HYDERABAD: Experts at a two-day international conference on Thursday called for women’s participation in decision-making and agricultural practices through education and capacity-building programs and underscored the need for empowerment of rural women in livestock management through targeted training and resource allocation to enhance their economic contribution.

They underscored the need for adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, promotion of innovative energy technologies such as photo catalytic fuel cells and development of nutrient-rich, bio-fortified crops to tackle malnutrition.

SAU Vice Chancellor Dr Altaf Ali Siyal said on the concluding day of the moot titled “Agricul­tural Development and Women Empowerment: Challe­nges and Way Forward” at Sindh Agriculture University, Tando­jam, that women constituted over half the population of the country and make vital contributions to farming and economic activities.

He said that agriculture sector offered boundless opportunities for both rural and urban women and praised government efforts for promoting women’s empowerment.

He urged academic institutions, social organisations and communities to enhance training programs supporting women in agriculture.

Dr Mohammad Ismail Kumbhar termed the conference a groundbreaking initiative by the SAU which was aimed at empowering women in agriculture and producing impactful outcomes.

He emphasised the need for greater social recognition of rural women’s contributions to economic development.

Dr Shabana Memon, the conference’s secretary, called for eradication of discriminatory practices and assured the event would guide future efforts to address effectively the challenges faced by women farmers.

The VC and other speakers distributed shields and certificates among organisers and participants.

The conference called for women’s participation in decision-making and agricultural practices through education and capacity-building programs, enhancing women’s access to land, resources and agricultural input to empower them economically.

It urged to integrate gender-inclusive strategies into agricultural extension programs to ensure equitable resource distribution and foster market-oriented training for women farmers to enable them to benefit from sustainable agricultural practices.

It said that training programs should be implemented to focus on climate-smart agricultural practices like sustainable water use and resilient crop varieties. The research should be encouraged and climate resilient crops should be adopted to minimise yield losses, it said.

It said that renewable energy technologies such as photo catalytic fuel cells should be promoted for sustainable energy generation and water treatment in agriculture, and community level adaptation strategies should be supported to mitigate impact of climate change on agriculture and food security.

The moot called for strengthening local food production systems through development of improved crop varieties and sustainable farming techniques. Development of nutrient-rich food products such as mushroom-fortified biscuits and alternative protein sources should be encouraged to combat malnutrition, it said.

Investment should be made in predictive modeling and data-driven approaches to identify and address public health issues, such as severe acute malnutrition and public-private partnerships for enhancing national food security and reducing dependency on imports, it said.

It proposed promotion of use of biofortified and nutrient-enriched crop varieties to address dietary deficiencies; encourage development sustainable packaging solutions such as starch-based biodegradable films to reduce environmental impact.

It said that farmers should be trained in advanced crop nutrition practices including balanced fertilisation and pest control to maximise yields and research and innovation in crop breeding and genetic improvement should be enhanced for nutrient-rich and high-yielding varieties.

It underscored the need for empowerment of rural women in livestock management through targeted training and resource allocation to enhance their economic contributions. Integrated pest management strategies that utilize biological control agents be supported for sustainable pest control, it recommended.

The moot said that livestock based livelihoods should be promoted by addressing gender-specific challenges and improving access to veterinary services and markets. Research on ecological role of soil-dwelling insects and their contribution should be enhanced to sustainable agriculture, it said.

The moot recommended that gender equitable land policies and removal of barriers that limit women’s access to farm resources should be advocated. Programs like Better Cotton Initiative should be enhanced to provide training, inputs and market linkages for women farmers, it said.

It said that critical role of women in improving family health and nutrition and support initiatives that empowered women as decision-makers should be highlighted while promotion of gender-sensitive research was needed to address specific needs and challenges faced by women in agriculture.

Published in Dawn, January 17th, 2025