Editorial Board ICWSTCSC-2016 Role of...... , Kheda district 3953 sq. mi and Anand district 1810 sq. mi covered in Gujarat. Main crops from various district of Gujarat The state produces

International Conference

Women in Science & Technology : Creating Sustainable Career

(ICWSTCSC-2016)

Editorial Board ICWSTCSC-2016 Prof. Pratapsinh K Desai President, ISTE Prof. Vijai Vaidya Executive Secretary, ISTE Dr. K. Lal Kishore Vice Chancellor, JNTU, Anantapur

Dr. K. P. Isaac Vice Chancellor, Kerala Technological University

Dr. Mahesh Appa Vice Chancellor, VTU, Belgaum

Shri Rakesh Kumar Verma, IAS Vice Chancellor PTU, Jalandhar

Prof. Prabir Bagchi Vice Chancellor SRM University, Tamil Nadu

Prof. (Dr.) G. D. Yadav Vice Chancellor University Dept. of Chemical Technology, Mumbai

Prof. Pradeep Kumar Vice Chancellor DTU, Delhi Dr. Hans J Hoyer Secretary General, IFEES

Prof. (Dr.) rer. Nat. Norbert Gruenwald. Director Robert – Schmidt – Institute Hochschale Wismar

Dr. F. S. Umrigar, Principal, BVM Engineering College

Dr. Alaa Abd – El – Aziz President & Vice Chancellor University of Prince Edward Island, Canada

Dr. J. D. Patel, Hon. I/C Secretary, CVM

Dr. M. N. Patel Vice Chancellor, Gujarat University, Gujarat

Dr. B. G .Patel Provost, CHARUSAT, Gujarat

Dr. Renu Bapna Joint Secretary, Group IV, Higher Education Department, Govt Secretariat, Govt of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India

Dr. Jyoti Sharma Principal Scientific Officer, KIRAN & Science for Equity Empowerment and Development (SEED) Division, Government of India, India

Lubimova Ekaterina Head of Institute of International Education, Ural Federal University, Russia Dr. (Prof.) Kiran Saxena Head, NITTTR, Bhopal National Institute of Technical Teachers’ Training & Research, Bhopal, India

Dr. Rita Goyal Senior Consultant (Academic), NPIU, India Dr. Rajul Gajjar Director, GTU Principal, VGEC, Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Prof. R. Hariharan Projects Coordinator, ISTE



(ICWSTCSC-2016)

THEME INDEX

Role of Women in Growth of Agricultural Sector

Sr. No. Paper ID Title Page

No 1. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_51 The Role Of Women In Agriculture Sector Of

Gujarat

Rinku V. Patel , Dr. Nayana H. Brahmbhatt, Krishna Pandya

Haresh Kalasariya

1

2. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_70 Role Of Rural Women In Growth Of Agricultural Sector

Dr. Yachana Jha, Dr. Anjali Kulkarni 9

3. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_75 Status Of Women In Agricultural Sector With Special Reference To Veterinary Field

Dr. Anjali Kulkarni, Dr. Yachana Jha 15

4. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_106 Role Of Women In Growth Of Agricultural Sector

Prof. Harshadaben P. Kalola 21

5. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_161 Role Of Women In Growth Of Agricultural Sector

Pritesh Pandey, Pratik Soni, Sunit Parmar 27

6. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_207 The Role Of Women's In Agriculture

Amit. R. Pandit 34

7. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_232 Women In Agriculture Sector

Dr. Archana Shah 43

8. ICWSTCSC2016_Paper_271 Women In Agriculture And Research

Ujjwala Pralhad Bharad, Tulsi Sagar Sheth 49

IndianJournalofTechnicalEducation(IJTE)|SpecialIssueforICWSTCSC‐2016 1 | P a g e

THEROLEOFWOMENINAGRICULTURESECTOROFGUJARAT

RinkuV.Patel*,Dr.NayanaH.Brahmbhatt†,KrishnaPandya+,HareshKalasariya#

*,†,+,#V.P.&R.P.T.P.ScienceCollege,VallabhVidyanagar,S.P.University,Gujarat,India.^MedicalCollegeBaroda,M.S.University,Vadodara,Gujarat,India

Abstract Indiahasanationaltraditionalboundtoagriculturefertility.Agriculturecanbean important engine of growth and poverty reduction. Agriculture sector isunderperforming inmany countries in part beacusewomen, who are often a crucialresourceinagricultureandtheruraleconomythatreducetheirproductivity.Thispaperexamines theways inwhich greater integration through agricultural fields impact onwomenandmendifferentlyandensuresimplicationsforgrowth.Thispaperfindsthatagriculturalfieldcreatesmanyjobsforwomeninagriculturearea.Jobsthatbringmanyhouseholdresourcesunderwomencontrolleadstogreaterearningsinthefamily.Duetothesereasonsandwomen’slowereducationlevelcompelthewomenhaveagreatertendency to remain in subsistence agriculture. Women and girls are engaged in anumber of agro‐oriented activities ranging from seedbed preparation, weeding,horticulture and fruit cultivation to a seriesof post‐harvest cropprocessing activitieslikecleaninganddryingvegetables,fruitsandnutsfordomesticuseandformarket.KeywordsWomeninAgriculture,Agro‐orientedactivities,Gujarat_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

India is amost developing country. India's agricultural sector today still facesissuesofefficiencyduelackofmechanizationwithpoorerconditionsoffarmers,aswellas small farm sizes. In India traditional agriculture is still dominant asmany farmersdependon livestock in cropproduction, formanure as fertilizers, and theuse animalpowered ploughs. In Gujaratwell developed districts of Bhavnagar, Surat, Kheda andAnand all point to the conclusion that women contribute far more to agriculturalproduction than has generally been acknowledged. Women and girls engage in anumber of agro‐oriented activities ranging from seedbed preparation, weeding,horticulture and fruit cultivation to a seriesof post‐harvest cropprocessing activitieslikecleaninganddryingvegetables,fruitsandnutsfordomesticuseandformarket.

Womenhaveplayedakeyroleintheconservationofbasiclifesupportsystemssuchasland,water,floraandfauna.Theyhaveprotectedthehealthofthesoilthroughorganic recycling and promoted crop security through the maintenance of varietaldiversity.Women started gathering seeds from thenative flora andbegan cultivatingthoseofinterestfromthepointofviewoffood,feed,fodder,fibreandfuel.Thewomenplayasignificantandcrucialroleinagriculturaldevelopmentandalliedfieldsincluding


inthemaincropproduction,livestockproduction,horticulture,postharvestoperations,agro/ social forestry, fisheries, etc. Thenature andextent ofwomen’s involvement inagriculture,nodoubt,variesgreatlyfromregiontoregion.

Bothwomenandmeninagriculturalactivitiesmay,inseveralcommunitiesandagriculturalsituations,betakentobealmostequalbutwomenaredominantwithinthedomestic tasks.Rural Indianwomenareextensively involved inagriculturalactivities,but the nature and extent of their involvement differs with variations in agro‐production systems. There are community‐based differences regarding women’sparticipationinagriculture,thereforelocation,croppingpatterns,ethnicaffiliationandeconomicandeducationalbackgroundalsohaveimplicationsforthespecificdivisionoflabourwithinagiven familyunit.Usually,women’s representation isgreater inalliedagriculture than in grain production, and poor households require the greaterinvolvementofwomeninincome‐generatingactivitiesthanfinanciallystableones.

Dr.RoshanLalandDr.AshokKhuranaetal.(2011)studiedaboutwomen’sengagement inmultiplehome‐based economic activities leads to under remunerationfortheirwork.Womenspendlonghoursfetchingwater,doinglaundry,preparingfood,and carrying out agricultural duties. Not only are these tasks physically hard anddemanding, they also rob girls of theopportunity to study. Thenature and sphere ofwomen’sproductivity in the labormarket is largelydeterminedby socio‐cultural andeconomicfactors.Womendonotenterthelabormarketonequaltermswhencomparedto men. Their occupational choices are also limited due to social and culturalconstraints, gender bias in the labormarket, and lack of supportive facilities such aschild care, transport, and accommodation in the formal sector of the labor market.Women’s labor power is considered inferior because of employers predeterminednotionofwomen‟sprimaryroleashomemakers.Asaresultofdiscriminationagainstfemale labor,womenare concentrated in the secondary sectorof labormarket.Theirworkislowpaid,lowstatus,casual,andlackspotentialupwardmobility.Themajorityofwomenintheurbansectorworkinlow‐payingjobs.

Fao(2011) (Food and Agriculture organization) reported about women'sparticipationrateintheagriculturalsectorsisabout47%inteaplantations,46.84%incottoncultivation,45.43%growingoilseedsand39.13%invegetableproduction.Whilethese crops require labor‐intensive work, the work is considered quite unskilled.Womenalsoheavilyparticipateinancillaryagriculturalactivities.AccordingtotheFoodandAgricultureOrganization,Indianwomenrepresentedashareof21%and24%ofallfishersandfishfarmers,respectively.

ManasModaletal. (2013)showed that gender differences are the primeissueofwomen’sandmen’sworkinnaturalenvironmentinparticulartorecognizetheimportance of their different roles. On the basis of the gender division of labour hasrevealed that typically women take on three types of roles in terms of the paid andunpaidlabourtheyundertake.Theirmajorroleoftheproductiverole,thereproductiverole and the community management role when under estimations and undervaluations of rural women’s work are found , as they so often are in the sphere ofdevelopment planning, the consequences are serious. For the recognition of women


contributioninagricultureanditsalliedfieldsarereducingthegenderissues.Fromtheabovediscussioncaneasilyconcludethat theruralwomenareexploitedby landlordsfortheirpersonalgoodandenrichment.Womenaretreatedassub–servantorpersonalproperty.StudyArea

Bhavnagar,Surat,KhedaandAnandarethemostdevelopingdistrictsinGujarat.The locationofBhavnagardistrict is21.76oNand72.15oE,Suratdistrict is21.18oNand72.83oE,Khedadistrictis22.45oNand72.41oEandAnanddistrictis22.55oNand72.95oEinGujarat.TotalareaofBhavnagardistrict4180sq.mi,Suratdistrict4418sq.mi,Khedadistrict3953sq.miandAnanddistrict1810sq.micoveredinGujarat.

MaincropsfromvariousdistrictofGujarat

Thestateproducesalargevarietyofcropsanditscroppingpatternreflectsthespatial variations in climate and topography. Groundnut (highest production in thecountry), cotton, Tobacco (second highest production in the country), isabgul, cumin,sugarcane,Jawar,Bajra,Rice,Wheat,Pulses,TurandGramare theimportantcropsofGujarat.Anothercashcroplikebananawhichhasrecentlyenteredtothefieldinafewselectedlocalities.

