Climate change, women and water resilience
In Pakistan's dry plains and productive deltas, climate change is no longer a hypothetical threat; it is a lived reality. That reality is best observed where land meets water, where women farmers in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan are reshaping resilience in the face of climate adversity. While water scarcity deepens and weather becomes increasingly volatile, these women are developing irrigation schemes, re-scheduling crop cycles, and, finally, determining the course of smallholder agriculture.
Pakistan's agriculture sector, which consumes over 90% of its available freshwater, is suffering under enormous stress from dwindling rivers, declining groundwater, and erratic monsoons. Women, who account for approximately 45% of Pakistan's agricultural labor force, are disproportionately impacted by these stresses. Owning a mere 2% of agricultural land though, these women farmers are emerging quietly as unheralded leaders in the area of water management.
Women have led raised-bed cultivation and drip irrigation in the Sindh's Badin and Thatta districts. Supported by the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project and by local NGOs, these technologies have achieved up to 30% water savings over conventional flood irrigation, besides reducing soil salinity.
In Multan and Bahawalpur districts of Southern Punjab, women farmers are restoring old water-harvesting systems, including karez and ponding. These techniques entail capturing rainwater in small reservoirs to draw on later, which allows them to stagger the times of their irrigation and cope with the capricious patterns of drought and intense rain triggered by climate change.
Water shortage is also inducing a shift in the choice of crops and dates of planting. In Balochistan's desert areas like Nushki and Mastung, where the level of groundwater declined as much as 3 meters during the past decade, women are substituting water-guzzling crops like wheat and cotton with more drought-resistant crops like barley, millet and pulses.
In Punjab, where Sutlej and Ravi rivers have grown more seasonal, women farmers are adapting by shifting to shorter crop cycles. They rotate early-maturing rice varieties such as Super Basmati with legumes and oilseeds. This only saves water, but also helps improve soil health, embodying the principles of regenerative agriculture.
Perhaps most significant of all the ways in which women are redefining resilience is through the development of informal networks and community learning. Women farmer field schools are becoming central places for the exchange of tips on irrigation timing, organic pest control and seed saving in villages throughout Sindh and Balochistan.
According to FAO, from 2018 to 2022, more than 17,000 Pakistani women were trained in climate-smart agriculture. This kind of training empowers women as it equips them with the skills required to track soil moisture, compost and settle water-sharing conflicts effectively.
The national climate policies of Pakistan are finally acknowledging the critical role of women in enhancing water resilience. The draft of the 2021 National Adaptation Plan openly embraces gender-responsive approaches to water management. Provincial governments, in their turn, are launching initiatives such as the Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project, providing subsidies on water-saving technologies for small farmers, including women. But barriers like inadequate land titles, restricted credit access and under-representation in water users' associations continue to constrain women's scope and effectiveness.
Empowering women leaders is not simply an issue of equity but efficiency. UN Women estimates that if women farmers in developing economies had equal access to resources, the agricultural yield could rise 20-30%, greatly reducing hunger. Along Pakistan's water-short borders, women farmers don't look like hapless victims of climate change, but innovative pioneers. From the salt-saturated fields of Sindh to the dry orchards of Balochistan, these remarkable women are discovering local solutions to a global issue. Their ingenuity highlights a vital truth: gender-sensitive climate adaptation is not only a good idea, but a necessity for ensuring the future of Pakistan's agriculture.
