bayer, 1992)

7. Total Population 15th May 2015 = 7.135 billion
Top six Country population on 15th May 2015
Total Countries (247)
Source )fficial population Clock
# Country Population % age of
World
Population
1 China 1,369,860,000 18.9 %
2 India 1,271,260,000 17.5%
3 United States 321,006,000 4.43 %
4. Indonesia 255,461,700 3.53 %
5. Brazil 204,316,000 2.82 %
6. Pakistan 189,799,000 2.62

8. Estimated
Population on
15th May 2015
Male Female Male % Female %
729185884 3678777133 3615408751 50.4 % 49.6 %
1. 14.2 people per square kilometer - the Earth's total area (including land
and water) is 510 072 000 km2.
2. 48.3 people per square kilometer - the Earth's land area. This includes
all continental and island land area as well as Antarctica. The area in that
case is 150 461 685 km2
3. 53.4 people per square kilometer - sum of land and water areas within
international boundaries and coastlines of all the countries in the world.
The area in that case is 136 034 505 km2.
4. Sex ratio 1 016 males to 1 000 females as of 2014.
Source World population clock on 15th may 2015

10. Est Pakistan
Population
on 15th May
2015
Male Female Male % Female %
188888512 95978206 92910306 50.8 % 49.2 %
1. Pakistan population density is 235.9 people per square kilometer as
of May 2015.
2. The total area of Pakistan is 796 100 km2 according to the United
Nations Statistics Division
3. Sex ratio 1.033 (1 033 males per 1 000 females)
4. The population of Pakistan will be increased by 8 172 persons daily
in 2015.
Source Country Meter on 15th May 2015

11. Women comprise 43 percent of the agricultural labour force, on average, in
developing countries; this figure ranges from around 20 percent in Latin
America to 50 percent in parts of Africa and Asia, but it exceeds 60 percent
in only a few countries (FAO, 2010).
There is a strong correlation between women's economic opportunity and
access to affordable, safe food. Women make up over half of agricultural
workers and livestock keepers in developing countries, and bear the primary
responsibility for their families food security. Yet they face significant gaps in
accessing natural resources, knowledge, services and markets, which hinder
their productive capacity

12. The women are the backbone of agricultural workforce but worldwide her hard work has mostly been
unpaid. She does the most tedious and back‐breaking tasks in agriculture, animal husbandry and
homes. As farmers, women in subsistence production ensure the survival of millions of people in
all World.
Women in sustenance economies, producing and reproducing wealth in partnership with nature, are
experts in their own right with ecological knowledge of nature’s processes.
Women’s livelihood strategies, and their support and means of food security are diverse and complex,
from cleaning seed, to cultivating field crops, to livestock rearing, to home gardening, gathering,
and forests, woodlands, wastelands etc.
But these alternative modes of knowledge and livelihoods are not recognized by conventional
agricultural scientists and development experts, who fail to see the connection of women’s
knowledge, work and skills with ensuring community food security, and the creation of wealth.

13.  Women are the backbone of the rural economy, especially in the developing world. Yet
they receive only a fraction of the land, credit, inputs (such as improved seeds and
fertilizers), agricultural training and information compared to men.
Empowering and investing in rural women has been shown to significantly increase
productivity, reduce hunger and malnutrition and improve rural livelihoods. And not
only for women, but for everyone.

14. Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land and water. About 25%
of Pakistan's total land area is under cultivation and is watered by one of
the largest irrigation systems in the world. Pakistan irrigates three times
more acres than Russia. Agriculture accounts for about 23% of GDP and
employs about 44%of the labor force.

16.  Pakistan is a country with a great deal of diversity in culture,
traditions, habits, attitudes and practices across its various
provinces and regions, although there are similarities as well. So
when the broad term of “Women in Agriculture” is used, it may not
highlight the extensive and diverse women have in other provinces
or regions. The role and responsibilities of women change as the
geographic area changes, along with changing local customs and
traditions. Even the gender roles, food and nutrition practices vary
across different areas, ethnic groups as well as ecological zones.

18. According to Labor Survey of Pakistan (2006‐07), 70% of female labor force are
engaged in agriculture and its allied fields and play very tough role like milking, feed
and watch of the livestock. Their brittle bodies transplant rice crop in the burning
month of May/ July. Likewise, cotton grower’s spray with poisonous pesticides to the
crop; as women pick cotton from sunrise to sun set, it develops allergies, their skin
festers. They are always besieged by ailments and medico
abnormalities and usually die untreated. The growers are not providing them facilities
of hand gloves and umbrella.

