Quetta, Balochistan – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) project distributed 285 goats among 285 women homebased workers and women farmers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in district Pishin. The distribution ceremony was organized by FAO in close collaboration with the Livestock and Dairy Development Department Balochistan.
The MPTF project is investing in rural women by enhancing their capacities, decision-making power and access to key resources, services and opportunities, is a winning strategy to accelerate progress towards rural development and food security. The project is strengthening economic resilience and food security for women home based workers and women farmers in 06 districts of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are Quetta, Pishin, Lasbela, Peshawar, Swabi and Kurram.
In his message on this occasion, the Head of FAO Balochistan, Waleed Mahdi said, “Majority of the population in Balochistan lives in the rural areas and depends on agriculture and livestock sectors. These people lack financial resources and guidance to generate their livelihood on permanent basis and it is need of the hour to involve women in economic activities.” He continued and said that “gender equality is one of the key goals of the MPTF project, the project is directly focusing on women targeted interventions, creating women's leadership, and economic empowerment.”
The project is supporting the food security and livelihood interventions in the COVID- 19 hit areas, working with vulnerable women and rural communities, which will contribute towards women economic empowerment. The project is building the capacities of women farmers enabling them to recover quickly, withstand and avoid from any natural shocks and improving the resilience and living conditions of female smallholder farmers in the province.