In the current era of the digital age, it is imperative to improve access to digital tools for the vulnerable, marginalized communities of women so that they can incorporate technology into their daily lives and further improve their skill sets.
Noor Bibi, a young woman who lives in a village close to the district of Tank in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, shared her experience of learning new, cutting-edge technical skills in livestock management, contributing to vegetable gardening at her house and creating more opportunities for women farmers in her community to generate income and improve their standard of living.
In celebration of Women’s Day 2023, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and USAID organized a seminar and panel discussion on “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality” in Islamabad.
The event highlighted the need for inclusivity, technology incorporation, and the significant role of Pakistani female agricultural farmers in crop production.
Women’s contribution to Pakistan’s food security is crucial, given that they represent a majority of the agricultural workforce. The total labor force employed in agriculture is over 37.4%, and 67.9% of the workforce in agriculture are women. However, their participation in agriculture policies and activities is still generally disregarded.
IWMI through USAID-funded activity water Management for enhanced productivity (wMfep) has assisted in giving women opportunities in various knowledge transfer and capacity-building trainings to progress their career, enhance their lifestyle and contribute to developing their community.
Dr. Mark Smith, Director General, IWMI stated, “The target beneficiaries of wMfep include the local population particularly women and youth in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and specifically the Gomal Zam Dam command area in the two districts of Dera Ismail Khan and Tank.” Muhammad Nawaz, Development specialist (water resources Management) USAID Mission Pakistan, said that “We need to seriously create institutional framework for regulating ground water so that if there is a drought, then we should have sufficient ground water.”
In the current era of the digital age, it is imperative to improve access to digital tools for the vulnerable, marginalized communities of women so that they can incorporate technology into their daily lives and further improve their skill sets. It’s critical to provide women from all spheres of society the space they need to grow and excel in their fields, take leadership roles, and make policy-making decisions. It is the only way to create an inclusive and progressive society.
