lobally, women produce 50 per cent of the food and provide 43 percent of agricultural labour. Asia, in particular, has a family farming system in which women’s roles are central as they supplement the family income by working in the fields. In developing countries, on average, women make up about 43 per cent of the agricultural labour force. Evidence indicates that if these women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20 to 30 per cent, raising total agricultural output by 2.5 to 4 per cent. These women can reduce the number of hungry people in their region by 12 to 17 per cent.

Worldwide, the food systems depend on the labour of rural women.

They raise crops, prepare and distribute food and ensure that their families and communities are nourished. However, these same women often have less access to food and suffer a higher risk of hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity compared to men. Discriminatory gender norms often see them eating last or least in the household. They are also responsible for a greater share of caregiving and domestic work.

Recognising the critical role and contribution of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security and eradicating rural poverty, the UN General Assembly, in its resolution 62/136 of December 18, 2007, emphasised that governments and societies pay attention to their needs and invest in them. For this purpose, the International Day of Rural Women was proposed to be observed on October 15 every year. The first International Day of Rural Women was observed in 2008. The intention is to give them the same opportunities as men to increase agricultural production by eliminating discrimination in land and livestock ownership, equal pay, participation in decision-making and access to resources, credit and markets. Rural Women Cultivating Good Food for All is the theme for this year.

In most parts of the developing world, women participate in crop production and livestock care, provide food, water and fuel for their families and engage in off-farm activities to diversify their families’ livelihoods. In addition, they carry out vital functions in caring for children, older persons and the sick. They provide all of the farm labour, technical and managerial input and advice when their spouse/partner is away. However, statistics tend not to record the full range of farm work undertaken by women, and for this reason, women’s involvement in farming is systematically under-reported.

Despite our planet’s capacity to provide sufficient and good food for all, hunger, malnourishment and food insecurity are rising among women and girls in many parts of the world. The Covid-19 pandemic and the climate crises have made matters worse. 2.37 billion people did not have enough to eat in 2020, that’s 20 per cent more than the year before.

The agriculture sector is said to be the backbone of the economy because of its contribution to the GDP. Rural women are central to the agro-based economy. They are major participants in food production in rice- and wheat-growing regions and in cotton-picking processes.

UN Women’s latest report reveals that the Covid-19 disaster has particularly affected rural women’s livelihood and income, health and well-being and access to social protection. A plan for sustainability and social justice calls for rebuilding the broken global food system from the bottom up by supporting rural women’s livelihoods to produce and distribute diverse and healthy food crops.

The UN Food Systems Summit held on September 24, 2021, in New York gave rise to several multi-stakeholders initiatives led by civil society, farmers, women, the youth and indigenous groups that the member states commit to in order to deliver on the priorities, needs and gaps identified in national pathways.

Within pastoralist and mixed farming systems, livestock plays a vital role in supporting women and in improving their financial situation. Women are heavily engaged in the sector. The influence of women is strong in the use of eggs, milk and poultry meat for home consumption. They often have control over marketing and the income from these products. Perhaps, for this reason, poultry and small-scale dairy projects have been popular investments for development projects aiming to improve the lot of rural women. The demand for livestock products has grown much faster than the demand for crop staples in the past 40 years. This has raised implications for women’s engagement in the livestock sector because of the different roles and responsibilities.

Agriculture sector is said to be the backbone of Pakistan’s economy because of its large contribution to the GDP. Rural women are central to this agro-based economy. They are major participants in food production in rice- and wheat-growing regions and in cotton-picking. Pakistan is one of the world’s largest producers of raw cotton, and mostly women are involved in cotton cultivation - from cotton sowing to cotton harvest with manual cotton picking. Pakistan’s textile export sector and textile and clothing industry rest on women’s shoulders. According to some estimates, more than half a million women work in the cotton picking field for four to five months a year. In Pakistan, 74 percent of employed women work in agriculture, according to World Atlas, an educational geography website. Studies show that a typical woman in rural Pakistan works an average of 15.5 hours a day, including 5.5 hours spent caring for livestock, and has only 50 minutes a day to spend caring for her own children.

Pakistan’s social indicators present an alarming picture. It has an agriculture-based economy, as most of its economic resources are generated by the agricultural sector in rural Pakistan, where women are important partners in agricultural development. They perform various crucial tasks, including weeding and tilling the land, planting seeds, collecting farmyard manure and harvesting. They are also responsible for cleaning, drying and storing seeds and grains, holding seeds for next cultivation, and caring for cows, donkeys, goats and hens. Women also grow small plants and trees, flowers and fruit trees and taking care of them.

Nevertheless, women and girls in rural areas lack equal access to productive resources and assets, public services, such as education and health care, and infrastructure, including water and sanitation. Much of their labour remains invisible and unpaid.

The writer is a playwright and freelance journalist and can be reached at pashajaved1@gmail.com and his blogging site: soulandland.com