Mobilink Bank, SDPI Urge Gender-Responsive Climate Finance for Women Farmers
ISLAMABAD, September 3, 2026: Women farmers across Pakistan are increasingly relying on borrowing to cope with climate-related shocks while remaining largely excluded from formal financial services, according to a new study by Mobilink Bank and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
The report, titled “Designing Gender-Responsive Climate Finance: A Diagnostic Study and Product Framework for Women Farmers in Pakistan,” examined the financial and climate vulnerabilities of women farmers across eight districts in Punjab and Sindh.
The findings were presented at a policy dialogue in Islamabad jointly organized by SDPI and Mobilink Bank, bringing together government officials, financial regulators, banks, development finance institutions and development partners to discuss ways to translate the research into practical financial products.
Adviser to the Finance Minister Adnan Pasha, who attended the event as guest of honour, emphasized the importance of recognizing women farmers as key contributors to Pakistan’s agricultural economy.
Pasha said policy recommendations emerging from the study were being considered and urged financial institutions to develop products that address women’s specific barriers to financing, including collateral requirements, limited financial access and climate-related risks.
Khowla Shoaib, Head of Strategy, Sustainability & Women Financial Services at Mobilink Bank, said agriculture accounts for around 60% of the bank’s gross loan portfolio, while women represent more than 21% of its agricultural portfolio.
She said the research reinforced the bank’s understanding of the financial and climate challenges faced by women farmers and would help strengthen existing offerings while supporting the development of new gender-responsive financial solutions.
Climate shocks pushing women farmers toward borrowing
The study found that more than 90% of surveyed women farmers had experienced an extreme climate-related event during the previous five years, including heatwaves, floods, heavy rainfall and drought-like conditions.
More than 80% reported crop losses or other negative effects on their farming activities.
Borrowing emerged as one of the most common ways women farmers responded to these shocks across all surveyed districts. In Khushab, every woman who reported using a coping mechanism had borrowed money, while more than half had also sold livestock—potentially putting future household income at risk.
Researchers said the findings demonstrate the need for financial products that help women farmers withstand climate shocks rather than forcing them to rely on debt or sell productive assets.
Major gender gaps in agriculture and finance
The research also highlighted significant structural barriers facing women in Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
According to the study, 67% of employed women in Pakistan work in agriculture, but only 1.5% of agricultural households are formally recorded as female-headed.
Land ownership remains another major obstacle. Only around 2% of ever-married women aged 15 to 49 reportedly own land either individually or jointly, while 97.2% have not inherited land or a house.
The situation is particularly stark in Sindh, where 99.1% of surveyed women reportedly did not own land either alone or jointly.
The financial and digital divide further limits women’s ability to access formal climate finance. The study found that 56% of men have full-service financial accounts compared with only 14% of women. Mobile-wallet ownership was reported at 48% among men but just 11% among women.
Climate finance seen as key to agricultural resilience
Pakistan’s exposure to climate risks makes the issue increasingly urgent. The country’s devastating 2022 floods caused more than US$30 billion in damages and economic losses, while an estimated US$16.3 billion was required for resilient reconstruction.
Dr. Sajid Amin Javed, Deputy Executive Director (Research) at SDPI, said the study’s focus on micro-level farmers was important because climate finance must reflect the realities of people working at the grassroots level.
He emphasized that strengthening agriculture and livestock could contribute significantly to the wider rural economy and Pakistan’s overall economic resilience.
Engr. Ubaid Zia, Head of Energy Unit at SDPI, said women farmers were already performing agricultural work, absorbing climate-related losses and borrowing to survive, yet formal financial systems often fail to recognize their circumstances.
He argued that many existing financial products are built around assumptions such as land ownership, individual mobility and digital access—barriers that do not reflect the realities of many women farmers.
The study calls for a shift toward gender-responsive and climate-smart financial solutions that can improve women’s access to credit, strengthen their ability to recover from climate shocks and protect agricultural livelihoods across Pakistan.