The role of rural women in country’s development especially the women farmers cannot be denied, however they faced with challenge of excessive use of chemical pesticides in the field which poses threat to their health. October 15 is being marked as International Day for Rural Women, the rural women hailing from south Punjab are backbone of agriculture sector. Their role in promotion of crops and livestock sector is of vital importance. Without their participation, the both sectors will collapse, said Farmer Muhammad Arif, resident of Nawabpur while talking to media.
The lush, fertile land that has fed the nation for generations is now facing a daunting challenge – the excessive use of chemical pesticides. This peril not only threatens human health but also jeopardizes soil fertility and the environment, he hinted. In a land where approximately 77% of the population resides in rural areas, agriculture is not just an occupation; its a way of life. According to the South Punjab Agriculture Secretariat, an astounding 5 million farmers, with the majority being women, toil tirelessly in the fields daily. Poverty is a formidable force that compels these women to eke out a living by working in agriculture. They are an indispensable force in the vegetable fields, forming groups that work relentlessly to cultivate the food we all enjoy. The cotton fields would be barren without the nimble fingers of women pickers. But their indispensable roles come at a grave cost. The widespread use of chemical pesticides has thrown a dark shadow over their lives. Excessive and imbalanced pesticide use poses a severe threat to the health and well-being of these women.
Dr. Waqas Arqam, a medical practitioner, highlighted the two-fold complications emerging from pesticide exposure: acute and chronic. The acute effects can be catastrophic, leading to unconsciousness. Contact dermatitis, characterized by itching, bleeding, and infection, is also affecting women. However, its the chronic implications that are truly alarming. Continuous exposure to chemical pesticides leads to the accumulation of these toxic substances within the human body, eventually causing cancer, liver complications, infertility, and a host of other health issues, especially among women farmers, he alarmed. Progressive Farmer Laique Shiekhana stated that excessive use of pesticide also damaged environment.
He however suggested using bio pesticides to promote health by keeping environment neat and clean.