19.  The province of KPK is situated between 31o 15’ and 36o 57’ North latitude and 69o 5’
and 74o 7’ East longitude. The maximum length of the province between the parallels is
408 miles and the maximum breadth between the meridians is 279 miles (Room, 1991).
It lies at the junction of three mountain ranges; Himalaya, Karakorum, and Hindukush.
Kashmir and Punjab are located to its east and Afghanistan to its west; Afghanistan also
bounds the province on the north, Baluchistan and the Dera Ghazi Khan District of the
Punjab lie on its south (Gazetteer, 1991:1). It is separated by a narrow strip Wakhan
from Central Asia and China (Government of Pakistan, 1991).

20.  KP employs about 50 percent of the labour force in the province and
contributes 40 percent of its GDP. The province does not have high milk and
meat yielding large ruminants species that affect women’s incomes because
they are mainly involved in livestock management. Women’s access and
control over productive resources is limited. Lack of skills, limited
opportunities in the job market, and social and cultural restrictions limit
women’s access to public resources and markets.

21.  Smallholder farmers, especially women, should be supported in agriculture production
through provision of agriculture inputs, technical capacity building and introduction to
climate smart agriculture practices. There is a need to hire more lady extension and
animal health workers in the government system to improve access to rural women and
help them in improving their crop and livestock production. Establishment of school
nurseries to introduce knowledge on agriculture and nutrition and women
entrepreneurial skill development along with facilitation in access to agriculture markets
are other areas that need to be focussed upon. Women farmers also need to be engaged
in agro-forestry and developing nurseries.

22.  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has a population of about 22 million with 52 percent
males and 48 percent females and an area of 74,521 square kilometres. With varied
terrain, it connects three gigantic mountain ranges --Himalayas, Karakorum, and Hindu
Kush. Though the province is located in the subtropical zone due to Himalayan,
Karakorum and Hindu Kush elevation, it has a wide range of physical and climatic
conditions from tropical to subtropical. Average annual rainfall ranges from 25 to 58
inches, with heavy snowfall in Chitral and Kaghan Valley

23.  KP consists of 25 districts and can be cologically divided in three main
zones. „
 The southern zone -- specializing in cereal crops. „
 The central zone -- fertile lands surrounded by hilly tracks. This region has
suitable environment for cash crops e.g. sugarcane, sugar-beet, tobacco,
and seasonal and developed input and output markets. „
 The northern zone –Rugged mountainous terrain with inaccessible valleys.
This region is capable of producing high value crops and vegetables
especially off-season vegetables i.e. mushrooms, saffron, etc.

24.  Wheat, maize and rice are the staple food crops grown in the
province. KP produces 5 percent of Pakistan’s wheat, 30
percent of its maize, and 7 percent of its sugarcane and
sugar beet. It also produces 78 percent of Pakistan’s total
tobacco production.

25.  94 percent of farms are now smaller than 12.5 acres, which is a subsistence percent
farm area is operated by owners while 27 percent and 15 percent farm area is cultivated
by owners-cum-tenants and tenants respectively. Given the diversity of its soil, KP
grows over 42 crops including wheat, rice, barley, maize, sugarcane, tobacco, rape seed,
mustard, groundnut, pulses, vegetables and fruits.
 The major crops occupy nearly 90 percent of the total cropped area and play an
important role in sustaining the living of the rural population. Livestock farming is also a
dominant occupation of the farming communities with more than 15 million animal
heads and about 22 million poultry birds87. However, this occupation is mostly to
supplement family nutritional and cash requirement88. Wheat, mai

26. Women play an important, largely unpaid role, in generating family income
mainly from within the boundaries of their households. Therefore their role is
frequently documented in husking and preserving agriculture produce in
addition to caring and rearing of domesticated livestock. Commercial
agriculture is a male dominated activity when it comes to Khyber
Pakhtunkhwaprovince. Men own and trade large animals and are also
responsible for cutting, hauling and selling forest timber

27.  Women’s access and control over productive resources is limited. Lack of skills, limited
opportunities in the job market, and social and cultural restrictions limit women’s access
to public resources and markets. Land fragmentation, gender segregation, non-
availability of quality agriculture inputs, lack of irrigation water and transport facilities
further augment these challenges. These issues keep the crop yields far below the
achievable potential. Numerous market failures and natural disasters have further added
to the problems of the farmers.

28.  There is a need to strengthen existing extension infrastructure to
introduce new technologies. KP has vast grazing lands and has the
capacity to produce a variety of animal feed. It is observed that they
work for about 12 to 15 hours on average in a day. Half of this is
dedicated for household chores and the other half is spent in
activities related to agricultural activities mainly livestock rearing.

