Role of Women in Indian Agriculture

By

Prof. Vinod Malkar Sanjivani Rural Education Society,College of Engineering, Dept. of MBA,Kopargaon, Dist: Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India

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CONTENTSAbout IndiaIndian AgricultureIndian WomenRole of Women in Indian Agriculture .

Location of India in World Map

India

National Symbols of India*Truth Alone Triumphs

About India

National Anthem - Jana Gana ManaNational Bird Peacock National Animal TigerNational Language HindiIndependence Day 15th AugustRepublic Day 26th January

About India 5,000 year old civilization 325 languages spoken 18 official languages 28 states, 7 union territories 3.28 million sq. kilometers - Area 7,516 kilometers - Coastline 1,210,193,422 population (2011 Census)Parliamentary form of Government Secular democratic constitution

About IndiaWorlds largest democracy since 55 years 4th largest economy Fastest growing IT super power Indian Railways ,the biggest employer in the world

*Indian Agriculture- Some FactsTotal Geographical Area - 328 million hectaresNet Area sown - 142 million hectaresGross Cropped Area 190.8 million hectaresMajor Crop Production (1999-2000)Rice 89.5 million tonnesWheat75.6 million tonnesCoarse Cereals30.5 million tonnesPulses13.4 million tonnesOilseeds20.9 million tonnesSugarcane29.9 million tonnes

*Indian Agriculture- Some FactsContributes to 24% of GDPProvides food to 1Billion peopleSustains 65% of the population : helps alleviate povertyProduces 51 major CropsProvides Raw Material to IndustriesContributes to 1/6th of the export earningsOne of the 12 Bio-diversity centers in the world with over 46,000 species of plants and 86,000 species of animals recorded

Major AchievementsIndia is Largest producer in the world of pulses , tea , and milkSecond Largest producer of fruits, vegetables, wheat , rice, groundnut and sugarcane.

*Indian Agriculture ScenarioSTRENGTHSRich Bio-diversityArable landClimateStrong and well dispersed research and extension systemOPPORTUNITIESBridgeable yield cropsExportsAgro-based IndustryHorticultureUntapped potentialWEAKNESSFragmentation of landLow Technology InputsUnsustainable Water ManagementPoor InfrastructureLow value additionTHREATSUnsustainable Resource UseUnsustainable Regional DevelopmentImports

Indias Rural MarketThe size of the Indias Rural market covers two third of countries population and half of the national income comes out of the rural population. The country is divided into more than 400 districts and 630,000 villages. The size of Indias rural market, stated as the percentage of world population is 12.2%. This means 12.2% worlds consumer live in rural India.

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Women In IndiaThe status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia.From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, The history of women in India has been eventful. In modern India, women have adorned high offices in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition. As of 2012, the President of India, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (Lower House of the parliament) are all women*

Place of women in Indian society:A (cultural) historical perspectiveThe Goddess (Devi)The motherThe sisterThe wife

Indian Women in Modern TimesCategories of employment (2001)

FemaleMaleAgricultural laborer46.3%23.0%Cultivator34.6%39.9%Household industry3.5%2.1%Non-household industry 3.8%8.8%Services8.3%10.8%Other categories3.5%15.5%

Role of Women in Indian Agriculture

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Key Facts Indian population is 48.1% women and 51.9% men Female illiteracy is 62% whereas the male illiteracy rate is 34% The labour force participation rate of women is 22.7%, less than half of the men's rate of 51.6% In rural India, agriculture and allied industrial sectors employ as much as 89.5% of the total female labour*

Key Facts Women have extensive work loads with dual responsibility for farm and household production Women's work is getting harder and more time-consuming due to ecological degradation and changing agricultural technologies and practices Women have an active role and extensive involvement in livestock production, forest resource use and fishery processing*

Key factsWomen contribute considerably to household income through farm and nonfarm activities as well as through work as landless agricultural labourers. Women's work as family labour is underestimated There are high degrees of inter-state and intra-state variations in gender roles in agriculture, environment and rural production *

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Multi-Dimensional Role of WomenAgriculture : Sowing, transplanting, weeding, irrigation, fertilizer application,plant protection,harvesting, winnowing, storing etc.

*winnowingFertilizer applicationSowing

*Domestic: Cooking, child rearing, water collection, fuel wood gathering, household maintenanceetc.

*water collectionchild rearingfuel wood gatheringfuel wood gathering

*Allied Activities:

Cattle management, Fodder collection, Milking etc

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*Mainly rural women are engaged in agricultural activities in three different ways depending onthe socio-economic status of their family and regional factors. They are work as:

(i) Paid Labourers(ii) Cultivator doing labour on their own land and(iii) Managers of certain aspects of agricultural production by way of labour supervision andthe participation in post harvest operations.

Currently in India a paid women labour is getting Rs.100/- to Rs.150/- for six hours i.e. $2 to$3 for Six hours.*

Percentage distribution of workers (main + marginal) according Categories of worker by sex and by sector during 2001 for India.*

Case StudyThe study was conducted by Nisha N. in 2010 Palakkad district of Kerala state. Palakkad district is the major agricultural district in the state and more than 50 per cent of the total women workforce is employed in agriculture. There are about 317,192 agricultural labourers in the district, of which 156,290 are male agricultural labourers and 160,902 are female agricultural labourers. A Sample Size 120 has been taken for study and the results are found as

Demographics of women in agriculture*

Economics Women in agriculture *

Women Employment days in a year

National Research Centre for Women in Agriculture (NRCWA).*The Indian Council of Agricultural Research established the NRCWA in the month of April 1996 at Bhubaneswar and has since been upgraded as the Directorate of Research on Women in Agriculture (DRWA) from the year 2008. DRWA is carrying out basic, strategic and applied research on various gender related issues in agriculture and allied sectors with thematic approach in creating a repository of gender disaggregated data and documentation; technology testing and refinement; drudgery assessment and reduction; gender sensitive extension approach; capacity building of scientists and functionaries; efficient resource management; and gender mainstreaming.

Summary The women is the backbone of agricultural workforce and are a vital part of Indian economy. Over the years, there is a gradual realization of the key role of women in agricultural development and their contribution in the field of agriculture, food security, horticulture, dairy, nutrition, sericulture, fisheries, and other allied sectors. *

Following are the key points,which will help in creating respectable role of women in Indian agriculture 1. Skill empowerment. By training in the area of various operations : i. Field operations ii. Conservation of biodiversity iii. Nutritional bio-security iv. Vocational training v. Organic farming

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2. Technology development for women Designing of tools for various field operations b. Animal husbandry i. Artificial insemination. ii. Veterinary knowledge c. For side income i. Mushroom cultivation ii. Floriculture

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3. Creation of self help groups a. For financial support b. For generation of employment

4. Projection of contribution of women by collecting and analysing data a. Collection and display of data b. Projection of successful women in agriculture c. Representation of their contribution in economic terms 5. Providing Financial Powers a. Giving representation in land holdings

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India Lives in its Villages ----- Mahatma Gandhi

Thank You

*****National symbols of India.************************************