HYDERABAD: Speakers at a programme held here on Saturday in connection with the ‘International day of rural woman’ stressed the need for raising awareness about food security, a major issue that looms large on the world on account of climate change.

The programme was organised by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) in the local press club and attended by scores of rural women, besides many activists, belonging to Hyderabad, Jamshoro and several other districts.

PFF senior vice chairman Ghulam Mustafa Mirani told the audience that his organisation had already planned various events to observe ‘Growers’ week on food sovereignty & climate justice’ (Oct 15-21) on the last day of which the PFF would hold a rally in Karachi to mark World Food Day.

“Rural women represent over 30 per cent of the country’s population. This segment of society suffers triple burden of unpaid productive, reproductive and domestic labour,” he said.

Food security, according to him, was the biggest issue being created by climate change. He said that the world’s poorest segment included farmers and fishermen who were prone to all hazards and problems relating to weather conditions including natural disasters. Simultaneously, the global population was growing fast and expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. Ensuring food security for such a huge population amid shrinking resources threatened by climate change was not an easy task that had to be accomplished by stakeholders to avoid a most serious crisis, he observed.

Civil society activist Zahida Detho said the Sindh province in particular and other provinces in general were faced with hunger and starvation causing deaths specially in rural women and children.

To turn things worse, the situation is not only increasing food insecurity but also aggravating health issues. The already inadequate livelihoods, especially those based on natural resources, are also on the decline, according to her.

Prof Mumtaz Shaikh said agreed with the speakers that food insecurity was the major fallout of climate change. He said that the day was observed to recognise the crucial role and contribution of rural women in increasing agricultural production and helping ensure rural development, improving food security situation and eradicating poverty in rural areas.

Zulfiqar Halepoto said that rural women were playing their commendable role in checking food insecurity despite facing a lot of problems and without even having basic amenities available to them and fundamental rights having been given to them. He called for rural women’s secure access to their lands and water resources where eco-sensible farming had its significance to avoid or at least mitigate vulnerability.

Civil society activist Suleman G. Abro said that 76 per cent of the people living in abject poverty had their concentration in the rural areas. Ensuring rural women’s access to productive agricultural resources would contribute to curb hunger and poverty, he said, adding that rural women played a major role in ensuring success of the new sustainable development agenda for 2030.

Punhal Sario, Farida Channa, Nasir Ali Panhwar, Saeed Baloch and Nobahar Wassan were among the other speakers.

Published in Dawn October 16th, 2016