USAID is supporting rural Pakistani women farmers to increase crop and livestock productivity.
The Rural Livelihood Development Program in Balochistan built the capacity of 50 female community organizations to increase crop and livestock productivity, improve on-farm water management, and foster improved market linkages for agricultural inputs and outputs.
The program also provides institutional capacity building to 200 community organizations which train women in entrepreneurial skills, improved marketing, and agricultural-related technical training. The program will enable 40,000 women and girls to increase their income by 20 percent.
Rural Pakistani women do the majority of livestock and agriculture management, frequently in the form of unpaid “family” work. The USAID agriculture programs will develop skills and techniques of female farmers while strengthening women’s control over the financial resources generated by their work.
Balochistan faces debilitating drought and severe water scarcity which negatively affects production and value addition in crop and livestock development. To address this issue, efficient water use and management is integral to USG livelihood activities in horticulture and livestock development. Forty percent of sheep in Pakistan come from Balochistan. Through the introduction of wool grading and a site visit to the Ghazi Wool Industry in Southern Punjab, USAID helped farmers gain from an increased sale price of $11 for 40kg of raw wool to $20 for graded white wool. Read more about the economic growth program.
