Women's role in agriculture should be recognised

Speakers yesterday called for recognising women who work in agricultural sector as farmers and ensuring them equal payment.

They also asked the government to calculate the value of women's unpaid work and incorporate it into the country's GDP.

They said this at a seminar titled "The Role of Women in Agricultural Development of Bangladesh" organised by Kirshibid Institution Bangladesh to observe International Women's Day in the capital's Farmgate.

Prof Mahfuza Begum of the Agronomy department of Bangladesh Agricultural University presented the keynote paper.

In her paper, she said over the last one and half decades female participation in agriculture has increased from 27.

8 to 64.8 percent due to various reasons; including poverty, changes in society and empowerment of women by different NGOs.

Women are highly engaged in feeding and collecting grass and fodder for domestic animals, putting to and taking out of shelter, cleaning sheds, offering water to animals and selling eggs and milk, she said, adding men are engaged in selling and marketing.

Pointing out Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI), she said though they have a great contribution in agriculture, 77 percent of rural women in Bangladesh are disempowered.

In Haor area, the percentage of overall participation of men and women in livestock and poultry rearing activities are 39 and 42 respectively, she said.

She also recommended strictly following the national policy for advancement of women at institutional level and providing them friendly environmental and facilities like toilets, office room arrangements and daycare centre.

Former member of Planning Commission Prof Abdus Satter Mandal said women are burdened with extra workload as they have to maintain works at home and outside.

After the seminar, country's first female agriculturist Bilqis Amin Hoque was awarded for her extraordinary contribution in agriculture sector.

Among others, lawmaker Simeen Hossain, President of Kirshibid Institution Bangladesh AFM Bahauddin Nasim and FAO representative Dr Mike Robson were present at the seminar.