“Gender empowerment and an improved role of women in the agriculture sector are necessary for sustainable socio-economic development,” University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) Vice Chancellor Iqrar Ahmad Khan said on Thursday.
He was speaking at an international conference on Emerging Horizons of Agriculture Extension for Sustainable Rural Development organised by the UAF.
Khan said the country could not progress without active participation of women. He said the role of women in promoting modern agricultural practices could tackle food security affecting 58 per cent of the country’s population.
The UAF, he said, had developed a comprehensive strategy for equipping rural women with technical skills in order to enhance their capabilities.
He said more knowledge gained through research needed to be translated into better goods and services.
Grant Vinning of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said 90 per cent of Balochistan’s population was food insecure. He said 53 per cent people in Balochistan were living under the poverty line.
“As many as 200,000 farmers are benefitting directly or indirectly through a sustainable agriculture project initiated by FAO in Balochistan,” he said.
Vinning said group marketing of small land holders was among the methods being used to increase farm productivity.
SRI Public Sector Reforms Managing Director Shirely Randell said active participation of women was necessary to compete with the rest of the world. She said farm products accounted for one-third of the GDP in Rwanda.
“Women have 64 per cent representation in Rwanda’s parliament… women make up around 43 per cent of supreme court judges in Rwanda,” she said.
Faculty of Social Sciences Dean Iqbal Zafar said the per acre farm yield in Pakistan was low even though a good cropping system was in place. He said modern agricultural practices could help achieve food security.
Institute of AgriCulture Extension and Rural Development Director Tanvir Ali said massive online open courses (MOOC) were gaining popularity as these provided students an opportunity to interact with world’s best scholars over the internet.
“The UAF is working on MOOCs… the university has also launched a website to help farmers,” he said.
Directorate of Agricultural Information Director Muhammad Rafiq Akhtar said there were 91 radio stations in the country and 128 million people used mobile phones.
He said his department was working to disseminate modern farming techniques through any medium of communication.
Agriculture Acumen Foundation Global Head Sheikh Noorullah and Dr Iftikhar also spoke on the occasion.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2014.