Main cropsofBhavnagar are groundnut, onion, cotton andbajra and fruits ofguavas&pomegranate. Sugarcane,danger, bananas andvegetables aremain cropsofSurat district. Kheda district is second most highest tobacco production center ofGujaratandcotton,citrus,banana,papayaarealsomaincrops.MostimportantcropsofAnand district are castor, cowpea, groundnut, cotton, blackgram, green gram andpigeonpea.

Tostudytheroleofwomenindifferentagriculturefield

Womenhaveveryhecticlife.Herworkstartsfromdawnandendsatnight.Thedaily routine works begins from house cleaning, collection of drinking water, dishwashing, laundry, preparing food for farming, care of children. Shemanages all theseactivitiesverysmartly.

In crops: Womenmake important contributions to the agricultural and ruraleconomiesofallregionsoftheworld.Theroleofwomeninagriculturalproductionislargelydeterminedby the lifecycleof thehousehold, locationofhousehold fieldsandothertasksthatwomenundertakeduringtheagriculturalyear.Ruralwomenperformnumerous labour intensive jobs in agricultural field. They are directly attached withsummer,rainyandwinterseasonagriculturesystem.Rainfedagriculturesystemisthedominantagriculturalpractices in thisarea.There isno irrigation facility forsummerand winter cultivation. Their traditional role as primary seed‐keepers and seed‐processorsiswellknowninoursociety.Womenarealsoexpectedtocollectwoodfromfields.Thiswoodisbeingusedasamajorfuelsourceforcooking.Womenareforcedtoacceptworkinagricultureintheirownvillageunderverybadconditionsbecausethey


cannotmigrateaseasilyasmen.Thedependenceofwomen’s labouron family farms,especiallyduringthepeakperiodsofsowingandharvestinghasbecomeverycommon.In field crop, different activities like ploughing, sowing, transplanting, weeding,harvestingaredonebymenandwomen(see: graph‐1). Indifferentdistricts, differenttypesofactivitiesperdaydifferentcompensationpaid.Thereis lesspayofamounttowomancomparetoman(see:table‐1).

Table‐1:Averagepaymentreceivedperdaybyworkers‐womenandmeninagriculturesector.Differentactivities infield

Bhavnagar Surat Kheda AnandW M W M W M W M

Ploughing(pervigha)

‐ 200 ‐ 280 ‐ 190 ‐ 200

Sowing 150 180 180 200 180 200 170 200Transplanting 170 190 190 200 180 200 120 200Weeding 140 150 170 180 150 170 150 170Harvesting 160 190 180 200 170 200 170 200

(Source:aspersurvey‐differentdistrictarea)Indairy:AmulDairyissituatedatAnandandknownas‘milkcity’.Sumuldairyis

situatedatSurat.So,Women’sworkbecomeeasieratbothdistrict.Keepingoflivestockanditsotherassociatedactivitieslikemilking,milkprocessingandpreparationofgheearealsocarriedoutbythewomen.Thereforeruralwomenearnextraincomefromthesale ofmilk. Mostly women are engaged in cleaning of animals, sheds, watering andmilking the animals.Ruralwomenare also responsible for collection,preparingdungcakesandactivitythatalsobringsadditionalincomeforpoorfamilies.(see:graph‐2)

InPoultry:Poultry farming isoneof themajor sourcesof ruraleconomy.The

rate of women in poultry farming at household level is the central in poultry. Eventhoughruralwomenarenotusingmodernmanagementtechniques,suchasvaccinationand improved feed, but their poultry enterprise is impressive. The sale of a chickenprovidesawomanwith cash in emergencies. In thepoorer communities,womenwillgivethepoultrytotheirhusbandstosell,andtheproceedsgotofamilyneedsortothewomen's own personal needs (mainly health care). Every year income from poultryfarminghasbeenrising.Inordertogeneratemoreandmoreincome,ruralwomenoftensellalleggsandpoultrymeatandleftnothingforpersonaluse.(see:graph‐2)

In livestock: Livestock management (of mainly sheep, goats and donkeys) is

rangebased.Livestock is theprimarysubsistentactivityusedtomeethousehold foodneedsaswellassupplementfarmincomes.Thepatternoflivestockstrengthismainlyinfluencedbyvariousfactorssuchasfarmsize,croppingpattern,availabilityofrange–lands including fodder andpasture.Menownandmanageanimals, thoughwomen inpoorer or intermediate households help with their care (milking, assisting at births,providingtraditionaltreatments).Veterinaryservicesareinadequate,andthedeathofananimalisconsideredamajortragedy,withrelativescomingtooffercondolences.The


women tend tokeep the resulting income for theirownpersonaluse, rather than forhouseholdexpenses.(see:graph‐2)

Tostudytheroleoffoodproduction

Onedimensionofprogressisensuringsustainablefoodsecurityforall,adifficulttask considering the recent financial crises and food price volatility. In this context,investmentinagricultureandfoodsecurityprojectsfromagenderlensisessential.Theroleofwomenasmajoractorsinsustaininggrowthanddevelopmentintheagriculturalsector as well as the major challenges they are facing when it comes to landmanagement. The improvements in household food security and nutrition areassociated with women's access to income and their role in household decisions onexpenditureastheytendtospendasignificantlyproportionoftheirincomethanmenon food for the family.Women'spurchasingpowermaynotonlybeused tobuy foodandotherbasicassetsforthemselvesandtheirfamilies,butalsotopayfortheinputsused in foodproduction.Thus, to improve foodproduction for thehousehold,greaterpriorityhastobegiventoincreasingwomen'sparticipationinmarketproduction.

Mainobstaclesinwomengrowthinagriculturalsector

Organic farming needs promotion to increase women’s productive role inagriculture,decreasehealthhazardsfromchemicals,andavoidadrainonscarcefamilyincometopay forunnecessaryagricultural inputs.There isawagedisparitybasedongenderwhichmustbeaddressed.Empoweringwomenfarmerswithlandholdingrightsand joint bank accountswith their husbandswould go a longway towards achievinggenderequityinIndianagriculture.Therefore,effectivelandrightsforwomennotjustin law,but inpractice seems tobe thematter.There isempirical evidence to suggestthatwomencangiveincreasedoutputswithsecurelandrights.Inordertocontributetoan increase in the levels of production and productivity, it is necessary to providesupporttothosewomen'sorganizationsandfarmerswhopromotenewconceptualanddevelopment programs and who contribute of new ideas by women with a view toincome‐generating activities.It is extremely important to recognize the role that rural women play and thecontributionthattheymakeinnetworksandcooperatives,givingthemgreaterpoliticalandfinancialsupportandinvolvingtheminthetrainingandconductingofdevelopmentprogramsthatenhancewomen'sroleinagriculturalproduction.

Conclusion

These present study concluded that women are the major contributions inagriculturalera.Theirworkrangesfromcropproduction,livestockproductiontofoodproduction.Butnowaday,women’sstatus is lowbyallsocial,economicandpoliticalindicators.Women’swagework is considered a threat to themale ego andwomen’sengagement inmultiplehomebased economic activities leads tounder remunerationfortheirwork.



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9. http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in‐focus/8/09/2015 /G20 leaders launchgrouptopromotewomen’seconomicempowerment

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12. http://www.wfo‐oma.com13. ManasMondal(2013):TheroleofruralwomeninagriculturesectorofSagarIsland,

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The authors are grateful to carry out the investigations under V. P. ScienceCollege,S.P.University,Anand,Gujarat.

“I am not satisfied in making money for myself. I endeavor to provideemploymentforhundredsofthewomenofmyrace.”

‐MadamCJWalker


ROLEOFRURALWOMENINGROWTHOFAGRICULTURALSECTOR

Dr.YachanaJha*,Dr.AnjaliKulkarni†*,†NatubhaiV.PatelCollegeofPureandAppliedSciences,

VallabhVidyanagar,Gujarat,India

AbstractAgriculture is an importantmeansof growthandpoverty reduction.But the sector isunderperforming in India because women, who are often a crucial resource inagriculture and the rural economy, face constraints that reduce their productivity.Aggregatedatashowsthatwomencompriseabout43percentoftheagriculturallabourforcegloballyandindevelopingcountries.Previouseffortsinestimatingwomen’srolein agriculture have tended to concentrate on evaluating their labour contributions.There has been little farm‐level information regarding their role in decisionmaking,particularly inmale dominated country like India. This paper identified the availableempirical evidence to study inwhich areas and towhatdegreewomenparticipate inagriculture.KeywordsRural women, Major challenges, Government initiatives, women's input, womenempowerment,AgricultureSector______________________________________________________________________________________________IntroductionAgriculture sector always play important role in Indian economy. It is one of thestrongholdsoftheIndianeconomyandaccountsfor18.5percentofthecountry’sgrossdomesticproduct(GDP).70%ofIndianpopulationisruraland60%ofruralengageinagriculture,whichisthemainsourceoftheirincome.Thissectorissourceoflivelihoodforabout54%ofIndiantilldate.Yet,thissectorisnotwelldevelopedandhavinglotsofproblemsresultingintolowproductivityofcrops.Thepoorconditionofagricultureinthecountry is thepointofconcern for Indians.Therural farmers in Indiasuffer frompovertyandmostofthemareilliteratesothereislackofgoodextensionservices.MajorchallengesfacedbyIndianagricultureChallengesofIndianagriculture,canbroadlygroupintotwocategories.Onecategorybelongstotheproblemsthathavebeenlongstanding.Secondcategoryofproblems is new and has been emerging from the prevailing agricultural practices,system,changingclimateandeconomy(SocialwindowofIndia,2013).1.StagnationinProductionofMajorCrops:Productionofsomeofthemajorstaplefoodcropshasbeenstagnatingforquitesometime.Thisisasituationwhichisworryingouragriculturalscientists,plannersandpolicymakers.