29. # Problem Solution
1 Lack of access to Market Effective measures are needed to
encourage the participation of women in
accessing markets for their crop/livestock
outputs.
2 Lack of Agri Research and
Extension Services
Agriculture Research and Extension
services need to be strengthened and
made more equitable to improve
the capacity of women farmers in
agriculture production and technologies.
3 Lack of training to women Women should be trained in food
processing and preservation of
various fruits, vegetables and
livestock products.

30. # Problem Solution
4 Less empowered women The empowerment of women in agriculture
should be planned with adequate
resource allocation for mobilizing women,
improving their capacity in technical,
organizational and commercial business/micro-
enterprises) sectors and creating support
systems accessible by women (credit and
markets).
5 Lack of chances for women
induction in agriculture
Reforms should be made in the government that
promotes induction of women
6 Lack of Access to Livesttock
services
Rural women should be facilitated in
establishing livestock enterprises.

31. # Problem Solution
7 Lack of access to financial
sources
Steps to easy access foor finances
8 The women farmers are unaware
of the modern impliments
available and their use and
efficiency in improving
agriculture yield
and output earnings
Awareness to be created
9 Lack to property right This needs to be
addressed through legal reforms and
women should be given land ownership
rights

32. # Problem Solution
10 Nutrition is not imperative Prevailing nutrition situation is a serious issue
and women need to be made aware of
how to improve their and their children’s
nutrition.
11 A major constraint to women
development in KP has been their
absence from the policy framework.
Policy to be initiated
12 Lack obf budget for development
activities
More development budget shall be
allocated for research and extension, pricing
policies, market development, water
management, and management of forest
resources and rangelands

33. # Problem Solution
13 Lack of Access to Agriculture
inputs
Smallholder farmers especially women
should be supported in agriculture
production through provision of
agriculture inputs, technical capacity
building and introduction of climate
smart agriculture practices.
14 Lack of capacity Training of women in areas of their
interests such as seed cleaning and
preservation, post harvest management
of horticultural crops and animal care are
strongly recommended
15 Lack of women in Agriculture
and Livestock
Introducing more lady extension workers
who will be able to access rural women and
help them improve their crop and livestock
production

34. # Problem Solution
16 Lack of access of women to
enterpeneurship
Women entrepreneurial skill development should
be given priority especially in
agriculture based microenterprises for potential
women farmers.
17 Lack of access of women to
Market
Women access to markets should be improved to
help them increase their household
income from selling their agriculture and
livestock produce.
18 Women role in agroforestry is
minimized
Women farmers need to be engaged in
agro-forestry.
Delivery to stores and local markets is part of agricultural marketing.Image 1 of 3

35. # Problem Solution
19 Lack of specific institution in
province
Women specific institutios to be established
inorder to improve their technical knowledge in
agriculture production and management.
20 Less powered women Women should be made aware and empowered
on how to get a better price of their
agriculture, livestock, poultry, forestry,
embroidery and other handmade products
21 Lack of security Government should develop and implement a
regulatory framework that provides safety and
security to women farmers.

36. # Problem Solution
22 Lack of justice to women Government should eliminate gender inequality
and injustice by providing social,
economic, and legal rights to women and ensure
implementation of such laws
23 Lack of awareness Measures should be introduced to minimize
occupational hazards in agriculture
on men and women including the effects of
spraying pesticides and applying
fertilizers. More over organic agriculture practices
should be prompted.
24 Lack of Access to Sercvices Women are not allowed to access
agricultural and livestock extension
services. Only men contact these
departments but they are not fully involved
25 Women entrepreneurship Policy reforms should be introduced to
encourage creation of small rural agro-
based
industries that can help diversify the use of
agricultural resources and generate
employment for rural women.

39.  Pakistan,with a population of 160.9 million in mid 2008 is the 6thmost populous
countryin the world. Pakistan's population is comprised of 47.5% women and 52.5%
men. Thepopulation growth rate remains as high as 2.1% per annum. According to the
1998census, 67%of the population live in rural area

40.  Women are rising to the challenges of food insecurity and the food crisis.
They are intensifying creative and empowering efforts and actions. These
initiatives, small though many of them may be, are not only helping women
and their families to survive and cope with the food crisis. They are part of a
growing movement and consciousness in which women and communities are
not waiting for top down solutions, but coming up with their own

41. 1. The democratisation of the access to resources, especially land,
water, seeds and intellectual property.
2. Promotion of sustainable agriculture and community-based
resource management.
3. Establishment of local, people-based trade systems and
infrastructure.
4. Empowerment of women through equal representation in
decision-making bodies at local, regional, national and global
levels.
5. Access to education for women and girls.
6. Access to credit and other financial support for women.
7. Appropriate education, health, recreation, child care and other
infrastructure support systems designed by and for rural
communities with consideration for all genders.