ROLE OF RURAL WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND HOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITY IN FAISALABAD DISTRICT

Rural women in the developing and transition countries play a fundamental role in producing, purchasing, processing, providing, storing and utilizing food to their families and thereby contribute to the household food and nutrition security. This paper investigates the women's dynamic role in the agricultural activities and intra household food/nutrition security in rural areas of the Faisalabad district, Punjab province of Pakistan. More specifically it analyzes the association between demographic characters of the respondents and their role in household food security. Multistage random sampling technique was used for the purpose of data collection. One Tehsil (sub-district) from District Faisalabad was selected through simple random sampling technique. One union council from this Tehsil was selected randomly. Three villages out of five villages and 40 respondents from each selected villages were selected randomly. Thus in total 120 women were interviewed from the selected households. Significantly positive relationship was found between women age and education with intra-household food and nutrition security. Though rural women have an active role in food utilization which is one of the main pillars of food security, yet majority of the women were facing problems in household food and nutrition security particularly affordability and access to food.