‘Sindh residents need better access to food’
Those who work hard for the production are ironically the ones deprived of their produce, they pointed out.
The speakers said that agriculture is the backbone of the economy but it is also necessary to ensure access to food to all citizens. PHOTO: FILE CREATIVE COMMONS
KARACHI:
The women who work in the fields suffer due to the heavy workload, lack of proper food and nourishment which ultimately affects the health of future generations as well.
At a discussion on ‘Food Security Interventions: A dialogue on the missing links’ at the Regent Plaza Hotel on Friday, experts shared that nutrition is believed to be a complicated issue due to minimum wages and the agricultural setup in the country. The speakers said that agriculture is the backbone of the economy but it is also necessary to ensure access to food to all citizens. Those who work hard for the production are ironically the ones deprived of their produce, they pointed out.
Haris Gazdar of the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia organisation said that the number of female farmers was increasing in the country. He said that 43.4 per cent males and 73.7 per cent females were recorded working as farmers between 1999 and 2000 whereas according to the figures of 2010 and 2011, only 34.7 males compared to a high 74.2 per cent number of female farmers were found working in the fields. “The ratio of female workers is increasing and so is the issue of their health.”
[infogram url="https://infogr.am/working-farmers-1" height="740"]
“Don’t expect land reforms for the next five years,” said Piler’s executive director Karamat Ali. He was of the view that the present government was not in favour of land reforms.
Dr Aly Ercelan of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum said that that there was a time when the common man could use a ration card to buy food but they were banned due to corruption.
“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did a great job for the landless people and the working class,” appreciated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) MNA Dr Arif Alvi. On the importance of land reforms, Dr Alvi said that they also affect the economy, saying small land owners contribute more than what a bigger landlord does.
Iqbal Detho of the Save the Children organisation talked about the consequences of the lack of food insecurity on children and their mothers.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2014.
The women who work in the fields suffer due to the heavy workload, lack of proper food and nourishment which ultimately affects the health of future generations as well.
At a discussion on ‘Food Security Interventions: A dialogue on the missing links’ at the Regent Plaza Hotel on Friday, experts shared that nutrition is believed to be a complicated issue due to minimum wages and the agricultural setup in the country. The speakers said that agriculture is the backbone of the economy but it is also necessary to ensure access to food to all citizens. Those who work hard for the production are ironically the ones deprived of their produce, they pointed out.
Haris Gazdar of the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia organisation said that the number of female farmers was increasing in the country. He said that 43.4 per cent males and 73.7 per cent females were recorded working as farmers between 1999 and 2000 whereas according to the figures of 2010 and 2011, only 34.7 males compared to a high 74.2 per cent number of female farmers were found working in the fields. “The ratio of female workers is increasing and so is the issue of their health.”
[infogram url="https://infogr.am/working-farmers-1" height="740"]
“Don’t expect land reforms for the next five years,” said Piler’s executive director Karamat Ali. He was of the view that the present government was not in favour of land reforms.
Dr Aly Ercelan of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum said that that there was a time when the common man could use a ration card to buy food but they were banned due to corruption.
“Zulfikar Ali Bhutto did a great job for the landless people and the working class,” appreciated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) MNA Dr Arif Alvi. On the importance of land reforms, Dr Alvi said that they also affect the economy, saying small land owners contribute more than what a bigger landlord does.
Iqbal Detho of the Save the Children organisation talked about the consequences of the lack of food insecurity on children and their mothers.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2014.