2. High cost of Farm Inputs: Over the years rates of farm inputs have increasedmanifold.Farminputsincludefertilizer,insecticide,pesticides,HYVseeds,farmlabourcostetc.3.SoilExhaustion:Soilexhaustionmeanslossofnutrientsinthesoilfromfarmingthesamecropoverandoveragain.Thisusuallyhappensintherainforest.4.DepletionofFreshGroundWater:Greenrevolutionwassuccessful,duetotheuseofchemicalfertilizersandirrigation.Todayfreshgroundwatersituationinthesestatesisalarming.Inthecomingfewyearsifthistypeoffarmingpracticecontinues,thesestatesaregoingtofacewaterproblem.5.AdverseimpactofGlobalClimaticChange:Globalclimaticchangehasbeenpredictedtoimpacttoagricultureproduction.Itwillresultsin,temperatureraisefrom2°Cto3°C,increaseinsealevel,moreintensecyclones,unpredictablerainfalletc.6.ImpactofGlobalization:Globalizationonthefarmsectorsqueezethefarmer’sincomeandisthreattotheviabilityofcultivationinIndia.7.ProvidingFoodSecurity:Indiahasbecomeself‐sufficienttoensurefoodsecurity.ButoneofthebiggestchallengesisProvidingFoodSecuritytogrowingpopulationofIndia.8. Farmers Suicide: High commercialization of agriculture and dependence ofenvironment results inheavy loss to farmer,with thatwithdrawalofbankcredit at atimeofsoaringinputpricesandthecrashinfarmincomescompoundedtheproblems.BackgroundLimitationsofIndianagriculture(a) Subsistence Agriculture: The type of agriculture has been practiced in India forseveralhundredsofyearsandstillprevailsinalargerpartofIndiainspiteofthelargescalechangeinagriculturalpracticesafterindependence.(b) Pressure of population on Agriculture: Despite increase in urbanization andindustrialization, about 70% of population is still directly or indirectly dependent onagriculture.(c) Mechanization of farming: After more than forty years of Green Revolution andrevolution inagriculturalmachineryandequipment, completemechanization is still adistantdream(d)Dependenceuponmonsoon:Despitethelargescaleexpansion,onlyaboutonethirdoftotalcroppedareaisirrigatedtoday.Asaconsequence,twothirdofcroppedareasisstill dependent upon monsoon. As you know, monsoon in India is uncertain andunreliable.Thishasbecomeevenmoreunreliableduetochangeinclimate.


(e)Varietyofcrops:Indiahasdiversityoftopography,climateandsoil.SinceIndiahasbothtropicalandtemperateclimate,cropsofboththeclimatearefoundinIndia.(f) Predominance of food crops: Indian agriculture has to feed a large population, soproductionof foodcrops is the firstpriorityof the farmersalmosteverywhere in thecountry.(g)Seasonalpatterns:Indiahasthreedistinctagricultural/croppingseasonsi.e.kharif,rabiandzaid.InIndiatherearespecificcropsgrowninthesethreeseasons.(h) Lack of extension services: Poorly maintained irrigation systems and almostuniversallackofgoodextensionservicesareamongthefactorsresponsible.Poorroadstomarketfromvillage,rudimentarymarketinfrastructure,andexcessiveregulationarefew of the other concerned points for the agriculture sector in India.(i)HighlevelIlliteracy:Illiteracy,generalsocio‐economicbackwardness,slowprogressin implementing land reforms and inadequate or inefficient finance and marketingservices for farm produce. Illiteracy of farmers and their ignorance in the field ofmodern agricultural practices and technology, hampered by high costs andimpracticalityinthecaseofsmalllandholdings.(j)LandFragmentationgenerationtogeneration:Verysmall(lessthan20,000m²)sizeoflandholdingsduetofragmentation,landceilingactsandfamilydisputes.Suchsmallholdings are often over‐manned, resulting in disguised unemployment and lowproductivityoflabor(eenaduindia.Com,2014)MainthrustofthepaperTheRoleofRuralWomeninAgricultureIn agricultural sector, woman plays a vital role, because it is largely a householdenterprise.WomeninIndiaaremajorproducersoffoodintermsofvalue,volumeandnumberofhoursworked.Nearly63percentofalleconomicallyactivemenareengagedinagricultureascomparedto78percentofwomen.Almost50percentofruralfemaleworkersareclassifiedasagriculturallaborersand37%ascultivators.About70percentoffarmworkwasperformedbywomen.Womenarethebackboneofthedevelopmentof ruralandnationaleconomies.Theycomprise43%of theworld’sagricultural laborforce, which rises to 70% in some countries.The famous eminent agricultural scientist M.S Swaminathan, describes that it waswomanwhofirstdomesticatedcropplantsandtherebyinitiatedtheartandscienceoffarming.Whilemenwentouthuntinginsearchoffood,womenstartedgatheringseedsfromthenative floraandbegancultivatingthoseof interest fromthepointofviewoffood,feed,fodder,fiberandfuel.Womenhaveplayedandcontinuetoplayakeyroleintheconservationofbasiclifesupportsystemssuchasland,water,floraandfauna.Theyhave protected the health of the soil through organic recycling and promoted crop


security through themaintenanceofvarietaldiversityandgenetic resistance (RoshanLalandAshokKhuran,2011).InIndia,80%oftheagriculturalproductioncomesfromsmallfarmers,whoaremostlyrural women. Women comprise the largest percentage of the workforce in theagricultural sector, but do not have access and control over all land and productiveresources.Womenguarantee livelihoods,especially in ruralareas.Asa resultof theirgreat efforts in agricultural production,women’s production helps to guarantee theirself‐sustenance.Thisisstillnotenough,tocoverotherneeds,ashealthcare,payingfortheeducationoftheirchildrenortheacquisitionofotherproductsandgoodswhicharenecessaryonaday‐to‐daybasis(SOFATeamandCherylDoss,2011).Lackofappreciationoftheroleofruralwomeninagricultureisharmfulandgivesriseto a lack of specific policies, policies which are misdirected, high levels of poverty,illiteracy and non‐involvement in the design and planning of programs and policies,whichinvolvesaprocessofmutuallearningthatreflectstherealandspecificneedsofrural women. Nowadays many governments tend to pay more attention to theagriculturalsectorthaneverbefore(KrishnaRao,2006).ObstaclesinwomengrowthinagriculturesectorWomenhavenopowerfordecisionmakingprocess,eitherinsideoroutsidethehome.Howeverwomen perform all un‐mechanized agricultural tasks and performmultipletaskswhichaddmoreburdenstothem.Womenworkersinagriculturesufferfromhighilliteracy rate among them and drop out of schools. They have no proper knowledgeaboutmodernagriculturesystem.Womenearnfewerwages,especiallyinjointinformalandprivatesector(ManasMonda,2013).Benefitsforthewomeninagriculturalsector

1. Women'sparticipationasself‐employedorasagriculturalwageworkers.2. Women’sproductionhelpstoguaranteetheirself‐sustainablelivehood.3. Conservationtheirnaturalandpaternalresourcesforfuturegeneration.

Graphicalrepresentationofwomen'sinputandgrowthinagriculturalsector

Governmentinitiatives for the ruralwomen worker1. Ministry of Agriculture isworking in direction toimprovethe conditions offarmers by employingdifferent programs likeInsurance plan and ITCLimited plan.


2. Under Insurance plan Agriculture Insurance Company of India insures farmerscultivatingwheat,fruit,riceandrubberintheeventofnaturaldisastersorcatastrophiccrop failure, under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture.3. ITCLimitedplanaims to connect20,000villages to the Internetprovidingprovidefarmerswith up to date crop prices for the first time,which shouldminimize lossesincurred fromneighboringproducerssellingearlyand in turn facilitate investment inruralareas.4.SomeoftherecentinitiativestakenbythegovernmentofIndiatoaccelerategrowthinclude, theone‐timebank loanwaiver to coveranestimated40million farmerswasoneofthemajorhighlightsofthelastBudget.5. The government has already approved 60 Agricultural Export Zones (AEZs). TheCabinethasapproved2percentinterestsubsidyonbankloanstakenbyfarmers.Strategiesusedforruralwomenempowerment•Developmentof technologykits andmediamixes forpromotingknowledgeandskillempowermentonvarioustopicsrelatedtofarmingandhouseholdpractices.• Development of software as ‘Nutriguide’ based on regional foods for food andtherapeuticpurposes.•Establishmentofnutritiongardeninruralhouseholdsascost‐effective solution for micronutrient malnutrition and nutritional up‐liftment of ruralpopulation.•Developmentofsoftwareandacompendiumonnaturaldyesanditssubsequentuseinagroandanimalbasedfibersfortextileproductpreparation.• Development of software and a compendium on natural dye sources for use byweaversandwomenentrepreneurs.• Organizing stimulation programme in farm crèche for enhancing psycho‐motar,mental, social and emotional development of rural children and educationalinterventionstoruralmothersforprovidingconducivehomeenvironmenttochildren(AmritPatel,2012).Recommendationsfortherecognitionofwomencontributioninagriculture

Recognitionoflaborworkofworkingwomenintheruraleconomymaybeaccountedinmonetary terms. More facilities should be provided to poor rural women for land,agriculturalandlivestockextensionservices.

Prioritymustbegiventowomeninaccessingcreditonsofttermsfrombanksandotherfinancialinstitutionsforsettinguptheirbusiness,forbuyingproperties,andforhousebuilding.

Measures should be taken to enhance women's literacy rates. A separate educationpolicyforwomenmayservethepurpose.

Women must be involved in decision‐making bodies that have the potential tointroduce structural changes. This action will bring some changes in the genderrelationsinthesociety.


Women must be aware regarding their existing rights, access to judicial relief andredress, removing discrimination through legal reforms, and providing legal aid,assistanceandcounseling(ManasMonda,2013).ConclusionRuralwomenare themajor contributors in agricultureand its allied fields.Herworkrangesfromcropproduction,livestockproductiontocottageindustry.Fromhouseholdandfamilymaintenanceactivities,totransportingwater,fuelandfodder.Despitesuchahugeinvolvement,herroleanddignityhasyetnotbeenrecognized.Women’sstatusislowbyallsocial,economic,andpoliticalindicators.Women’srolesarediverseandthattheyvaryacrossregionsandcountries.Theserolescannotbeunderstoodproperly,andinterventions targeting cannot be designed effectively, without understanding theirdifferential access to land, capital, assets, human capital, and other productiveresources.Finally in this regard governmentmust formulatepolicies to enhance their skills andtheirworkshouldbecountedineconomicindicatorsReferences1.RoshanLalandAshokKhuran.2011.Genderissues:theroleofwomeninagriculturesector.ZENITHInternationalJournalofBusinessEconomics&ManagementResearch,1(1):29‐39.2.Knowledgecentre.drwa.org.in/womenagriculture.3.SocialwindowofIndia:Sunday,August11,2013.4.www.eenaduindia.com/.Salient‐Features‐of‐Indian‐Agriculture...Oct9,20145.Theroleofwomen inagriculture.PreparedbytheSOFATeamandCherylDoss.ESAWorkingPaperNo.11‐02.March2011.6.ManasMonda,2013.TheRoleofRuralWomenInAgricultureSectorOfSagarIsland,WestBengal,India.TheInternationalJournalOfEngineeringAndScience,2(2):81‐86.7.KrishnaRao,E.2006.RoleofWomeninAgriculture:AMicroLevelStudy.JournalofGlobalEconomy,2:107‐118.8.Patel,A.2012.EmpoweringWomeninAgriculture.YOJANAJune2012.


