I am Atiqa Anjum, a small farmer from a cold and remote area of Gilgit-Baltistan, located in the north of Pakistan. An area so beautiful, there pervades a melancholy of gender inequality, evident in almost every field, farming included. It is with immense pleasure to be sharing my views.
Female farmers work throughout the whole cycle of cultivation, except marketing. It is always the men who sell the vegetables and other agricultural commodities which women produced. Even a young boy at 10 years of age can sell apricot on a cart but it is taboo for women. I have a degree in Business Administration, but even I am not allowed to sell vegetables directly to the customers.
Here I am talking about the lack of financial independence among women farmers. It is almost impossible to ensure gender equality in farming when a female is not financially independent despite her hard toil on the land.
The government is working on limited areas related to gender equality in agriculture, most of which are mainly training on production.
My idea of gender equality in farming is to create a platform for females to get involved in agribusiness, a platform where females can understand the business trends, market demands and can interact directly with the customer, and can work on new innovative agriculture ideas. I request the government of Pakistan to establish female farmers’ markets in Gilgit Baltistan at least monthly to bring an idea of agri-entrepreneurship, where female farmers can sell the product from their land. This way, female farmers can contribute to the formation of women agri-entrepreneurs in the region.
Atiqa Anjum
Pakistan
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