If you’ve been coming across a lot of content surrounding Pakistan’s hardworking farmers today, that is no coincidence. 18 December marks National Kissan Day in Pakistan, a day initiated by Sarsabz Fertilizers to pay tribute to the nation’s farmers who form the backbone of the agriculture sector. Kissan Day was first celebrated in Pakistan in 2019 and the effort was also lauded by Prime Minister Imran Khan. Since then, the day has been celebrated annually to keep paying back to farmers and to create awareness of the integral role they play. This year’s campaign by Sarsabz Fertilizers, #SalamKissan, paid a special tribute to the women involved in farming.
If you want to learn more about the role of women in farming, don’t forget to read these important facts. Why the campaign matters: The farming sector in Pakistan plays an important role in Pakistan’s economic status, it directly employs 48 percent of the labor force. As a result, it is the primary source of living or income for the vast majority of the population. Approximately 70% of the population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. It is the primary source of food for Pakistan’s vast population, it is also a major source of raw materials for Pakistan’s industrial sector and its contribution to GDP is approximately 25%, which is greater than any other sector’s contribution. How we participated in the campaign: ProperGaanda partnered with Sarsabz Fertilizers to connect farmers to the gen-z and millennial Pakistanis. To that end, we curated information posts on how the kissans faired during the pandemic, things farmers want you to know about the food you eat and facts about farming life that are very impressive.
This year, Sarsabz Fertilizers encouraged Pakistan’s youth by launching the campaign on the short form video platform Snack Video as well, which has been trending for all of today and yesterday. In just 5 days, video curated with the #SalamKissan song generated close to 1 Billion views . If you want your video to be featured, use the hashtag #SalamKissan and #SarsabzPakistan. Watch our short documentaries on the lives of Pakistani farmers as never seen before: Meet Abdul Rehman, a 22 year old Gen-Z farmer, who can’t imagine living in the city; he loves tending to his land and the slow paced life in the village. After completing his education, Rehman took over his father’s farm. “If you do farming professionally, you can make a generous earning from this too,” says Rehman. Don’t know what the life of a twenty-something farmer looks like? Watch the PG Doc! #SalamKissan
Meet Muhammad Asim and Muhammad Qasim, two brothers working in the farming sector. With National Kissan Day on 18 December, take a look inside what the Kissan brothers call a peaceful and prosperous life.
Muhammad Muaz having a high school degree from the US, decided to opt for farming in Pakistan because agriculture is indeed the backbone of our society. He aims to reform the farming sector of Pakistan and highlights the role of women in farming and how their contribution plays a pivotal role in reformation. In his message on the Kisaan day Muaz says, “The male-dominated field of farming needs to appreciate the efforts of women.”