STATUSOFWOMENINAGRICULTURALSECTORWITHSPECIALREFERENCETOVETERINARYFIELD

Dr.AnjaliKulkarni*,Dr.YachanaJha†*,†NatubhaiV.PatelCollegeofPureandAppliedSciences,

VallabhVidyanagar,Gujarat,India

Abstract From ancient times women are playing vital role in social and economicprogress.Theonlyproblemistheirrolewasnotrecognized.Womenworkinginallthefieldneedsmotivationtoachievetheexcellencewhichwillleadtooveralldevelopmentofourcountry.SomeofthefieldsforexampleAgriculturesectorandespecially veterinary sciences was supposed to be male dominated. Now a day’sscenarioischanging,asuccessstoryofDr.AmritaPatelinGujaratstateistherebutstillsomestepsaresuggestedinpresentdiscussiontoencouragewomen’sparticipationinAgricultureandveterinaryfield.Astofocuswomen’scontributioninallthefieldsisneedofthehour.Astheworldcannotaffordthelossofthetalentsofhalfofpeopleifwehavetosolvetheproblemswhichbesetus,"saidtheeminentAmericanscientistand Nobel Laureate Rosalyn Yalow. Obviously, she was referring to the womenwhoformhalf,ifnotthebetterhalfthepopulationoftheworld.

KeywordsWomenVeterinarian,VeterinaryField,WomeninAgriculturalSector

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

India is a traditional countrywherewomen are respected asMature Shakti over theyearsandtheyhaveovercomethetraditionalmindsetsandexcelledinprofessionsliketeaching,medicineandpuresciences.Mostmythsandreligionsplacethebeginningsofagriculture, laws, civilization,mathematics, calendars, timekeepingandmedicine intothehandsofwomen.Indianwomenhaveplayedapivotedroleintechnology.KalpanaChawla and Sunita Williams made India proud in the whole universe. Women arecomingupwithyoungandrevolutionary ideas therebydominatingvariousaspectsofscienceandtechnology.

Tofocuswomen’scontributionisneedofthehour

Women's economic and social development will not be achieved if the problemsconfrontedbywomeninagricultureandalliedfieldsarenotaddressed.Understandingexisting gender roles and relations in land and livestock management is critical forinforminggenderequitablepolicies,maximizingtheproductivepotentialofwomenandensuringtheireconomicempowerment


Whenwomenareeconomicallyandsociallyempowered,theybecomeapotentforceforchange. In rural areas of the developing world, women play a key role in runninghouseholds and make major contributions to agricultural production. But theinequalities that exist betweenwomen andmenmake it difficult forwomen to fulfilltheirpotential.

Education plays a vital role in overall development of everyone. All educational andresearch programs must be directed towards improving conditions in rural weakersections.TheIndiansubcontinentisendowedwithrichnaturalresources;thejudiciousandoptimalexploitationoftheseresourcesistheneedofthehour.Themainobstacletooverallimprovementisthepopulationexplosion.Thedevelopmentofweakersectionsisofvitalimportancetodevelopingacountry,becausenonationwillprogressifalargeproportion of its population remains poor. ( S. Abdul Rahman JVME 31(1) 2004AAVMC)

HistoryandPresentscenarioofveterinaryeducationinIndia

TheVeterinaryJournalpublishedin1889mentionedthefirsteverwomanwhoenteredveterinary profession was Ms. Parisians and subsequently MS Pole StephanieKruszewska followed her foot step in Zurich University of Europe in the same year.Following the First World War, women stepped into almost all the professionsdominatedbymeninthewesternworld.TheirabilityhadbeenprovedandrecognizedandalsotheSexDisqualification(Removal)Actof1919resultedinthegoverningbodiesofmanyprofessionswhichopeneddoorsforwomentoregisterinprofessionalcolleges.This made the veterinary profession, the last of the orthodox men dominatedprofessions to admit women. The article in The Veterinary Record of April 7, 1934,referstothecapabilityofwomenveterinariansintreatingthehorses.WomenVetsof19century inspiredmanymorewomen to joinVeterinaryProfession and at present thegirlsareoutnumberingtheboysinalmostallWesternandaswellasEasterncountries.InIndia,itwasin1948,MadrasVeterinaryCollegeatViper,Chennai,openeditsportalforadmissiontogirlsfortheBachelorofVeterinarySciencecourse.Dr.SakkubhaiRamachandranthefirstwomanVetofIndiagraduatedin1952andlaterassumedmanyprestigiouspostsandretiredasScientist fromIVRI,Bangalore in1971.Followingherfootsteps,Dr.PushpaRanaparkhe,Dr.AmrithaPatelandmanystalwartladyvetshaveshown the way to the youngsters and at present there has been an increase in thenumberofgirlspreferringthisprofessionanditisestimatedthattherearemorethan3000 lady vets in the country registered with different State Veterinary councils ofIndia.(VeenaTandRajeshwariY.B,2008).Femalestudentswerenotmuchattractedbytheveterinaryprofessioninthe1960sandthe1970s. Sincethelastdecade,therehasbeenmoreawarenessamongwomen,notonlyinhumanmedicinebutalsoinveterinarymedicineandotherprofessionalcourses.Some state governments have passed an order that 30% of seats in all educationalinstitutionsmustbeearmarkedforthewomen.Asimilarprovisionhasbeenadoptedinall spheresofemployment.Todaywomenarecompetingwith themenand insomeof


theveterinarycollegeshavewomentomenratioof50:50(AbdulRahman,2004;VeenaandRajeshwari,2008).(S.JayachitraandR.Yogeswari(2014)/Int.J.Curr.Res.Biosci.PlantBiol.2014,1(4):65‐66).

Oneofthemythsinearlyyearswasthatwomenwouldneverbeabletoconductlargeanimal practice because they lacked the strength to control the animals. While theaverage male is stronger than the average female, there is no man who can pit hissuperiorstrengthagainstapowerfulstallionorabigbullandcomeoutthevictor.Itisallamatterofrestrainttechniquesandoutwittingtheanimal.Surelywomendonotlackwit?Beingmaledoesnotmakeasuccessfullargeanimalpractitioner,knowinghowtotreat and cure the animal does. The use of tranquillizing drugs and other improvedfacilities for animal restraint has helped a lot in overcoming the perceived and realphysicallimitationsofwomenintheveterinaryfield.Theincreasedmobilityofwomenasawholehasalsodrawnthemclosertotheprofession.Anothermythwas that lady vetwon't be accepted and comfortable to deal with thefarmers.HowonecanimagineinacountrylikeIndiaafemalevetnotabletogethistoryofasickanimalfromafront‐linerinformerwhoturnsouttobeawomentakingcareofthelivestock.Itisgenerallyfeltthatthewomenveterinarian'sgreatestopportunityforservice is inthe fieldofsmallanimalpracticeand inthe laboratoryorresearchwork,although a few determined and capable individuals have distinguished themselves inotherfields,includingthecareofzooanimalsanddairycattle.Ladyveterinarianscanmakeasignificantcontributiontotheanimalhusbandrysectorin a developing country like India where women's role is crucial in the sector as awhole.It iswomenwhoplaythepivotalroleinsuchanimalhusbandryunitsandladyveterinarianscansupportthemeffectivelyinthiscrucialGrassrootslevel.Opportunities

a. VeterinaryEducation:Opportunities beginwith education and training. Veterinary Science is the science ofdiagnosing, treating and curing thediverse typesof diseases inbirds andanimals.Atpresent more than 40 veterinary colleges in various states in our country offeringundergraduateandpostgraduateanddoctoralcourses.To practice as a veterinarian it is essential to have a Bachelor’s degree in VeterinaryScience (B.V.Sc.). To be eligible for the Bachelor’s in Veterinary Science and AnimalHusbandry (B.V.Sc & AH) course, a candidate should have passed the class 12examinationwithsciencesubjectssuchasPhysics,ChemistryandBiology.Admissiontomostveterinarycollegesisonthebasisofresultsobtainedintheentranceexamination conducted by the concerned universities. Veterinary Council of Indiaconducts an ‘All India Common Entrance examination’ (AICEE) for admission to firstyearBachelorofVeterinaryScience(BVSc)&AnimalHusbandry.Moreinformationanddetailsonecangetfromhttp://www.vci.nic.in.

b. Inresearch–


There are many opportunities in education and research filed for lady veterinaryscienceandgeneralscience.Someofthemare‐

1. TheWomen Scientists Scheme (WOS) has been evolved by theDepartment ofScienceandTechnology (DST) forprovidingopportunities towomenscientistsand technologists between the age group of 30‐50 years. Under this scheme,women scientists arebeingencouraged topursue research in frontier areasofscienceandengineering.

2. LoorealIndiaprogrammeforyoungwomeninscienceprogramme.3. MaulanaAzadnationalscholarshipforgirls4. PostdoctoralfellowshipforwomenbyUGC5. PragathischolarshipschemeforgirlsbyAICTE6. Biocare programmes and awards for women scientists by Department of

biotechnology, Government of India (J.Vijaya,http://www.pharmainfo.net/book/research‐funding‐opportunities‐

women‐scientists)Success story in Gujarat: Some glimpse of the Dr. Amrita Patel’s greatachievementsasaverysuccessfulladyVeterinarian.Dr.AmritaPatelhonouredasstate'sfirstwomanveterinarian,wasChairmanNDDB.Shedidher bachelor’s in veterinary science andhonours in agriculture from theBombayVeterinaryCollegein1965.Dr.Patelhasalsosuccessfully completedadvanced training in animalnutritionat theRowett Research Institute, Aberdeen, theUK under an FAO Fellowship fromOctober1966toMarch1968.Aftercompletingadvancedtraininginanimalnutrition,Dr.Pateljoined Kheda District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited in their cattle feedfactory at Kanjari as animal nutrition officer in November1965.ShejoinedtheNationalDairyDevelopmentBoardasprojectexecutivein1971.DuringthesameperiodshewasgivenaspecialassignmenttobepartoftheAchievementAuditCommittee for the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal. In 1983, Dr Patel wasappointedadditionalsecretary,NDDBandregionalheadofIndianDairyCorporationinDelhi. In 1986, she was appointed as chief executive of NDDB. In 1988, she wasappointedasmanagingdirector(operations).Shealsoworkedasadditionalsecretaryinthe ministry of agriculture from June 19, 1989. In 1990, she took over as ManagingDirector of NDDB.Dr. Patel also held the post of chairperson of ninemajor institutions in the fields ofdairying, animal disease and prevention, animal nutrition, financial institutions andhumanhealth.ShewasthemanagingdirectorofNDDBforabouttenyears.Shehadalsoheldseveralhigh‐profilepostsindifferentcategoriesintheNDDBandatthesecretarylevel in the government offices.Dr.Patelreceivedseveralawardsatnationalandinternationallevels.In2001,DrPatelwasconferred“Padmabhushan”bytheGovernmentofIndiaforhercontribution


to animal husbandry. In 2008, Dr. Amrita Patel was awarded theIndira GandhiParyavaran Puraskar, the prestigious award instituted by theGovernment of India inthe name of the former Prime Minister, which recognizes the contribution of therecipient towardscreatinggreaterawarenessamongthepeopleof thecountryontheneedtopreservetheirnaturalenvironment.She received the ‘Dr. Norman Borlaug Award’ for contributions in the field of dairydevelopment and animal husbandry and for the leadership and dynamism shown increating sustainablepeoples’ institutions tomeet theirneeds for fuel and fodder. Shewasawardedthe‘InternationalPersonoftheYear’fortheyear1997bytheWorldDairyExpo,Inc.,Madison,Wisconsin,USAforcommitmenttoimproveIndia'sruralhealthandenvironment and forefforts to fosterbetter animalhusbandryand increaseproducerproductivity and incomes (http://sndt.ac.in/convocation/chief‐guest‐dr‐amrita‐patel.htm).Steps suggested to improvise women’s participation in Agriculture andveterinaryfield:futureperspectiveThoughtherearesomesuccessstories,stillsomestepscanbetakentoencourageandmotivatemorenumberofwomensinveterinaryeducationandresearchsuchas‐

Createanenvironmentofencouragementthatcandisruptnegativestereotypesaboutwomen’scapacityinthisdemandingfields.

