Speakers at a workshop stressed that there is a dire need to adopt Information Communication technology (ICT) for effective farming to enhance agricultural production. They urged to equip young rural girls with ICT skills and emphasized the need of changing mindset which limits women recognition and acceptance in the society.

They stated this while addressing at a workshop on “ICT Use of Pakistani Girls in Rural Farming Households” at Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) here on Thursday, with an aim to  train those girls through young trainers about the appropriate use of ICT and maximum utilization of ICT in the field of agriculture.  The workshop was organized PMAS-AAUR Department of Sociology in collaboration with University of California Davis USA, USAID, CIMMYT and PARC.

On the occasion, While addressing as a chief guest, PMAS-AAUR, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Rai Niaz Ahmad said appreciated and encouraged the step taken forward by the eminent scholars towards in the field of merging ICT and agriculture. He further asked other guests and participants to work will full interest and zeal as it is and will be very progressive in the field of research and development. He emphasized use of ICT in agriculture sector and stressed young people to adopt farming profession  for agriculture development to enhance per acre yield. Vice Chancellor urged faculty  to launch such programs of community participation and skill development which can ultimately transform into tangible benefits to the society. 

Dr. Mark Bell, Director International Learning UC Davis USA, in his key note address highlighted the ICT as a tool for improving rural farming households. He stressed the importance of need-based and relevant information in the context of ICT extension. He urged the participants to implement the ICT for the dissemination of information based on easy to access and implement. He said that if the message is not interesting, it will fail to bear result. At the end he distributed certificates among the participants of the workshop.

Earlier, the project Coordinator, Dr. Aneela Afzal, Asst. Prof. Department of sociology, in her welcome address elaborated the aims and objective of the workshop. She said that the project was designed to access the use of information and communication technology by the young school going girls and its use in the rural farming. At the same time the project tends to train those girls through young trainers about the appropriate use of ICT and maximum utilization of ICT in the field of agriculture, she added.

The event was attended by representatives from agriculture organizations, international experts, consultants, farmers, young girls, faculty members, students and donor agencies working in the agriculture sector.