Gender Mainstreaming Interventions :

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan, while agriculture is vital to the rural economy, women face significant gender disparities, despite their crucial role in agriculture and rural livelihoods. Their contributions are often overlooked due to limited access to resources, education, and information, and cultural norms that confine them to unpaid or underpaid roles, particularly in domestic tasks and farming. Despite a large female population in rural areas, their economic participation remains low.

To address these disparities, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Economic Transformation Project (KP-RETP) has integrated gender as a cross-cutting theme in its design. The project aims to enhance women’s socio-economic conditions by ensuring a minimum of 25% female participation in all project activities. Aligned with the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and IFAD’s priorities, KP-RETP focuses on high-value agriculture, skills development, and economic empowerment for women and youth. By doing so, the project seeks to tackle poverty, improve food security, strengthen climate resilience, and create inclusive economic growth pathways that empower women as active contributors to the rural economy.