The Paradox of Women in Pakistan’s Agriculture

As Pakistan looks to strengthen agricultural productivity and food security, greater recognition of women farm workers and investment in their health, hygiene and workplace safety could play an significant role in shaping the sector's future.

Key points

• Research conducted among 260 female cotton-picking workers in Sindh's Shaheed Benazirabad district provides useful insights into these occupational health considerations.
• Syngenta Pakistan is one such firm whose Zarai Khawateen Sehat Program exemplifies a community-focused initiative that brings health awareness and occupational safety guidance directly to women agricultural workers.
• Women managing farms of equal size additionally experience a 24 percent productivity gap, reflecting differences in access to productive resources, agricultural services, technology and other opportunities.
• This presents an significant paradox for a country seeking to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen food security.
• In Pakistan, where women are extensively involved in agricultural activities, their health and occupational safety represent particularly significant areas for attention.

Women have long been an integral part of Pakistan's agricultural economy, contributing to crop cultivation, harvesting, livestock management and numerous activities that sustain rural livelihoods and national food production. Yet an significant aspect of their contribution receives comparatively less attention: the relationship between their economic participation and their access to healthcare, hygiene facilities, occupational safety and agricultural training.

This presents an significant paradox for a country seeking to improve agricultural productivity and strengthen food security. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics' Labour Force Survey 2024-25, 61.4 percent of employed women work in agriculture, forestry, hunting and fishing. Their substantial participation highlights the importance of ensuring that agricultural development initiatives additionally respond to the specific needs of women working throughout the sector.

Notably, the challenge is not unique to Pakistan. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in its report The Status of Women in Agrifood Systems, discovered that women employed in agricultural wage labour earn approximately 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women managing farms of equal size additionally experience a 24 percent productivity gap, reflecting differences in access to productive resources, agricultural services, technology and other opportunities.

In Pakistan, where women are extensively involved in agricultural activities, their health and occupational safety represent particularly significant areas for attention. Fieldwork often involves physically demanding tasks, prolonged exposure to weather conditions and, in some activities, potential contact with agricultural chemicals. Access to appropriate protective equipment, practical safety guidance, sanitation facilities and preventive healthcare can therefore create a meaningful difference to their everyday working conditions.

Research conducted among 260 female cotton-picking workers in Sindh's Shaheed Benazirabad district provides useful insights into these occupational health considerations. Published in Science of the Total Environment in 2019, the study discovered that more than half of the surveyed women did not apply protective measures during cotton harvesting. Participants additionally noted health reservations, including skin and eye irritation and headaches associated with potential pesticide exposure.

Notably, the study further highlighted the economic value of prevention, finding that medical treatment expenses associated with documented health difficulties were approximately 2.5 times the cost of preventive measures. While the research focused on a specific group of cotton workers, its findings underline the importance of making occupational health awareness and appropriate safety equipment more accessible to agricultural communities.

As the world marks the International Day of Rural Women on October 15, the occasion provides an opportunity for Pakistan's agricultural stakeholders to consider how existing initiatives can be expanded to better backing women working in farming communities. Syngenta Pakistan is one such firm whose Zarai Khawateen Sehat Program exemplifies a community-focused initiative that brings health awareness and occupational safety guidance directly to women agricultural workers. After recent sessions in Lahore, Multan, Sahiwal and Sheikhupura, the programme has reached 300 women involved in agricultural activities.

In practice, the initiative combines practical training on the safe and responsible employ of agricultural products with awareness of personal protective equipment, workplace health and hygiene. Participating women additionally received medical checkups, consultations with healthcare professionals and nutrition guidance through free health camps. Protective equipment kits and sanitary essentials were distributed to support participants adopt appropriate preventive practices in their daily work.

Notably, the programme demonstrates how agricultural knowledge-sharing can be complemented by preventive healthcare and practical safety backing. By involving medical professionals and providing necessary supplies alongside training, such initiatives can contribute to improving awareness and encouraging safer working practices within farming communities.

There is considerable potential to expand this approach through greater collaboration among agricultural businesses, growers, industry associations, public institutions, healthcare providers and development organisations. Incorporating women's health, hygiene and safety into agricultural extension services, workforce development programmes and rural community engagement can support ensure that these considerations receive attention alongside productivity and crop management.

While strengthening recognition of their contributions to rural economies, equally significant is creating more opportunities for women to participate in agricultural training and decision-making. These efforts can backing women's well-being while helping agricultural communities benefit more fully from the knowledge, skills and experience of their workforce.

Meanwhile, the International Day of Rural Women offers a timely reminder that recognising women's role in agriculture and improving the conditions in which they work are mutually reinforcing objectives. Building on existing public and private-sector initiatives, greater collaboration and sustained investment in women's health, safety and professional development can support unlock the full potential of a workforce that remains central to Pakistan's agricultural future. Stay Connected with ProPakistani. Obtain the latest news and stories wherever you prefer. Follow on Google Discover. Follow on Google News Join WhatsApp. See more ProPakistani stories in Google Search and Top Stories.

Taken together, the developments around the Paradox of Women in Pakistan's Agriculture point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.