Women in agriculture in Afghanistan

Women's roles in agriculture in Afghanistan have been shaped by the cultural landscape of the country. Women comprise nearly half of the farming and agricultural workforce in Afghanistan. In recent years, women have been contributing to farm work and been earning money or barter goods for their contributions.

Two women wearing burqas involved in agriculture at the Qalat Department of Women's Affairs, which is located in the Zabul province of Afghanistan.

History

Like the Amish in the United States, Afghan men traditionally dominated farming in Afghanistan while their women were occasionally used to help work fields or tend livestock.[1] Seed production has also traditionally been done primarily by male farmers in Afghanistan.[2]

Women have lower land rights in Afghanistan, though the Constitution can be interpreted to allow women to own land and Islam's Sharia law has provisions for widows and daughters to inherit a share of land.[3] Women who own or manage land in some parts of the country are unable to sell it, and the land is passed down through inheritance.[4] Many women have also traditionally been restricted in their movements and are often unable to travel outside of their villages.[5]

Modern farming

Today, women make up almost half of the agricultural workforce, though in many rural areas, they are still marginalized.[6] Women's contributions to agriculture in Afghanistan are often "meagerly rewarded."[7] Women have a high rate of contribution to opium, livestock and dairy products, but rarely receive pay.[8] Yet women's participation in agriculture is often considered "key, not only to ensuring increased agricultural production, but also for improving food and nutrition security."[9] Women are "a force for stability in their communities."[10] They are also seen as agents of change in their own households.[11]

Women have been instrumental in organizing small village farm unions in Afghanistan in recent years.[12] Women's work with the farming unions has also raised their status in the areas they live in, where they are no longer known as wives and mothers of men, but instead by their roles in the union.[12] In addition, women have helped introduce new types of crops to the areas they are farming such as cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes and beans which compete better on the market.[12]

In Parwan-Bastan, women have had the opportunity to become involved in producing seeds and have created "village-based seed enterprises."[2] Outside of Kabul, farmer training programs for women have been implemented since 2009.[13] These programs allow women to earn their own money and achieve financial Independence.[13]

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as Global Partnership for Afghanistan (GPFA), have helped women become more involved in farming.[14] Such initiatives have helped revitalize orchards, constructed cold-storage facilities and provided educational resources.[7] Another program that has helped women with their agricultural business is the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) which was developed by the Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development in 2003.[1] NSP provides agricultural resources to women, which may include a grant of chickens, tax breaks and marketing for their businesses.[1]

Gender-based discrimination

Some Afghan women face difficulties selling their produce because of their gender. One woman from Baghlan province described her own experience: "It really irritates me when I meet shopkeepers to talk about selling my fruit and they tell me, 'Go and send a man from your family because you are a woman.'"[1]

See also

References

Citations
  1. Mohammadai, Arzo (23 June 2016). "Afghan Women Take on Farming". Global Voices. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  2. Lala-Pritchard, Tana (9 March 2016). "Women Farmers in Afghanistan Score Success With Village Seed Enterprise". CGIAR. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. Afghanistan: Land Ownership and Agricultural Laws Handbook. 1. International Business Publications. 2011. pp. 47–78. ISBN 978-1438758442.
  4. Grace 2004, p. 5.
  5. Grace 2004, p. 16.
  6. "Increased Women's Participation in Field Days in Afghanistan". ICARDA. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  7. Thompson, Suzanne. "Planting Seeds in Afghanistan". International Museum of Women. Global Fund for Women. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  8. Skaine, Rosemarie (2008). Women of Afghanistan in the Post-Taliban Era: How Lives Have Changed and Where They Stand Today. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 94. ISBN 9780786437924.
  9. "Afghanistan: Launch of National Strategy on Women in Agriculture Development". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  10. Epatko, Larisa (4 December 2014). "Helping Afghan Farmers Regrow the Economy". PBS Newshour. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  11. Deveraux, Taryn. "Strengthening Agricultural Extension for Female Afghan Farmers". YPARD. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  12. Mashal, Mujib (31 August 2016). "In Afghanistan's Farm Belt, Women Lead Unions and Find New Status". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  13. "How This Farming Project Helps Afghan Women Grow Financial Independence". PBS Newshour. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  14. Fischer, Yael Julie (25 May 2011). "Amid Afghanistan's Turmoil, Farmers Learn And Thrive". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 November 2016.

Sources
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