ISLAMABAD: Findings of a study on women’s work burden and their effects on child labour says the Punjab government has not yet formally recognised the role of women agriculture workers who still do not benefit from legal protection regardless of their contribution to the agricultural labour force.

The study, ‘Gender roles related to work burden and child labour in agriculture in Punjab’, carried out by the Punjab Economic Research Institute with the support of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), suggested that agricultural policy, extension advisory services, training activities and education strategies should recognise the central role of women in small-scale agriculture and it should be more inclusive. Citing example, it says extension advisory services and training activities should be offered to the entire households rather than only to the males.

In the surveyed communities, 69.1 per cent of women reported their primary occupation to be household work (which also includes agricultural work for home consumption such as tending for small ruminants) and 24.3pc reported agricultural labour as their second occupation. On the other hand, 28.7pc of surveyed men indicated they were farmers while 36pc mentioned agricultural labour as their main occupation.

During planting and harvesting seasons, the demand for labour increases and women commonly work from 8 to 10 hours per day in the field on top of the 4 to 5 hours per day they need to perform their households related tasks, the study found.

Women workers do not benefit from legal protection, says study

Gaps in women’s skills are recognised as a major barrier to diversify their roles and undertaking income-generating activities. Focusing in Multan, Bahawalpur and Multan districts, the study found that the provincial government does not offer training opportunities to women on any of the tasks that women are commonly engaged in.

“There are no government initiatives to enhance income-generating skills for women working on these small-scale farms.” Resultantly, when demands for paid skilled agriculture labour are high, men are preferred over the women, due to their skills and knowledge, the study points out.

It recommended that agriculture policies should be reviewed with a gender lens to engage more women in agriculture extension services, input supply, and access to finance, among others. There is a need to build rural women’s capacities for increased participation across the crop value chain. The public and private sectors should offer tailor-made financial products for rural women.

School curricula should include more content on good agricultural practices for small-scale farming. More women should be employed by agro dealer shops to encourage women farmers to visit the shop for crop related transactions.

The study suggested that enabling women to organise themselves will help in building social cohesion in rural communities and empowering women to invest in small businesses. The public and private sectors should support the establishment and strengthening of organised farmer groups, such as cooperatives and associations to streamline the women’s participation.

There is need to address some of the key gender based constraints and their impact on child labour in these rural communities, policies and strategies. This would require strengthening parenting and community education initiatives to address harmful practices and social norms that perpetuate child labour, while collaborating with national and local governments to prevent exploitation and abuse.

National and provincial policies and strategies need to support increased access to quality education and provide comprehensive services to keep children educated, informed and protected. Smallholders, including tenant farmers and sharecroppers, require special attention from policymakers for improved rural extension and advisory services, farmer training, resources, information, and organised platforms for voicing their needs.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2023