Women's contribution must get equal treatment

This year the International Women's Day was observed with the theme “Empowering Women-Empowering Humanity: Picture It!" This year's event also marks the 20th anniversary of the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 that set the agenda for realising women's rights. Since then women's status in communities and countries has witnessed remarkable improvement--especially in the field of nutrition and food security women's contribution is commendable.

In an event participated by FAO, IFAD, WFP representatives in Rome, IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze delivered the opening keynote address pointing out that “as men in developing countries migrate to urban centers or shift to better-paid work, a feminisation of agriculture has occurred with approximately half of the agricultural workforce worldwide now made up of women”. This is indeed encouraging news. I strongly feel that governments in the developing countries should take appropriate measures so that women workers working in agricultural and other industrial sectors get equal pay and status like their male counterparts. 

Professor M Zahidul Haque
Department of Agricultural Extension & Information System, SAU, Dhaka