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Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Climate change, women and water resilience
Listen to article In Pakistan's dry plains and productive deltas, climate change is no longer a hypothetical threat; it is a lived reality. That reality is best observed where land meets water, where women farmers in Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan are reshaping resilience in the face of climate adversity. While water scarcity deepens and weather becomes increasingly volatile, these women are developing irrigation schemes, re-scheduling crop cycles, and, finally, determining the course of smallholder agriculture. Pakistan's agriculture sector, which consumes over 90% of its available freshwater, is suffering under enormous stress from dwindling rivers, declining groundwater, and erratic monsoons. Women, who account for approximately 45% of Pakistan's agricultural labor force, are disproportionately impacted by these stresses. Owning a mere 2% of agricultural land though, these women farmers are emerging quietly as unheralded leaders in the area of water management. Women have led raised-bed cultivation and drip irrigation in the Sindh's Badin and Thatta districts. Supported by the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project and by local NGOs, these technologies have achieved up to 30% water savings over conventional flood irrigation, besides reducing soil salinity. In Multan and Bahawalpur districts of Southern Punjab, women farmers are restoring old water-harvesting systems, including karez and ponding. These techniques entail capturing rainwater in small reservoirs to draw on later, which allows them to stagger the times of their irrigation and cope with the capricious patterns of drought and intense rain triggered by climate change. Water shortage is also inducing a shift in the choice of crops and dates of planting. In Balochistan's desert areas like Nushki and Mastung, where the level of groundwater declined as much as 3 meters during the past decade, women are substituting water-guzzling crops like wheat and cotton with more drought-resistant crops like barley, millet and pulses. In Punjab, where Sutlej and Ravi rivers have grown more seasonal, women farmers are adapting by shifting to shorter crop cycles. They rotate early-maturing rice varieties such as Super Basmati with legumes and oilseeds. This only saves water, but also helps improve soil health, embodying the principles of regenerative agriculture. Perhaps most significant of all the ways in which women are redefining resilience is through the development of informal networks and community learning. Women farmer field schools are becoming central places for the exchange of tips on irrigation timing, organic pest control and seed saving in villages throughout Sindh and Balochistan. According to FAO, from 2018 to 2022, more than 17,000 Pakistani women were trained in climate-smart agriculture. This kind of training empowers women as it equips them with the skills required to track soil moisture, compost and settle water-sharing conflicts effectively. The national climate policies of Pakistan are finally acknowledging the critical role of women in enhancing water resilience. The draft of the 2021 National Adaptation Plan openly embraces gender-responsive approaches to water management. Provincial governments, in their turn, are launching initiatives such as the Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project, providing subsidies on water-saving technologies for small farmers, including women. But barriers like inadequate land titles, restricted credit access and under-representation in water users' associations continue to constrain women's scope and effectiveness. Empowering women leaders is not simply an issue of equity but efficiency. UN Women estimates that if women farmers in developing economies had equal access to resources, the agricultural yield could rise 20-30%, greatly reducing hunger. Along Pakistan's water-short borders, women farmers don't look like hapless victims of climate change, but innovative pioneers. From the salt-saturated fields of Sindh to the dry orchards of Balochistan, these remarkable women are discovering local solutions to a global issue. Their ingenuity highlights a vital truth: gender-sensitive climate adaptation is not only a good idea, but a necessity for ensuring the future of Pakistan's agriculture.
Business Recorder
27-06-2025
- Business Recorder
My family tried grocery delivery instead of our weekly grocery trip — here's what changed
The Sunday grocery routine For years, our family spent every Sunday doing one thing: groceries. It was always the same ritual. We'd wake up, brace for the traffic, navigate crowded aisles, and somehow still forget the one thing we really needed. The grocery store would be packed, popular grocery items often out of stock, prices unpredictable, and by the time we got home, we were too drained to even think about what to cook for dinner. We'd walk in feeling determined and walk out exhausted — usually with a receipt longer than my arm and half the day gone. Then one weekend, we decided to try something different. We opened the phone, saw an ad across the screen that prompted us to download yet another Pakistani grocery app — the Bazaar app. After some scrolling, we were pleasantly surprised. They had all the grocery items we usually buy, with better prices. We thought, Why not try skipping the Sunday stress for once? So we placed our first online grocery delivery order. Spoiler: We haven't been back to the grocery store since. Why we considered a change As life got busier, squeezing in even an hour trip to the grocery store near us felt more like a chore than a choice. Between work calls, errands, school runs, and