Women’seducationalprogressshouldbecelebrated,yetmoreworkisneededtoensure that women and girls have full access to educational and employmentopportunitiesinagricultureandveterinaryfields.

Special effort is needed to make Agriculture and allied sciences educationaccessibletothisunder‐representedcategoryofstudents.Somesupportsystemsbywayofspecialfellowshipsforgirls

Specialeffortisneededtoensurethatcompetentwomenscientistsareinvitedtoconferences,givenvisibilityandappointedondecision‐makingcommittees.

Opportunitiesforplacementforgirlsespeciallyfromsmalltowns. SpecialleavewithpayiftheywanttodoPh.D. Fellowshiptoeminentwomenscientiststovisit,givelectures,andinteractwith

studentsandteachersinforeignuniversities.Opportunityforwomenwhohavesufferedabreakincareertoreturntosciencecareer.MoreprogrammesliketheoneDSThasstated.

Flexibleworkinghours,parttimejobsandfacilitieslikecrèche,day‐carecentreforkidsofemployeeatworkplace.

Campus housing, transport, proper toilets, ladies rooms etc. Age relaxation inrecruitmentand2mid‐careerbreaks.Paternity leave forthe father if therearesmallchildrentocarefor.

Conclusion


WomenareagreathumanresourceandtheirroleinAgricultureandalliedsciencesisvital for itsprogress. Ifwomenhavetobesuccessful inAgricultureandalliedscience,we need to create support structures andpositive attitude towards it as a career forthem.Therefore,empowermentofwomenhasbeenrecognizedasacentralgoalinthedevelopmentprocessinIndia.References:

1. http://sndt.ac.in/convocation/chief‐guest‐dr‐amrita‐patel.htm2. http://www.pharmainfo.net/book/research‐funding‐opportunities‐ women‐

scientists3. S.JayachitraandR.Yogeswari(2014)/Int.J.Curr.Res.Biosci.PlantBiol.2014,

1(4):65‐664. S.AbdulRahmanJVME31(1)©2004AAVMC5. TimesofIndia5/1/20156. VeenaTandRajeshwariY.B,2008VeterinaryWorld,Vol.1(12):380‐381


ROLEOFWOMENINGROWTHOFAGRICULTURALSECTOR

Prof.HarshadabenP.Kalola**EconomicsDepartment,DevmaniArts&CommerceCollege,Visavadar,Gujarat,India

Abstract–RoleofWomeninGrowthofAgriculture

Indiahasapredominantlyagrarianeconomy.70%ofherpopulation isrural;of thosehouseholds, 60%engage in agriculture as theirmain source of income. It has alwaysbeen India's most important economic sector. In this important agricultural sectorwomanplaysavitalrole,becauseit islargelyahouseholdenterprise.WomeninIndiaaremajorproducersof food in termsof value, volumeandnumberof hoursworked.Nearly 63 percent of all economically active men are engaged in agriculture ascompared to 78 per cent of women. Almost 50 percent of rural female workers areclassified as agricultural labourers and 37% as cultivators. About 70 percent of farmworkwasperformedbywomen.Itisobservedthatwomenplayasignificantandcrucialroleinagriculturaldevelopmentandalliedfieldsincluding,maincropproduction,live‐stockproduction,horticulture,post‐harvestingoperations,agro/socialforestry,fishingetc.; it isafactlongtakenforgrantedbutignoredsinceages.InthispaperanattempthasbeenmadeTostudytheroleofwomeninagricultureandchangesintheirposition.

Keywords

Agriculture,Women,Horticulture

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction

Womanwho first domesticated cropplants and thereby initiated the art and science offarming.Whilemenwent out hunting in search of food,women started gathering seedsfromthenativefloraandbegancultivatingthoseofinterestfromthepointofviewoffood,feed, fodder, fibre and fuel.Women have played and continue to play a key role in theconservationofbasic lifesupportsystemssuchasland,water,floraandfauna.Theyhaveprotected the health of the soil through organic recycling and promoted crop securitythroughthemaintenanceofvarietaldiversityandgeneticresistance.Thatwomenplayasignificantandcrucialroleinagriculturaldevelopmentandalliedfieldsincluding in the main crop production, livestock production, horticulture, post harvestoperations, agro/ social forestry, fisheries, etc. The nature and extent of women‟sinvolvement inagriculture,nodoubt,variesgreatlyfrom regiontoregion.Evenwithinaregion, their involvement varies widely among different ecological sub‐zones, farmingsystems, castes, classesandstages in the family cycle.But regardlessof thesevariations,there ishardlyanyactivity inagriculturalproduction,exceptploughing inwhichwomenarenot actively involved. Studiesonwomen in agriculture conducted in India and otherdeveloping and under developed countries all point to the conclusion that womencontributefarmoretoagriculturalproductionthanhasgenerallybeenacknowledged.


Recognition of their crucial role in agriculture shouldnot obscure the fact that farmwomen continue to be concerned with their primary functions as wives, mothers andhomemakers.Despite their importance to agricultural production,women face severe handicaps.Theyareinfact,thelargestgroupoflandlesslabourerswithlittlerealsecurityincaseofbreak‐up of the family owing to death or divorce; inheritance laws and customs discriminateagainstthemlandreformandsettlementprogrammesusuallygivesoletitleandhencethesecurityneededforobtainingproductioncreditstothehusband.Agriculturaldevelopmentprogrammes areusuallyplannedbymenand aimedatmen.Mechanization, for examplealleviatestheburdenoftasksthataretraditionallymen‟sresponsibility,leavingwomen‟sburdensunrelievedorevenincreased.THEROLEOFWOMENINAGRICULTUREANDITSALLIEDFIELDSRural women performs numerous labor intensive jobs such as weeding, hoeing, grasscutting, picking, cotton stick collections, separation of seeds from fiber.Women are alsoexpectedtocollectwood fromfields.This wood isbeingusedasamajor fuelsource forcooking. Because of the increasing populationpressure, over grazing anddesertification,womenfacedifficulties insearchingof firewood.Cleandrinkingwater isanother majorproblem inruralareas.Likecollectionofwood, fetchingwater fromremoteareas isalsothedutyofwomen.Because a ruralwoman is responsible for farmactivities, keepingoflivestockanditsotherassociatedactivitieslikemilking,milkprocessing,andpreparationofghee are also carriedout by thewomen. Livestock is the primary subsistent activityusedtomeethouseholdfoodneedsaswellassupplementfarmincomes.Themajorityof farms own some livestock. The pattern of livestock strength ismainly influenced byvarious factors such as farm size, croppingpattern, availability of range‐lands includingfodderandpasture.Itiscommonpracticeintheruralareastogiveananimalaspartofawomen‟sdowry.Studies haverevealedruralwomenearnextraincomefromthesaleofmilkandanimals.Mostlywomenareengaged in cleaningof animal, sheds,wateringandmilkingtheanimals.Ruralwomenarealsoresponsibleforcollection,preparingdungcakesanactivitythatalsobringsadditionalincometopoorfamilies.Evidently,ruralwomenareinvolvedinalmostalllivestock related activities. Except grazing, all other livestockmanagement activities arepredominantlyperformedbyfemales.Majorityofwomenareinvolvedinshedcleaningandcollectionof farmyardmanure.Males,however,sharetheresponsibilityoftakingcareofsick animals. It is evident that the women are playing a dominant role in the livestockproductionandmanagementactivities.Poultryfarmingisoneofthemajorsourcesofruraleconomy.Therateofwomeninpoultryfarmingathouseholdlevelisthecentralinpoultryindustry.Eventhoughruralwomenarenot using modern management techniques, such as vaccination and improved feed, buttheirpoultryenterprise is impressive.Everyyear, incomefrompoultry farminghasbeenrising. In order to generatemore andmore income, ruralwomenoften sell all eggs andpoultrymeatandleftnothingforpersonaluse.Duetopovertyandlackofrequiredlevelof


proteins most of women have got a very poor health. Most of women suffer frommalnutrition.International.The study also noted that majority of the rural women are uneducated, unskilled andtradition bounded, therefore their productive capacities are also low, and counted asunskilledlabor.Thoughruralwomenalsohelptoproducethestaplecropslikerice,wheat,and maize, but her contribution is secondary in staple crop production, however, inlegumesandvegetables,her role is instrumental.Ruralwomenhaveveryhectic life.Herwork starts from dawn and ends at dusk. The daily routine work begins from housecleaning,fetchingdrinkingwater,dishwashing,laundry,preparingfoodforfamily,careofchildren, tailoring and sewing clothes. Shemanages these activities very smartly. Eventhough rural women supply half of the Pakistan‟s food production, yet her own foodsecurity is always at risk. Women farmers are frequently ignored in developmentstrategiesandpolicies.Inmostofthedevelopingcountries,bothmenandwomenfarmersdonothaveaccesstoadequateresources,butwomen'sareevenmoreconstrainedbecauseofcultural,traditionalandsociologicalfactors.Multi‐dimensionalroleofwomen: AgriculturalActivities Sowing, transplanting,weeding, irrigation, fertilizerapplication,plant protection,

harvesting,winnowing,storingetc. DomesticActivities Cooking, child rearing, water collection, fuel wood gathering, household

maintenanceetc. AlliedActivities Cattlemanagement,foddercollection,milkingetc.

Mainly rural women are engaged in agricultural activities in three different waysdependingonthesocio‐economicstatusoftheirfamilyandregionalfactors.Theyareworkas: PaidLabourers Cultivatordoinglabourontheirownland Managers of certain aspects of agricultural production by way of laboursupervisionandtheparticipationinpostharvestoperations.

