Empowering Women in Sindh's Agriculture Sector

Agriculture used to contribute 40% of Pakistan's GDP, but has now dropped to 21% during the past decade. The sector continues to employ 52% of the country's rural labor force, with women accounting for 28%. Women play a crucial role in the agricultural sector of Sindh, particularly in rice cultivation, which is one of the major crops of the region. Women play an important part in rice farming, contributing significantly at many phases of the agricultural process. Their engagement includes a wide range of operations, from pre-harvest tasks to post-harvest operations, emphasizing their vital role in the region's agricultural landscape. Women's agriculture falls under the category of non-formal work. To get the crop inside the enclosure and store it, the majority of women assist their male members. Women have made important contributions, yet their work is frequently overlooked and underappreciated.

Women play a crucial yet often overlooked role in rice farming and livestock management in Sindh, contributing significantly to various pre-harvest and post-harvest activities. Their involvement spans from seed selection and transplanting to harvesting and food storage, demonstrating their essential participation in the agricultural process. Women not only invest a considerable amount of time in these activities but also take on physically demanding tasks under challenging conditions, ensuring food security and household well-being. Despite their vital contributions, they remain underappreciated and undercompensated compared to their male counterparts. Surveys highlight the extensive involvement of women in tasks such as seed preparation, transplanting, and livestock care, underscoring their indispensable role in sustaining rural economies. However, challenges such as wage disparities, lack of recognition, and limited access to resources continue to hinder their full potential in the agricultural sector.

Pre-Harvest Activities

Pre-harvest activities in Sindh are heavily reliant on the active participation of women, who play a critical role in ensuring the success of rice farming. Their contributions span various essential tasks, including seed selection, sowing, transplanting, and pest management. Women are deeply involved in the preparation of seeds, often selecting and treating them to ensure optimal germination and resistance to disease. They also take part in sowing processes, utilizing traditional knowledge and labor-intensive methods to prepare the fields for cultivation. Transplanting, one of the most strenuous and time-consuming phases, is primarily carried out by women, who work tirelessly in flooded fields under harsh weather conditions to ensure proper spacing and planting depth for maximum yield. Beyond sowing and transplanting, women play a significant role in weeding and pest management, helping to maintain crop health by manually removing unwanted plants and applying organic pest control methods. Their dedication in these pre-harvest activities directly contributes to higher crop productivity and household food security. Despite their invaluable contributions, women’s efforts often go unrecognized, with limited access to training, modern equipment, and fair compensation. Nevertheless, their extensive involvement in pre-harvest operations underscores their indispensable role in Sindh’s agricultural economy, demonstrating resilience and commitment in overcoming challenges to sustain rural livelihoods.

Seed Selection and Sowing

Women are deeply involved in the sowing processes, although they have limited access to training in selecting disease-resistant, high-yielding varieties. According to a survey, female family members handle 75.4% of rice seed preparation, highlighting their significant contribution to this crucial early stage of rice production. Their experience and indigenous knowledge, passed down through generations, ensure the selection of appropriate seed varieties that suit local conditions.

Transplanting

Transplanting is one of the most labor-intensive steps in rice production, and women undertake the majority of this task. Working relentlessly under harsh weather conditions, they ensure proper spacing and depth for optimal growth, which directly affects crop yields. Women’s meticulous approach in handling seedlings plays a vital role in ensuring uniform growth and high productivity.

Weeding and Pest Management

Weeding is another essential area where women’s involvement is significant. Survey data shows that women perform 32.1% of weeding tasks, which is crucial for maintaining crop health and guaranteeing optimal growing conditions. They employ traditional techniques to identify and remove unwanted plants, thus reducing competition for nutrients and enhancing the overall health of the rice fields.

Harvesting and Post-Harvest Processing

Women’s involvement is even more pronounced during the harvesting phase. They are responsible for critical tasks such as grain harvesting, threshing, winnowing, and drying. According to survey findings, women are in charge of 46% of the harvesting activities. Beyond harvesting, women contribute significantly to post-harvest operations, including drying and storage. They are responsible for 68.5% of the actual food storage for domestic consumption and 71.9% of the preparation for storage, ensuring food security for their households. Their use of traditional storage techniques helps prevent spoilage and maintain grain quality over extended periods.

