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The mandi, part of a six-year Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress project, funded by the EU (and implemented by the International Trade Centre with the aim of strengthening small-scale agribusinesses and reducing poverty in Sindh and Balochistan), was for the 300 registered women farmers a giant step in the right direction. Bundled in rickshaws and Qingqis, pick-up vans and even motorbikes, they flocked from nearby villages with their goats and chickens to the designated place where weekly livestock mandis are held. The big ground, usually an all-male domain every Thursday, went through a makeover this month on a Saturday morning for women buyers and sellers. Many went back satisfied. Even the ones who were not able to sell anything vowed to return “better prepared” the next time. With no first-hand experience of selling their animals in the market, or negotiating for the best price with the buyer directly, many picked up the tricks of the trade; a majority were discerning and said they were looking for breeds which would not only survive but thrive in challenging climates. They were seen haggling earnestly and discussing the characteristics of animals without feeling intimidated while talking to strangers. Many were accompanied by at least one male family member, but whispered they were confident they would be able to come unaccompanied the next time. The common refrain was: ‘if women can do the difficult part of rearing, they can surely sell the animals’. Although a 2018 UN report on Pakistan’s rural women found that the agriculture sector employed nearly 7.2 million women and was fast becoming their “largest” employer, their work, including livestock management, remained “largely unrecognised, unpaid or underpaid”. Another 2018 report by USAID, stated that livestock in Pakistan was contributing around 56 per cent in the agriculture sector and nearly 11pc to GDP. It also pointed out that although women contributed significant hours of labour to livestock care, they had limited access to inputs and information, nor were they “directly involved in market transactions”. The mandi also provided a platform to some enterprising rural women to sell homemade ghee, eggs, fodder and even handcrafted ornaments for animals. While some brought chickens to sell, there were a few who set up food and tea stalls. Not to be left behind, the government’s livestock department exhibited veterinary medicines and provided free vaccination services for the livestock that had travelled from their shelters. Judging by its success, if such markets are held regularly, across the country, the role of the middleman can well be eliminated. Many women-headed households (including widows) depend on men from their villages, with business acumen, to take their animals to the market and sell it for them for a fee. The women may never know exactly how much the animal was sold for, relying solely on the word of the men engaged to carry out the task. Being able to conduct the transaction themselves would empower women greatly. However, for these markets to succeed, they need to be held at different parts across the province and more regularly, with traders from bigger cities being persuaded to visit.