SHAREOFFARMWOMENINAGRICULTURALACTIVITESActivity

Involvement(Percentage)

LandPreparation 32%SeedCleaningandsowing 80%InterCultivationactivities 86%

Harvestingreaping,winnowing,drying,Cleaningandstorage 84%Source:RegistrarGeneralofIndian,NewDelhi


MainobstaclesinwomengrowthinagriculturesectorFew women holding of agricultural productive resources such as land, animals, andmachinery.Womenabsencefromdecisionmakingprocess,eitherinsideoroutsidehome.Womenperform all un‐mechanized agricultural tasks andperformmultiple tasks,whichaddmoreburden to them.Womenworkers inagriculturesuffer fromhigh illiteracy rateamongthemanddrop‐outofschools.Women earn less wages, especially in joint, informal and private sector.Women do notknowtheir legalrights.Missapplyingsomelawsandregulations infavorofwomensuchheritagelegislation.GenderdifferencesinrolesandactivitiesAnother issue is the problem‐ridden conceptualization of women‟s and men‟s work inrural environments, in particular, the failure (by census‐takers and researcherswho arenot gender‐aware, for example) to recognize the importance of their differing roles.Analysisofthegenderdivisionoflabourhasrevealedthatwomentypicallytakeonthreetypesofrolesintermsofthepaidandunpaidlabourtheyundertake.Thesethreerolescanbedescribedasfollows:‐1. Theproductiverole:thisreferstomarketproductionandhome/subsistenceproductionundertakenbywomenwhichgeneratesanincome.2. The reproductive role: this refers to the child‐bearing and child‐rearingresponsibilities borne by women (which are essential to the reproduction of theworkforce.3. Thecommunitymanagementrole:thisreferstoactivitiesundertakenbywomento ensure the provision of resources at the community level, as an extension of theirreproductiverole.Anunderstandingof these three roles can informgender‐awareplanning that takes intoaccountthedifferentialimpactofprogrammesandprojectsonwomenandmenbecauseofwomen‟striplerole.Whenunder‐estimationsandunder‐valuationsofruralwomen‟sworkarefound,as theysooftenare, in thesphereofdevelopmentplanning, theconsequencesareserious.Failuretoacknowledgetheimportanceofwomen‟smultiplecontributionstoruralsurvivalmeansthatpracticalpolicyinterventionsarefrequentlydetrimentalbothtowomenthemselvesandtotheircommunities.Another factor that needs to be taken into account is that certain tasks, activities orenterprisesmayberegardedas„male‟or„female‟.Forexample,womentypicallygatherforestproducts for fuel, food for the family, fodder for livestockandmedicinaluses.Menmoreoftencutwoodtoselloruseasbuildingmaterials.Inordertosecuresustainableandequitablemanagementofforestresources,therefore,bothwomenandmenneedtobeconsulted in the design and implementation of forestry projects. Similarly, where


livestock is concerned, women and men often own different animal species and usedifferent animal products, and any policies or programmes would need to address theneedsofboth.ConclusionandRecommendations:Rural women are the major contributors in agriculture and its allied fields. Her workrangesfromcropproduction,livestockproductiontocottageindustry.Fromhouseholdandfamily maintenanceactivities,totransportingwater,fuelandfodder.Despitesuchahugeinvolvement,herroleanddignityhasyetnotbeenrecognized.Women‟sstatusislowbyallsocial,economic,andpoliticalindicators.Women‟swageworkisconsideredathreatto the male ego and women‟s engagement in multiple home‐based economic activitiesleads to under remuneration for their work. Women spend long hours fetching water,doinglaundry,preparingfood,andcarryingoutagriculturalduties.Notonlyarethesetasksphysicallyhardanddemanding,theyalsorobgirlsoftheopportunitytostudy.Thenatureand sphere ofwomen‟s productivity in the labormarket is largelydeterminedby socio‐culturalandeconomicfactors.Womendonotenterthelabormarketonequaltermswhencompared tomen. Their occupational choices are also limited due to social and culturalconstraints,genderbiasinthelabormarket,andlackofsupportivefacilitiessuchaschildcare, transport, and accommodation in the formal sector of the labormarket.Women‟slabor power is considered inferior because of employers‟ predetermined notion ofwomen‟sprimaryroleashomemakers.Asaresultofdiscriminationagainstfemalelabor,womenareconcentratedinthesecondarysectoroflabormarket.Theirworkislowpaid,lowstatus,casual,andlackspotentialupwardmobility.Themajorityofwomenintheurban sector work in low‐paying jobs. For the recognition of women contribution inagriculture and its allied fields and reducing the gender issues, these are the followingrecommendations:

Recognition of labor work of working women in the rural economy may beaccountedinmonetaryterms.

Morefacilitiesshouldbeprovidedtopoorruralwomenforland,agriculturalandlivestockextensionservices.

Prioritymustbegiven towomen inaccessingcreditonsoft terms frombanksandotherfinancialinstitutionsforsettinguptheirbusiness,forbuyingproperties,andforhousebuilding.

Measuresshouldbetakentoenhancewomen's literacyrates.Aseparateeducationpolicyforwomenmayservethepurpose.

Women must be involved in decision‐making bodies that have the potential tointroduce structural changes. This action will bring some changes in the genderrelationsinthesociety.

Womenmustbeawareregardingtheirexistingrights,accesstojudicialreliefandredress,removingdiscriminationthroughlegalreforms,andprovidinglegalaid,assistanceandcounseling.

Finally it is concluded that the rural women are exploited by land lords for theirpersonal good and enrichment. Women are treated as sub‐ servant or personalproperty.Inthisregardgovernmentmustformulatepoliciestoenhancetheirskillsandtheirworkshouldbecountedineconomicindicators.


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2. GenderMainstreaminginEducation:AReferenceManualforGovernmentsandOtherStakeholders.London:CommonwealthSecretariat.

3. FoodandAgricultureOrganization(1999).4. Hannan, Ferocious and AKM Abdul Hannan Buiyan (1994). Role of Women in

Agriculture:SomeConceptualIssues.5. Razavi, S andMiller, C (1997). Conceptual Framework forGenderAnalysiswithin

theDevelopmentContext.NewYork:UNDPGenderinDevelopmentProgramme.6. Beoku, Betts, J. (1990) Agriculture Development in Sierra Leone: Implications for

RuralWomanintheAftermathoftheWoman'sdecade,Africatoday.7. Brown,Lynn.R.,andHaddadL.(March1995)TimeAllocationPatternsandtimes.


ROLEOFWOMENINGROWTHOFAGRICULTURALSECTOR

PriteshPandey*,PratikSoni†,SunitParmar+*,†,+Madhuben&BhanubhaiPatelWomen’sInstituteofEngineeringForStudies&

ResearchinComputer&CommunicationTechnology,CSEDepartment,NewV.V.Nagar,Gujarat,India

AbstractAgriculturecanbeanimportantengineforgrowthandpovertyreduction.Butthesector is underperforming in many countries in part because women, who areoftenacrucialresourceinagricultureandtheruraleconomy,faceconstrainthatreducetheirproductivity.Thisstudyanalysedwomenparticipationinagriculturalproduction in India. In thispaper I have tried todiscuss theactual roleof ruralwomeninagriculturalsector.HereIhaveshownhownumberofruralagriculturallabourchanged from1971 to2011.Therefore Ihavediscussed themajor roleofruralwomeninanotherfields,theirrealproblems,barriersandactualpositionofthesociety.Fromthecontributionofwomentoagriculturalandfoodproductionissignificant,butitisimpossibletoverifyempiricallytheshareproducedbywomen.It investigated the women access to economic resources and examined theinfluence of selected socio‐economic characteristics of women and access toeconomicresourcesontheirparticipationinagriculturalproduction.Inthisstudyarea maximum no of women laborers are illiterate with no formal educationalstatus which directly informed their participation in agricultural production.Women participation in rural labormarkets varies considerably across regions,but invariably women are over represented in unpaid, seasonal and part‐timework, and the available evidence suggests thatwomen are often paid less thanmen for the same work. This paper re‐affirms that women make essentialcontributionstoagricultureandruralenterprisesacrossthestudyareaaswellasdevelopingworld.KeywordsWomen,Agriculture,Rural_______________________________________________________________________________________________IntroductionThe international development communityhas recognized that agriculture is anengine for growth of poverty reduction in countries where it is the mainoccupationofthepoor.Buttheagriculturalsectorinmanydevelopingcountriesisunderperforming, in part because women who represent a crucial resource inagriculture and the rural economy through their roles as farmers, laborers’ andentrepreneurs, almost everywhere face more severe constraints than men inaccess to productive resources. Efforts by national governments and theinternational community to achieve their goals for agricultural development,economicgrowthand foodsecuritywillbe strengthenedandaccelerated if they


build on the contributions that women make and take steps to alleviate theseconstraints. Women make essential contribution to the agricultural and ruraleconomiesinalldevelopingcountries.Theirrolesvaryconsiderablybetweenandwithin regions and are changing rapidly in many parts of the world, whereeconomicandsocialforcesaretransformingtheagriculturalsector.Ruralwomenoftenmanagecomplexhouseholdsandpursuemultiplelivelihoodstrategies.Theiractivities typically include producing agricultural crops, tending animals,processingandpreparing foods,workingforwages inagriculturalorotherruralenterprises,collectingfuelandwater,engagingintradeandmarketing,caringforfamily members and maintaining their homes. Many of these activities are notdefined as “economically active employment “in national accounts but they areessential to the well‐being of rural households. Despite their importance toagriculturalproductionwomenfaceseverehandicaps.Theyareinfact,thelargestgroupoflandlesslaborerswithlittlerealsecurityincaseofbreak‐upofthefamilyowing to death or divorce , inheritance laws and customs discriminate againstthem landreformandsettlementprogramsusuallygivesole title andhence thesecurity needed for obtaining production credits to the husbands. Agriculturaldevelopment programs are usually planned by men and aimed at men.Mechanization for example alleviates the burden of tasks that are traditionallymen’sresponsibility,leavingwomen’sburdensunrelievedorevenincreased.ObjectivesThemainobjectivesofthisstudyarementionedbelow.1.Tofindouttheroleofwomeninagricultureanditsalliedfields.2.Tofindoutmainobstaclesinwomengrowthinagriculturalsector.3.Toanalyzethegenderdifferencesinrolesandactivitiesinagriculturalsector.DataBase&ResearchMethodologyMethodology for data collection is divided into two segments. Secondary andprimary sources. Secondary sources mainly consist of literature survey, peerreviewed articles and research papers and government published documents.Primary data sources consist of 10 % household survey of total householdsfollowing random sampling method. The inputs from the conducted interviewsand feedback received from Questionnaire survey were analyzed against theactualdatacollectedandtheliteraturereview.TheRoleofWomeninAgricultureandItsAlliedFieldsRuralwomenperformnumerous labour intensive jobs inagricultural field.Theyare directly attachedwith summer, rainy andwinter season agriculture system.Topographicallymaximumareaof this studyareahasbeenconsideredasmonocrop. Rain fed agriculture system is the dominant agricultural practices in thisarea.Thereisnoirrigationfacilityforsummerandwintercultivation.Womenare


