LAHORE — Over 120 rural women farmers and agricultural workers gathered at the Lahore Press Club on Wednesday to mark Rural Women’s Day, issuing bold demands for gender-just food systems and full recognition of women’s role in food production. The event was organized by the Pakistan Kissan Rabita Committee (PKRC) in collaboration with Tameer-e-Nau Women Workers Organisation (TWWO), under the Asia-wide mobilization led by the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD). Dawn
Key Demands: Rights, Recognition & Resources
The participants called for:
- Legal recognition of rural women as food producers in all agricultural policy frameworks
- Equal access to land, water, quality seeds, and agricultural inputs
- Protection from climate-induced disasters that threaten rural livelihoods
- Prioritization of domestic food sovereignty over export-oriented, corporate-led farming
- Access to grant-based climate finance from wealthy nations to support adaptation for women farmers
“Women in rural Pakistan are the backbone of our food systems, yet they remain invisible in policy and resource allocation,” said Riffat Maqsood, Chairperson of TWWO. “Gender-just food systems mean giving women the right to land, water, and fair prices — not charity but justice.” Dawn
Context: Floods, Climate, and Agricultural Strain
Pakistan’s agriculture continues to suffer from recurring disasters. In 2022, massive floods submerged one-third of the country and disproportionately affected millions of women agricultural workers. Dawn Rural women and girls often bear the extra burdens of fetching water, fuel, and coping with crop losses in the face of climate stress.
Speakers at the mobilization warned that industrial, corporate farming models and land grabs have eroded smallholder food systems and marginalized women farmers further. They criticized institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for historically promoting agricultural models that sideline small producers. Dawn
Looking Forward: What Must Change
For meaningful transformation, activists demand:
- Legal reforms to guarantee land rights and resource access for rural women
- Agricultural policies that recognize women as equal stakeholders
- Public investment in climate-resilient agriculture led by local women
- Rejecting corporate agricultural dominance in favor of ecological, community-based food systems
