Rural Women Drive Bangladesh Dairy Industry Yet Remain Excluded from Financial Control and Ownership
As rural Bangladesh celebrates World Milk Day—this year themed around the advancement of women in dairy development—the contributions of millions of women like Rina Khatun remain both essential and largely overlooked. For many, the day begins before dawn with intensive labor in the cattle shed: feeding, cleaning, grooming, and milking. Yet, despite being the backbone of the country’s small-scale dairy industry, these women rarely hold formal ownership or financial control over the fruits of their labor.
According to data from the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLARI), female participation in livestock and poultry production has risen significantly, climbing from 43 percent in 1987 to 69 percent by 2008. Contemporary research suggests this figure has continued to trend upward. A 2024 study, *Women Empowerment and Livestock Development in Bangladesh*, highlights that women manage nearly every stage of the process, including fodder preparation, waste management, and marketing. Despite this, the national economic measurement system often categorizes these contributions as unpaid household chores rather than productive labor.
The dairy sector in Bangladesh relies heavily on small, family-owned farms. In these settings, women frequently dedicate more than four hours a day to livestock care, yet their names are seldom recorded on ownership documents. Director General of the Department of Livestock Services, Md. Shahzaman Khan, acknowledged that while 90 percent of the nation's dairy production stems from small farms characterized by high female labor, the systemic lack of recognition and decision-making power remains a persistent challenge.
However, a shift is underway for women who have successfully transitioned into lead entrepreneurial roles. Mahfuza Mina, who transformed a modest two-cow operation in Pabna into a large-scale farm producing hundreds of liters of milk daily, exemplifies this evolution. Beyond personal success, research published in *CABI Agriculture and Bioscience* indicates that active participation in livestock farming is fostering broader social changes. Women involved in the sector now report higher levels of influence regarding family finances, children’s education, and household investments compared to those outside the industry.
Despite these gains, deep-rooted obstacles persist. Experts such as Professor Sadika Haque of Bangladesh Agricultural University note that even when women provide the primary labor, they often lack the autonomy to make critical decisions, such as selling livestock during financial emergencies. Furthermore, official data from the Department of Livestock’s 2019-2022 development project shows a gender disparity in institutional support, with women accounting for only about 18 percent of beneficiaries receiving financial incentives.
As the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has long maintained, ensuring equal access to resources, training, and technology for women in agriculture is a prerequisite for poverty reduction and increased productivity. Professor Ashikul Islam, Chairman of the Department of Dairy Science at Bangladesh Agricultural University, characterizes these women as the industry's "unsung heroes." To unlock the full potential of Bangladesh’s dairy sector, experts argue that the focus must shift toward formalizing female ownership, expanding access to credit, and providing the professional recognition these essential workers have long earned but rarely received.
