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Dry Wells And Deserted Women Gender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India

Dry Wells And Deserted Women

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Dry Wells And Deserted Women. Gender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India. Brinda Rao. She received a master's degree in History from the University of Bombay, and both a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Dry Wells And Deserted WomenGender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India

Page 2: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Brinda Rao

• She received a master's degree in History from the University of Bombay,

and both a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California

at Santa Cruz

• Worked as a Research Fellow at the Center for Women and Religion at the

Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley

• Taught at San Francisco State University and at the Department of

Sociology at UC Berkeley.

• She did research at the intersections of feminism and environmental

studies.

• She has been involved with women's health and environmental movements

in India, leading several health related and eco-leadership workshops in

rural areas and serving as a consultant to national conferences on women

Page 3: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Dry Wells and Deserted Women Gender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India

• she writes the consequences of global

environmental degradation on rural women, while

critically examining their changing modes of self-

identification and participation in social and

women's movements.

Page 4: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Ecological Disaster : Forest

• About 41% of forest cover of the country has

already been degraded.

• At present 70% forests have no natural

regeneration and 55% are prone to fire.

• In the year 2002, the Government of India set a

goal of achieving 25% forest and tree cover by

2007 and 33% forest and tree cover by 2012

Page 5: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Women and Ecological crisis in India

• Poor rural and tribal women in particular, bear the burnt of

scarcity of ecological resources

• Women in rural societies are primarily responsible for

providing fuel, fodder, and water for their household, lack of

access to these natural resources increases both of their

heavy workloads, as well as their impoverishment.

• Walk more miles, get less nourishment endure more hardship,

etc.

Page 6: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Women, Environment and Development

• Due to repercussion of colonial and capitalist practices women’s decreasing

access to and control over natural resources

• “Modernization” of agriculture in all parts of the world has been detrimental to

women.

• In post green revolution era is much harder for women to financially meet

demands of agriculture like tube well irrigation, pesticides, hybrid seeds and

chemicals

• The crops which women grow do not fetch much price in the competitive

market; women are left with little choice other than to give up the land and go

into the cash economy as wage labourers.

Page 7: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Women, Environment and Development

• Privatisation of water resources caused serious problem in day to day

life of women

• Migration of their male counterparts due to Industrialisation left them

with very little security to take care of their resources

• The recent politicization of ecology has brought a new face of women

fighting for the ecological rights.

• Women have come together to take initiatives for making alternative

arrangements

Page 8: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Gender, Drought and State

• In Maharashtra sugarcane is the leading export crop which consumes

8-10 times the amount of water required for food crop such as bajra

(Millets)

• It has created an intense groundwater famine while continuing to

increase the world bank debt.

• Increased growth of cash crops like sugarcane and eucalyptus

cultivation have impoverished small farmers, pushed them off land

and forced to seek factory empl.

• The sale of manufactured goods destroyed the local cottage industry

Page 9: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Gender, Drought and State

• Nationalisation of river banks

• Several riverbeds and wells have gone dry and the pipe

water scheme is not able to supply adequate water esp. in

summers

• Privatisation of water resources

• Water scarcity is not taken as seriously as crop failure

Page 10: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Natural Resources vs Govt.

• Soon after the independence, the Indian govt. gave a free hand

to the mushrooming industries at the cost of natural resources.

• Modern Indian industry is heavily dependent upon forests and

water. Almost half of the industries are based on biomass

production and exert enormous pressure on country’s ecology.

• State policies for use and management of water are anti poor

and pro-industry.

Page 11: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Natural Resources vs Govt.

• India has the dubious distinction of having the

largest no. of dams in the world.

• Deforestation and soil erosion have increased.

Soil erosion due to recurrent of flood.

• Ground water irrigation has also led to alarming

drops in the water tables across the country.

Page 12: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Women, Ecology and Agency

• Wood fuel crisis & Time mgmt.

• Endangered basket weaving industries

• Disappearing herbs and medicinal plant species

• Water Problems

• SHGs

• All Women Organisations

Page 13: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

References• Brinda Rao. , Dry wells and Deserted Women• Patrick MuCully, 1998 Silenced Rivers: The

ecology and Politics of Large dams• https://www.damsbooks.com/no14755.htm• http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0046-

3663%28199221%2918%3A1%3C119%3ATGAEDL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q&size=SMALL

• http://www.haworthpress.com/store/E-Text/View_EText.asp?a=3&fn=J014v21n02_TOC&i=2&s=J014&v=21

Page 14: Dry Wells And Deserted Women

Thank You!!!!!!!!!!