Agriculture directly supports three-quarters of Pakistan’s population and employs half the labour force, thus accounting for one-quarter of its gross domestic product (GDP).

A number of studies conducted in other countries as well as at the national level suggest that women are the 51 per cent of the agriculture labour force the worldwide as they are engaged in almost all the agricultural activities, like production, livestock-rearing, sowing, transplanting, weeding and harvesting, winnowing, drying, husking, thrashing, etc.

Rural women carry out these tasks in addition to their normal domestic chores of cooking, taking care of children, elderly and disabled, fetching water and fuel, cleaning and maintaining the house as well as some of its construction. Despite all these established facts, the role of women in the overall economic development in general and agriculture sector in particular is usually underestimated and in majority of cases even ignored altogether. It is because of this reason Besides this problem that women associated with agriculture and irrigation sector face a number of problems, not only in Pakistan but in other countries also.

Some of the problems in agriculture sector can be summarized as minimum labour wages, more working hours, lack of basic property rights as individuals, lack of access to control and management of land and other resources, lack of agriculture extension training and lack of credit etc.

The problems women face in irrigation sector can be summarized as under: women have no control on and participation in the decision-making processes; no clear-cut rights and as water users; and no representation in the irrigation-related agencies.

However a number of gender-related studies have shown that women’s participation in agriculture and irrigation activities have a great impact on the situation.. For example, some studies have suggested that in case of being directly involved in farming, women are likely to spend less from the earnings compared to men and that women are more interested in investments in improving land and other natural resources far more as compared to men.

Two studies that compared land productivity of irrigated plots under women’s management to that under man-management indicated a higher productivity for those plots which were managed by females. In Senegal, a higher density and higher-variety of crops were observed in women’s irrigation schemes compared to men’s schemes.

Most estimates of male-female differences in technical efficiency show that male and female farmers are equally efficient managers, controlling levels of input and human capital .In one Kenyan case, a simulation model predicted a 22-per cent increase in women’s yields in maize and bean plots if women farmers were given the human capital and input levels of male farmers.

Similarly, gender-related studies conducted purely in irrigation sector also suggested that both women and men are equal managers and irrigators. Besides, women have also been dealing with utilizing and conserving water resources on the daily basis. Women have expertise in water management and they have more sensitization with regard to the importance of water than the men.

For example, contaminated water results in the reproductive problems for women, drinking water shortages compels women to travel longer hours in the pursuit of water and as a result of water shortages in the rural areas the work-load of women also increases.

With the launching of the World Bank-funded mega-irrigation related project ‘National Drainage Programme’ (NDP) in Pakistan, it was expected that the project would prove to be a gender-sensitized project to be implemented on the basis of gender-equality in the irrigation sector.

However such hopes were shattered with the passage of some years of the implementation process of the scheme. The way reforms under the NDP are being carried out offers almost no incentives and space for the womenfolk. For example, the reforms carry no agenda for landownership rights, an area where women are usually deprived of their rights.

Similarly, the institutions like the Provincial Irrigation and Drainage Authorities (PIDAs). Area Water Boards (AWBs) at canal-level, and farmers organizations have no representation of women on them. This situation arose due to the fact that ownership of the land is the criteria for membership of these farmers’ organisations which women cannot fulfil.

Policy makers and irrigation-related agencies should develop policies based on a sound understanding of the prevailing gender relations and they should include women stakeholders from the early phase of irrigation reforms onwards the planning process for infrastructure development of farmers organizations. Gender analysis be incorporated into all research, problem diagnosis, information and monitoring networks and formulation of solutions with regard to irrigation reforms.

Reforms are also needed in the legal system to ensure legal clarity on women’s water rights and membership for farmers organizations. Similarly, equal participation for women should be ensured in forums or networks for collective management arrangements-generally required for strengthening access to water at farm level.