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 important role in shaping the sector’s future.
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 important 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 important 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 also respond to the specific needs of women working across the sector.
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, found that women employed in agricultural wage labour earn approximately 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. Women managing farms of equal size also 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 important 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 make 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 found that more than half of the surveyed women did not use protective measures during cotton harvesting. Participants also reported health concerns, including skin and eye irritation and headaches associated with potential pesticide exposure.
The study further highlighted the economic value of prevention, finding that medical treatment expenses associated with reported health problems 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 support women working in farming communities. Syngenta Pakistan is one such company whose Zarai Khawateen Sehat Program exemplifies a community-focused initiative that brings health awareness and occupational safety guidance directly to women agricultural workers. Following recent sessions in Lahore, Multan, Sahiwal and Sheikhupura, the programme has reached 300 women involved in agricultural activities.
The initiative combines practical training on the safe and responsible use of agricultural products with awareness of personal protective equipment, workplace health and hygiene. Participating women also received medical checkups, consultations with healthcare professionals and nutrition guidance through free health camps. Protective equipment kits and sanitary essentials were distributed to help participants adopt appropriate preventive practices in their daily work.
The programme demonstrates how agricultural knowledge-sharing can be complemented by preventive healthcare and practical safety support. 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 help ensure that these considerations receive attention alongside productivity and crop management.
Equally important is creating more opportunities for women to participate in agricultural training and decision-making, while strengthening recognition of their contributions to rural economies. These efforts can support women’s well-being while helping agricultural communities benefit more fully from the knowledge, skills and experience of their workforce.
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 help unlock the full potential of a workforce that remains central to Pakistan’s agricultural future.
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