Activities in Livestock Management

Women in rural areas play an essential role in livestock management. They are primarily responsible for watering the animals, cleaning sheds, and ensuring overall hygiene. Additionally, rural women manage livestock sheds, collect manure, and produce dung cakes used as fuel. Women's role in milk production and processing is also significant, contributing to household nutrition and income generation. Their involvement in these activities reflects their deep connection with livestock rearing and its impact on family sustenance.

Time Allocation and Labor Contribution: Women invest a substantial portion of their time in agricultural work. Surveys indicate that women in rice-growing regions dedicate approximately 39.34% of their waking hours to agricultural tasks. This substantial time investment underscores the reliance of Sindhi rice cultivation on female labor and their indispensable contribution to the sector.

Challenges Faced by Women

Despite their critical contributions, women remain underrecognized and undercompensated. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics reports that women work 50 hours a week in agriculture-related activities compared to 26.6% for men. Despite their hard work, 60% of women in Sindh’s agricultural sector work as unpaid laborers on family farms, with their unpaid work valued at PKR 683 billion, making up 57% of all agricultural labor. This stark disparity in recognition and compensation highlights the pressing need for policy interventions to ensure fair wages and better working conditions for women in agriculture.

Despite their crucial contributions, women sometimes lack the power to make decisions on financial and agricultural activities. Although their noteworthy contributions, rural women frequently encounter obstacles when it comes to being acknowledged and included in decision-making processes. According to survey data, women's participation in decision-making in the region was 33% in household management, 39% in family concerns, 15% in land and crop management, and just 13% in livestock management. Although the majority of female decision makers are older, their influence in domestic decision-making is restricted by the high percentage of illiteracy. In terms of educational attainment, there is a significant gender disparity between men and women.

The males keep the money they get by selling large animals and small ruminants, as well as from growing crops. The majority of men were in charge of how they spent their money, but they occasionally gave women limited autonomy over how they spent household funds. The majority of women keep the money they make by selling milk and ghee, sewing and embroidery, handicrafts, and poultry, eggs, and birds. They are free to spend that money whatever they like. Generally speaking, the women manage and spend their own money on their own.

Constant exposure to pesticides, wet fields, and strenuous physical work causes a number of health problems, including musculoskeletal disorders, skin infections, and waterborne illnesses.

Women's ability to be innovative and efficient is often limited by gender conventions that prevent them from enrolling in training programs and embracing contemporary farming practices.

This economic inequality highlights the need for laws that recognize and fairly compensate women's labor in agriculture.

Policy Recommendations

Through focused initiatives and financial incentives, the government should enact laws that acknowledge and encourage women's contributions to agriculture.

Women's productivity and economic independence can be increased by offering them training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and contemporary rice growing methods. Women's efficiency and labor loads can be greatly increased by facilitating them access to agricultural loans, high-quality inputs, and mechanization technologies.

To address occupational dangers and enhance the health of women who work in rice farming, awareness campaigns and health measures should be implemented.

Promoting the establishment of self-help organizations and cooperatives run by women can increase their negotiating leverage and open up joint marketing opportunities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, women play an indispensable role in Sindh’s agricultural sector, particularly in rice farming and livestock management. Their contributions span from pre-harvest activities such as seed selection, transplanting, and pest control to post-harvest tasks like drying, storage, and food preparation. Despite their immense efforts and dedication, women remain largely underappreciated and undercompensated, with limited access to resources, training, and decision-making opportunities. The economic value of their unpaid labor is substantial, yet it often goes unrecognized in official statistics and policy frameworks. Addressing these challenges requires targeted interventions, including policy reforms to ensure fair wages, access to agricultural inputs, and skill development opportunities. Promoting gender-inclusive policies and empowering women with financial literacy and modern farming techniques can significantly enhance their productivity and economic independence. Additionally, improving women’s health conditions and reducing occupational hazards should be prioritized to ensure their well-being. Encouraging women-led cooperatives and self-help groups can further strengthen their bargaining power and provide better market access. Recognizing and supporting women’s contributions to agriculture is not just a matter of social equity but a crucial step toward improving food security, rural livelihoods, and overall economic development in Sindh.

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

Aslam Memon is currently serving as Director, PARC-SSRI, Tandojam, Sindh, Pakistan.

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