ISLAMABAD: Recognizing and addressing the gender-based barriers that limit women’s access to agricultural resources and technology is critical.
“DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality,” this year’s International Women’s Day theme, emphasized the potential of technology and innovation to level the playing field and break down these barriers. As climate change continues to impact agriculture and smallholder women farmers, access to digital technologies can help them adapt to these changes and build more resilient farming systems.
During a panel discussion organized in Islamabad by the International Water Management Institute in conjunction with International Women’s Day 2023 (IWD 2023), Florence Rolle, FAO Representative in Pakistan, emphasized the critical role of access to digital technologies and tools for women and girls in agriculture.
Digital technologies help in obtaining information
She stated that women and girls in agriculture are disproportionately affected by climate change; therefore, we must ensure that women and girls have access to digital technologies to obtain information on weather, soil quality, and crop management. This information will enable them to make more informed decisions, improving food security and resilience.
Rolle proposed that smallholder women farmers use mobile phones and other digital platforms to get the information they need to produce crops more effectively. She also mentioned that the number of girls enrolling in agricultural universities is rising, which bodes well for the future of women in the sector and leadership positions.
Her remarks highlighted the importance of empowering women and girls in agricultural production by providing them with the necessary resources to thrive in an increasingly challenging environment.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, FAO hosted a panel discussion on the role of women in agriculture at an international conference on “Biodiversity of Arid Zones,” which included Prof. Dr. Ghazala H Rizwani, Director, Hamdard University Karachi, Dr. Shabana Sartaj, Associate Professor, English Literature, SAU, Tando Jam, and Dr. Reema Vistro, Lecturer Agronomy, SAU, Umerkot. The workshop was held at Sindh Agriculture University’s (SAU) Umer Kot sub-campus.
The significance of promoting gender equality in agriculture for sustainable development was emphasized, and FAO’s project interventions were lauded for assisting women in learning new, innovative, and climate-smart agriculture practices while also providing them with a platform to express their ideas. Women farmers from FAO project areas shared their perspectives and experiences with Women Farm Field Schools in various districts.
FAO also celebrated International Women’s Day 2023 in Quetta as part of the European Union-funded and International Trade Centre-implemented project: Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP), in collaboration with the Government of Balochistan’s Women Development Department, UNWomen, UNHCR, and UNDP.
The event brought together stakeholders to discuss how digital technology can speed up progress toward gender equality. FAO has conducted several digital literacy training and distributed tablets (notepads) to men and women farmers in Balochistan as part of its project interventions. This allows them to stay better informed about markets where they can sell their produce, current market prices, and market quantity demanded, allowing them to make informed decisions about selling their produce at the right price and time.
Robina Wahaj, FAO Senior Water and Land Officer, also participated in a live radio program on Planet 87.6, a Radio Pakistan FM channel, and advocated for the importance of digital agriculture for empowering women in agriculture.
