Hidden Stories of Multan’s Women Farmers

APP

Multan: An astounding 5 million farmers, with the majority being women, toil tirelessly in the fields daily, according to the South Punjab Agriculture Secretariat.

In a land where approximately 77 per cent of the population resides in rural areas, agriculture is not just an occupation; it’s a way of life. Poverty is a formidable force that compels these women to eke out a living by working in agriculture.

The role of women farmers in a country’s development cannot be denied. They are an indispensable force in the vegetable fields, forming groups that work relentlessly to cultivate the food we all enjoy. The cotton fields would be barren without the nimble fingers of women pickers.

But their indispensable roles come at a grave cost. Excessive and imbalanced pesticide use in the field poses a severe threat to the health and well-being of these women.

October 15 is being marked as International Day for Rural Women. Rural women hailing from south Punjab are the backbone of the agriculture sector.

Their role in the promotion of crops and livestock is of vital importance. Without their participation, both sectors will collapse, said Farmer Muhammad Arif, a resident of Nawabpur.

Medical Practitioner Dr Waqas Arqam highlighted the two-fold complications emerging from pesticide exposure: acute and chronic. The acute effects can be catastrophic, leading to unconsciousness, he added.

Moreover, contact dermatitis, characterised by itching, bleeding and infection, is also affecting women, Dr Arqam stated.

However, it’s the chronic implications that are truly alarming. Continuous exposure to chemical pesticides leads to the accumulation of these toxic substances within the human body, eventually causing cancer, liver complications, infertility and a host of other health issues, especially among women farmers.

The lush, fertile land that has fed the nation for generations is now facing a daunting challenge: the excessive use of chemical pesticides. This peril not only threatens human health but also jeopardises soil fertility and the environment, further said Arif.

Progressive farmer Laique Shiekhana stated that excessive use of pesticides also damaged the environment, suggesting using biopesticides to promote health by keeping the environment neat and clean.