Ask a female farmer about the equipment available to her and she may well complain about the lack of attractive working clothes or machinery that is just plain difficult to handle.

But now she can expect some improvement. The government is stepping up efforts to highlight the fact that although the sector might seem a male pursuit, women match them in number.

There are 1.21 million women in farming, about half of the workforce, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry says.