Blossoming Gardens: Empowering Rural Women through Climate-Smart Agriculture
Coming from a small remote village in Punjab, Allah Jivae, a widow, faced numerous challenges following her husband's death. Not only did she bear the responsibility of caring for her family, but she also endured a lengthy legal battle for land ownership. Despite these obstacles, she persevered and created her food production garden, leveraging climate-smart agriculture methods.
Driven by determination, she successfully navigated the legal system, acquiring land in her own name. She then created a food garden on it with agricultural assistance from GIZ Pakistan and its partner, LASOONA, a non-profit organization, under the Strengthening Climate Adaptation and Resilience (SAR) project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Through community awareness and training initiatives, this project helped Allah Javae attain food security while increasing her family's monthly income by 20 euros.
"LASOONA's support was crucial in my eight-year struggle for land ownership following my husband's passing. Empowered by their guidance, I reshaped my family's future. Now, fresh vegetables are readily available, reducing stress, enhancing household nutrition, and ensuring equitable resource access," remarked Allah Jivae.
Transforming Communities and Challenging Gender Norms
Many women like Allah Jivae are at the forefront of the fight against climate change through innovative agricultural practices. Supported by the German Development Cooperation, rural women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab are spearheading climate-smart food production gardens, guaranteeing food security for their families and reshaping the narrative of women empowerment in traditionally conservative societies.
By participating in training on Climate Smart Agriculture practices (CSAs) and creating Food Production Gardens, these women are reducing their dependence on distant markets, improving vegetable yields, and attaining financial stability. The training also improves planting methods, disease control, and decision-making skills, thereby enhancing food security, economic empowerment, and environmental sustainability. This intervention therefore empowers women farmers and enhances overall community resilience.
Cooperating for Building Resilience and Empowering Women
The significance of climate-smart agriculture in Pakistan cannot be overstated. With its low adaptive capacity and inadequate infrastructure, Pakistan is among the countries most impacted by climate change. In collaboration with BMZ, we are helping the Pakistani government in enhancing climate adaptation and resilience among vulnerable communities, with a special emphasis on women.
Through training on climate-smart agriculture we are expanding income-generating and savings opportunities, enhancing food security, boosting on-farm productivity and empowering women. The story of Allah Jivae serves as an inspiring testament to the transformative role of Pakistani women in agriculture, demonstrating that with adequate support and resources, they can drive change in the battle against climate change and food insecurity.