PARTICIPATION LEVEL OF RURAL WOMEN IN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITIES

In Pakistan about fifty percent labour force is provided by the rural women. Contribution of rural women in the agriculture is underestimated. This study was planed with the objective to determine the involvement of the rural women in the agricultural activities. Tehsil Faisalabad was selected for this study. Eight villages were selected at random. From each selected village 48 farm families were randomly selected. Thus making a sample of 384 farm families comprising husband and wife leading to a total 768 of respondents. The data thus collected were analyzed and interpreted by using appropriate statistical package to draw the conclusions. Most of the activities were dominated by the husbands with the remarkable contribution of wives, such as wheat harvesting, wheat binding, wheat threshing, prepare land for sugarcane, sugarcane sowing, sugarcane peeling and binding, gur making, rice sowing, weeding of rice, harvesting of rice. Whereas wives’ contribution was higher in seed cleaning and picking of vegetables. Clear policies and strategies should be formulated on the promotion of women’s advancement in agriculture.