Association chair: Rural women's agricultural production development needs comprehensive approach

A comprehensive and coordinated approach is needed for rural women's development in agricultural production, Gulbaniz Ganbarova, the chairwoman of the Azerbaijan Rural Women's Association, told a COP29 panel discussion themed "AgriFuture 2024: The Impact of Human Capital Investment on Sustainable Agricultural Transformation" held in Baku, Report informs.

According to Ganbarova, all relevant organizations must have the same goal to reach out to female farmers to advance organic food production and preserve biodiversity: "We hope that we can jointly create solutions that women farmers trust and rely on in fighting against the negative effects of climate change. Any initiative is welcome. It is necessary to invest in female farmers' self-confidence for smart and climate-resilient agriculture."

Ganbarova said that the social responsibility of women engaged in agriculture is directly related to environmental problems: "They contribute to providing irrigation water to non-irrigated lands and increase the size of cultivated areas. Members of women's cooperatives in the Tovuz district couldn't grow natural and tasty local potato varieties. While other modified varieties require six irrigations, this type needs eight irrigations. Thus, the solution is drip irrigation which preserves biodiversity."

"The women's cooperative in the Barda district grows and sells seedlings of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, melons, and other vegetables. Women's seed producer groups in Goranboy, Beylagan, Zagatala, and Balakan successfully preserve Azerbaijan's biodiversity."