The nexus of women’s empowerment and sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries: a case of Pakistani women farmers

The adoption of sustainable agricultural practices at the farm level is essential for lowering greenhouse gas emissions and creating sustainable food systems. This study explored the nexus of women’s empowerment in agriculture and the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in Pakistan. A face-to-face survey using multistage simple random and purposive sampling techniques was used to collect the data from 384 Pakistani women farmers. A partial least-squares structural equation model was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that empowering women in agricultural asset control (β = 0.38, p < 0.01) positively influences the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices on farms. Similarly, women’s empowerment in decision-making (β = 0.41, p < 0.01) also significantly affects the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. Moreover, women’s empowerment in legal rights (β = 0.14, p < 0.01), productivity and skills (β = 0.15, p < 0.01), and information and communication technology (β = 0.19, p = 0.02) significantly increases farm-level adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.