alsoexpectedtocollectwoodfromfields.Thiswoodisbeingusedasamajorfuelsourceforcooking.Cleandrinkingwaterisanothermajorprobleminruralareas.Like collection of wood, collecting water from remote areas is also the duty ofwomen. Because a rural women is responsible for farm activities. Keeping oflivestock and its other associated activities like milking, milk processing andpreparationofgheearealsocarriedoutby thewomen.Livestock is theprimarysubsistentactivityusedtomeethouseholdfoodneedsaswellassupplementfarmincomes. The majority of farms own some livestock. The pattern of livestockstrength is mainly influenced by various factors such as farm size, croppingpattern,availabilityofrange–landsincludingfodderandpasture.Thereforeruralwomenearnextra incomefromthesaleofmilkandanimals.Mostlywomenareengaged in cleaning of animals, sheds, watering andmilking the animals. Ruralwomenarealsoresponsibleforcollection,preparingdungcakesandactivitythatalsobringsadditionalincomeforpoorfamilies.Inmostofthecasesruralwomenare involved in almost all livestock related activities. Majority of women areinvolvedinshedcleaningandcollectionoffarmyardmanure.Itisevidentthatthewomenareplayingadominantroleinthelivestockproductionandmanagementactivities.Poultryfarmingisoneofthemajorsourcesofruraleconomy.Therateofwomeninpoultryfarmingathouseholdlevelisthecentralinpoultryindustry.Eventhoughruralwomenarenotusingmodernmanagementtechniques,suchasvaccinationand improved feed,but theirpoultryenterprise is impressive.Everyyearincomefrompoultryfarminghasbeenrising.Inordertogeneratemoreandmoreincome,ruralwomenoftensellalleggsandpoultrymeatandleftnothingforpersonaluse.Duetopovertyandlackofrequiredlevelofproteinsmostofwomenhave got a very poor health. As a result most of the women suffer frommalnutritionandseverediseases.Thestudyalsonotedthatmajorityoftheruralwomen are uneducated, unskilled and tradition bounded, therefore theirproductive capacity are also lowand counted asunskilled labour.Ruralwomenhave very hectic life. Her work starts from dawn and ends at night. The dailyroutine works begins from house cleaning, collection of drinking water, dishwashing,laundry,preparingfoodforfarming,careofchildren.Shemanagestheseactivitiesverysmartly.MainobstaclesinWomengrowthinAgriculturalSectorIn this study area certain number of women holding of agricultural productiveresources such as lands, animals and machinery. Women have no power fordecision making process, either inside or outside the home. However womenperform all un‐mechanized agricultural tusks and performmultiple taskswhichadd more burdens to them. Women workers in agriculture suffer from highilliteracy rate among them and drop out of schools. They have no properknowledge about modern agriculture system. Women earn fewer wages,especially in joint informal and private sector. Therefore women do not knowtheirlegalrights.Genderdifferencesinrolesandvariousactivities


Gender differences are the prime issue of women’s andmen’swork in naturalenvironmentinparticulartorecognizetheimportanceoftheirdifferentroles.Onthebasisofthegenderdivisionoflabourhasrevealedthattypicallywomentakeon three types of roles in terms of the paid and unpaid labour they undertake.Theirmajorrolesarediscussedbelow.

1. The productive role: It refers to the market production and home/subsistenceproductionareundertakenbywomenwhichgeneratesafixedincome.

2. Thereproductiverole:Thisreferstothechildbearingandchildrearingresponsibilitiesarementionedbywomen.

3. The communitymanagement role: This refers to activities undertakenbywomentoensuretheprovisionofresourcesatthecommunitylevel,asan extension of their reproductive role. An understanding of these threeroles can inform gender –aware planning that takes into account thedifferential impact of programmes and projects on women and manbecause of women’s triple role when under estimations and undervaluations of ruralwomen’swork are found , as they so often are in thesphereofdevelopmentplanning, theconsequencesareserious.Failure toacknowledge the importance of women’s multiple contributions to ruralsurvival means that practical policy interventions are frequentlydetrimentalbothtowomenthemselvesandtotheircommunities.

Anotherfactorthatneedstobetakenintoaccountisthatcertaintasks,activitiesorenterprisesmayberegardedasmaleorfemale.MoreworklesspayGenerally man can easily shift from one place to another place for better jobopportunitiesandbetterincomefacilities.Theycanmoveasamigrantfromtheirbirthofplace to anywhere.Butwomencannot shift from their livingplace. It isthereforebecomingessential formentomigrateinsearchofbetter–paidwork.Womenarefillingthisvacuum.Womenareforcedtoacceptworkinagricultureintheirownvillageunderverybadconditions,becausetheycannotmigrateaseasilyasmen.Thedependenceofwomen’slabouroffamilyfarms,especiallyduringthepeakperiodsofsowingandharvestinghasbecomeverycommon.Farmersontheother hands also seek to prefer women as agricultural workers. The farmer isforcedwiththeincreasingcostsofproductionrequiredformodernagriculture.Hefindsthathecansqueezehislabourcostsbyusinglower–paidwomenworkers.Similarlytheworkofwomenwithinfamilybasedagricultureispreferredbecauseit is cheaper than hiring labour. Women agricultural workers although theypresentabigproportionofallwomenworkerscontinue toreceive lowerwagesthanmen.Theministryoflabourputsthedifferencesat60%ofmenwages,whiletheIndianlabourjournalshowedthatwomenreceived75%ofmenearnings.Findings&Analysis


InthispaperIhavetriedtodiscusstheroleofruralwomeninagriculturalsector.For the convenience of analysis I have taken 50 years census population data(1971‐2011).HoweverIhavealsocollected10%householdsurveydataonMay2012.WiththehelpofprementioneddatasourceIhaveexplainedit.In1971totalpopulationwas88540,whichincreasedinto206801in2011. In1971totalmaleandfemaleagriculturallaborswere8014and79.In1971totalfemaleagriculturallaborswere very negligible. From the given table it is apparent that before theyear 2001, the increase of male agricultural labor was satisfactory, but theincrease of female agricultural laborwas not sufficient. After the year 2001 theincreasing rateof femaleagricultural laborwasvery rapid. In1971 total femaleagriculturallaborwasonly79,whichconvertedinto1237in2011.Bargraphshowingincreasingoftotalmaleandfemalepopulationfrom1971‐2011.(Fig‐1).(TM=Totalmale,TF=

Totalfemale).

(Years)Bargraphshowingincreaseofmaleandfemaleagriculturallaborer’s

from1971‐2011.(Fig‐2),(TMAG&TFAG=Totalmale&femaleagriculturallabors)

ProportionalPiegraphshowingpercentageofmaleagriculturallabourer’s

during1971‐2011.(Fig‐3)

ProportionalPiegraphshowingpercentageoffemaleagricultural

labourer’sduring1971‐2011.(Fig‐4)

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

TM TF

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

1971 1981 1991 2001 2011

TMAG TFAG


For thenecessity of incomeof thepoor family, a certainnumberof females arecomingintoagriculturalworks.Povertyandinsecureincomearetheprimereasonbehind it.Most of the ruralwomen lackhigher livingdream.Theyonlywant tomaintain aminimum standard of living. Malnutrition and fatal diseases are themajorproblemsfacedbythem.Tolookaftertheirfamilytheyareboundtohardworkinagriculturalfields.Bargraphandproportionalpiegraphhavebeendrawntoshowthegraphicalrepresentationof therelateddata. (Fig1,2,3,4). In1971total male and female agricultural labours was 15% and 3% of total male andfemale.In1981itwas15%and6%.Within10yearstherewasnoincreaserateofmale agricultural labours, but female agricultural labours increased 3%. From1971 to 2011 total male agricultural labours increased 15% to 29 %. Theincreasing rate was 14%. On the other hand from 1971 to 2011 femaleagriculturallaboursincreased3%to45%.Hereincreasingratewas42%.Within50 years increasing rate of female agricultural labourswas veryhigh thanmaleagricultural labours. Maximum involvement of female agricultural labours inagriculturalfieldsindicatesgreaterincomeandsecureruraleconomyofthisruralarea.ConclusionRuralwomenarethemajorcontributionsinagricultureandalliedfields.Herworkranges from crop production, livestock production to cottage industry. Fromhousehold and family maintenance activities, to transporting water, fuel andfodder. Despite such a huge involvement her role and dignity has yet not beenrecognized.Women’sstatusislowbyallsocial,economicandpoliticalindicators.Women’s wage work is considered a threat to the male ego and women’sengagement in multiple home based economic activities leads to underremuneration for their work. Women spend long hours fetching water, doinglaundry, preparing food and carrying out agricultural duties. The nature andsphere of women’s productivity in the labour market is largely determined bysocio‐cultural and economic factors.Women do not enter the labourmarket onequal termswhencompared tomen.Theiroccupationalchoicesarealso limited

197115%

198115%

199118%

200123%

201129%

MALE AGRICULTURAL LABORER

19713%

19816% 1991

8%

200138%

201145%

MALE AGRICULTURAL LABORER


duetosocialandculturalconstraints,genderbiasinthelabourmarket,andlackofsupportive facilities such as child care, transport and accommodation in theformalsectorofthelabourmarket.Women’slabourpowerisconsideredinferiorbecause of employers predetermined notion of women’s primary role ashomemakers. As a result of discrimination against female labour, women areconcentratedinthesecondarysectoroflabourmarket.Theirworkislowpaid,lowstatus,casualandlackspotentialupwardmobility.Fortherecognitionofwomencontribution in agriculture and its allied fields are reducing the gender issues.From the above discussion I can easily conclude that the rural women areexploited by landlords for their personal good and enrichment. Women aretreated as sub –servant or personal property. In this regard Government mustformulate policies to enhance their skills and theirworks should be counted ineconomicindicators.References

1. Achary.M,Bennet.L.(1982):womenandthesubsistenceSector:Economicparticipation and household decisionmaking in Nepal, World Bank staffWorkingpaper,Number526.

2. Agarwal, B (1981):Agriculturalmodernization andThirdWorldWomen:pointersfromtheliteratureandanempiricalanalysis,Geneva,ILO.

3. Assefa. T.W, Tadesse F. (Jan 2012):women’s participation in agriculturalco‐operativesinEthiopia.Pp1‐32.

4. Butt. T.M,Hussein, Z, Y,Mahmud.K,Muhammad. S. (2009):Role of ruralwomeninagriculturedevelopmentandtheirconstraints,pp1‐4.