everything else, grocery shopping was just one more thing we dreaded. On top of that, we noticed that our grocery shopping costs were creeping up. Every time we went to pick up 'just a few things,' we'd walk out with a cart full of extras — snacks, random sauces, and things we didn't need. Those impulse purchases were eating away at our budget without us even realizing it. We knew we needed a smarter way to plan and stick to our grocery list. That's when we started exploring other options. When we read about weekly grocery delivery in Pakistan, it sounded too good to be true. Fresh groceries? Delivered every week? No crowds, no stress? We figured it was worth a try. What actually changed: the before & after Time saved No more traffic jams. No more long checkout lines. No more circling for parking or hauling heavy bags into the house. We reclaimed our Sundays — and the hours we saved each week were better spent together as a family, catching up on rest, or doing literally anything else. With our grocery shopping handled by the app, it felt like we'd gotten a little piece of our weekend back. Smarter budgeting Breaking our shopping into weekly chunks helped us control our spending much better. We could adjust based on what we actually used, avoid overbuying, and skip those mid-month panic runs. It was easier to stick to a weekly grocery budget than try to manage one huge monthly splurge. Plus, we could see real-time prices, compare packs and brands, and decide what fit our budget before checking out. Fresher groceries Instead of buying huge quantities of vegetables that wilted by week two, we received fresher stock every few days. Milk, fruits, leafy greens, and yogurt — all arrived in good condition. This meant less spoilage, fewer emergency trips to the store, and better meals overall. We never realized how much we were wasting just by buying too much at once. Mental load reduced One underrated benefit? Mental peace. We weren't constantly wondering if we had enough tea bags or cooking oil left. Our saved grocery items list in the app kept us organized, and weekly planning quickly became second nature. It felt like a small but powerful shift that freed up headspace we didn't even know we were using. Unexpected benefits Trying weekly delivery led us to discover local products we'd never noticed before. We came across some great Pakistani brands for staples like flour, spices, and cleaning supplies — high quality and budget-friendly. The grocery app made it easier to try new things we might've skipped in-store. With better visibility and recommendations, we started experimenting with recipes and feeling more inspired to cook at home. Weirdly enough, we even started looking forward to grocery shopping — from our couch, that is. What we'd tell someone considering weekly grocery delivery It's 100% worth it. Especially if you're a busy parent, a working professional, or just someone who wants more control over your time, budget, and sanity. You don't have to ditch in-store shopping entirely — sometimes a trip to your favorite grocery store is still useful for specialty items or last-minute needs. But switching to weekly delivery for all the basics is a total game-changer. Whether you're comparing options from an online grocery store or searching for the best online grocery store in Pakistan, having your grocery items list sorted and delivered from the comfort of your home makes all the difference. Final thoughts It's been a few weeks since our family made the switch, and honestly, we're not going back. We get our time back, our groceries stay fresher, and we're spending smarter. 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Express Tribune
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Varsity victory
Listen to article The QS World University Rankings is a prestigious international ranking of the world's top universities, released annually by UK-based higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Last year, 10 Pakistani universities made the cut among approximately 1,500 universities from more than 100 countries. Impressively, this year, 18 Pakistani universities have joined the ranks of globally acknowledged and celebrated varsities – almost double the number. The inclusion of our universities in this list is a moment of pride for the higher education sector and its continued efforts towards producing the educated cream of the country. Among the 18 Pakistani universities included in the rankings, Quaid e Azam University, Islamabad, ranks highest at 354 globally, whereas The Islamia University of Bahawalpur falls within the 1,401-1500 range. Without doubt, their placement is a noteworthy achievement. However, it does raise important questions about the shortcomings in our higher education system that deters these universities from breaking into the top 100. The universities in the QS list are ranked according to several indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per faculty and faculty presence. While Pakistani universities do their best to prepare their students for a well-rounded segue into the real world, they often fall short of advancing original research and publications in high-impact journals. The country's field of academia is no stranger to corruption at the top and hassle-free publication sometimes restricts itself to upper class circles, making academia inaccessible for a lot of academics. Moreover, universities often lack government funding crucial for modern facilities and advancements. This delay is complemented with outdated curriculums that do not always reflect what the future demands. Despite these gaps and roadblocks, 18 Pakistani universities are now globally recognised for their quality education and environment, and they will hopefully pave the way for even stronger performance in the future.