5. Censusindia.gov.in/tablespublished/s6. Chayal.K,Dhaka.B.L, Swalka.R.L. (2010):AnalysisofRoleperformedby

womeninagriculture.Pp1‐5.7. FoodandAgriculturalOrganization(1999).8. Jawali.K.(2009):Theroleofruralwomeninagricultureandalliedfields.

pp1‐7.9. OfficialJournalofEuropeanUnion.(2011)pp1‐11.10. Okwu.O.J,Umoru.B.I.(Dec2009):Astudyofwomenfarmer’sagricultural

informationneedsandaccessibility.Pp1‐7.11. Satyavathi. C.T., Bharadwa., C, Brahmanand P.S. (2010) : Role of farm

womeninagriculture.Pp1‐11.12. Sharma.S,Dubey.A.Sharma.R.(July2012):Participationofruralwomenin

agriculturalactivities:AstudyofMarhblockofJammudist.Pp1‐3.13. Team.S,Doss.C.(Mar2011):Theroleofwomeninagriculture.Pp1‐48.14. www.wikigender.org/index.php


THEROLEOFWOMEN’SINAGRICULTURE

Amit.R.Pandit**S.B.Polytechnic,Vadodara,Gujarat‐India

Abstract

Agriculture can play a vital role in poverty reduction and growth of nation.Women’s are said to be backbone of the rural economy especially in thedevelopingnationlikeIndia.Theycomprise43%oftheworld’sagriculturallabourforce,whichrisesto70%.

RuralIndianwomen’sareextensivelyinvolvedinagricultureactivities.Investingand Empowering in rural women has been shown to significantly reduction inhunger and malnutrition, increase productivity & improve rural livelihoods.Women’sparticipationinrurallabourmarketsvariesconsiderablyacrossregions,but invariably women are over represented in unpaid, seasonal and part‐timework, and the available evidence suggests thatwomen are often paid less thanmen,forthesamework.Theyshowthatfemaletime‐useinagriculturevariesalsobycrop,productioncycle,ageandethnicgroup.Afewtime‐usesurveyshavedataby activity and these show that in generalweeding andharvestingwere chieflyfemaleactivities.

Overall the labour burden of rural women exceeds that ofmen, and includes ahigherproportionofunpaidhouseholdresponsibilitiesrelatedtopreparingfoodandcollectingfuelandwater.Thecontributionofwomentoagriculturalandfoodproduction is significant but it is impossible to verify empirically the shareproducedbywomen.

Keywords:Empowering,Malnutrition,Livelihoods,Weeding,Harvesting.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________


Introduction

Women’sareplayingacontinueskeyroleintheconservationofbasiclifesupportsystemsuchasland,water,floraandfauna.Theyhaveprotectedthehealthofthesoil through organic recycling and promoted crop security through themaintenanceofvarietaldiversityandinherentresistance.

“Tocallwomantheweakersexisalibel;itisman’sinjusticetowoman.Ifbystrengthismeantbrutestrength,then,indeed,womanislessbrutethanman.If by strength ismeantmoral power, thenwoman is immeasurablyman’ssuperior:Hasshenotgreaterintuition,isshenotmoreself‐sacrificing,hasshenotgreaterpowersofendurance,hasshenotgreatercourage?Withoutherman couldnotbe. Ifnon‐violence is the lawofourbeing, the future iswithwoman.Whocanmakeamoreeffectiveappealtotheheartthanwoman?”

MahatmaGandhi

Whilefarminghaslongbeenconsideredmen’sjob,therealityisthatmore&morewomenarebecomingactivemembersofthisindustry.Womenmakeanimportantcontribution to the agricultural & rural economies of all regions of the world.Women’sparticipationinrurallabourmarketsvariesconsiderablyacrossregions,butinvariablywomenareoverrepresentedinunpaid,seasonal&parttime‐work.

Their activities typically include providing agricultural crops, tending animals,processing & preparing foods, working for wages in agricultural or other ruralenterprises,collectingfuelandwater,engagingintradeandmarketing,caringforfamilymembersandmaintainingtheirhomes.

AccordingtoCensus2001,morethan110millionwomenareengagedasworkers;in rural areas, 36.5% of them are cultivators and 43% work as agriculturallabourers. Female agricultural workers are subject to the worst ill effects of


poverty. In rural India, agriculture and allied sectors employ 89.5%of the totalfemalelabour.Womenworkextensivelyinlivestockmaintenance,forestresourceuseandfishprocessing.Womenprovide50%ofthelabourinricecultivation.Inthe plantation sector,women are the crucial labourers. The study found that inlivestockmanagement,indoorjobsaredonebywomenin90%ofthefamilies.Inanimalhusbandrywomenaccountfor93%ofthetotalemployment.Womenhavearoleinlanduse(providingfertilizertothesoil)andinsupplyinginputsfromtheforests(fodderforthecattle).Multi‐DimensionalRoleofWomen

i) Agriculture: Sowing, transplanting, weeding, irrigation, fertilizer

application,plantprotection,harvesting,winnowing,storingetc.ii) Domestic:Cooking,childrearing,watercollection,fuelwoodgathering,

householdmaintenanceetc.iii) AlliedActivities:Cattlemanagement,foddercollection,milkingetc.

Mainly rural women are engaged in agricultural activities in threedifferent ways depending on the socio‐economic status of their family andregionalfactors.Theyareworkas:(i) PaidLabourers(ii) Cultivatordoinglabourontheirownlandand(iii) Managersofcertainaspectsofagriculturalproductionbywayoflabour

supervisionandtheparticipationinpostharvestoperations.

Thetable–1depictsthenumberofwomenworkersengagedinagriculture:

Table‐1:WomenWorkersinAgriculture(Million)WomenWorkersinAgriculture(Million)

Agriculture 1981Census 1991Census

Cultivators 14.8 21.5

AgricultureLabourers 20.8 28.2

Theparticipationofruralwomeninagricultureisincreasinginspiteofscientificand technological developments. The share of farmwomen in agriculturaloperationshasbeenshowninthefollowing


Table‐2:ShareofFarmWomeninAgriculturalOperationsActivityInvolvement (Percentage)

Landpreparation 32

Seedcleaningandsowing 80

Intercultivationactivities 86

Harvesting‐reaping,winnowing,drying,cleaningandstorage 84

Table‐3:StatisticsaboutWomeninIndia1 TotalWomenPopulation(2001) 494.83million

2 TotalWomenWorkers(2001) 127.05million

3 TotalWomenMainWorkers(2001) 72.65million

4 TotalWomenMarginalWorkers(2001) 54.40million

5 TotalWomenOwnerCultivators(2001) 41.30million

6 TotalWomenAgricultureWageWorkers(2001) 50.09million

7 TotalWomenHouseholdIndustryWorkers(2001) 8.08million

8 TotalWomenOtherWorkers(2001) 27.57million

9 TotalWomeninOrganizedSector(1999) 4.80million

10 TotalWomeninLivestock,Forestry,Fishing,Hunting(1991) 1.32million

TimespentinagriculturalactivitiesTimeusesurveysattempttoprovideamorecompleteaccountoftimeusebymenand women than are available from the labour force statistics reported above.Such studies usually are not nationally representative and are not directlycomparablebecausetheyusuallycoversmallsamples,reportondifferenttypesofactivities(thatarenotalwaysclearlyspecified)andusedifferentmethodologies.


Despitethesecaveats,asummaryoftheevidencefromstudieswhichspecifytimeusebyagriculturalactivitysuggestsinterestingpatterns.Time‐use surveys that cover all agricultural activities reveal considerablevariation across countries, and sometimes within countries, but the data arebroadlysimilartothelabourforcestatisticsdiscussedabove.InAfrica,estimatesofthetimecontributionofwomentoagriculturalactivitiesrangesfromabout30percent inTheGambia to60‐80percent indifferentpartsofCameroon. InAsia,estimatesrangefrom32percentinIndiatoover50percentinChina.Therangeislower in Latin America, but exceeds 30 percent in some parts of Peru. Twoseparate studies are reported each for Zambia and Peru, and differences reflectdifferenttimeperiodsandlocationswithinthecountries.

Figure:1

Table4givestheaveragedailywageratesofmaleandfemaleworkersinJune2001andduring1999‐2000respectively.

Table‐4:Averagedailywageratesforagricultural&non‐agricultural

OccupationsinIndiaOccupation Sex June2001Ploughing Female 42.16

Male 66.10


Sowing Female 41.58Male 57.92

Weeding Female 43.26Male 51.23

Transplanting

Female 47.03Male 58.28

Harvesting Female 45.77

Male 55.67Winnowing Female 44.08

Male 51.94Threshing Female 44.22

Male 52.64Pickingcotton Female ‐

Male ‐Canecrushing Female 39.32

Male 56.98

Figure:2

Women’scontributiontoagriculturalproduction

As seen above, women play a significant role in the agricultural labourforce and in agricultural activities, although to a varying degree. Consequentlytheir contribution to agricultural output is undoubtedly extremely significant,although difficult to quantify with any accuracy. It has often been claimed thatwomen produce 60‐80 percent of food. However, assigning contributions to


agricultural outputs by gender is problematic because in most agriculturalhouseholds both men and women are involved in crop production. It can beattemptedtoallocateoutputbygenderbyassumingthatspecificcropsaregrownby women and others by men and then aggregating the value of women’s andmen’s crops to determine the share grown by women. Researchers haveoccasionally used this approach, especially in West Africa, where there aredistinguishablecroppingpatternsbygender.Yet,acarefulanalysisofagricultureinGhanafindsthatwhiletherearegenderedpatternsofcropping,thedistinctionsbetweenmen’s andwomen’s crops do not hold upwell enough to use them tomakeinferencesaboutmen’sandwomen’srelativecontributiontoproduction.Inaddition,genderedpatternsofcroppingmaychangeovertime.Adirectcomparisonofproductionispossiblebetweenmale‐andfemale‐headedhouseholds, but since the latter tend to have smaller farms and use fewerpurchased inputs, their output is naturally smaller. Table 1.5 presents a limitedsamplefromaselectedsetofcountriesforwhichdataisavailable.Female‐headedhouseholds represent between 3 and 38percent of all households and producebetween2and17percentofthevalueoffoodproduced.Thesedatasuggestthatfemale‐headedhouseholdsproducelessthantheirsharewouldpredictifresourceuseandproductivitywereequalwithmale‐headedhouseholds.Inrealityinmostsituationsthequestionofwomen’scontributiontoagriculturalandfoodproductioncannotbeansweredwithanydegreeofaccuracy.Womendonotusuallyproducefoodseparatelyfrommen.Mostfoodisproducedwithlabourcontributionsofbothmenandwomeninacollaborativeprocess.Quantifyingtheshareof foodproducedbywomen involvesmakingarbitraryassumptionsaboutgender roles in theproductionprocess,whicharenot likely toholduniversally.For example, if men typically provide the labour to clear the field and womenplant andweed the crops, bothmen andwomen are involved in harvesting. Intheseandothersimilarcasesitbecomesimpossibletoseparateoutputbygender.

Table‐5:Shareofcropsproducedbyfemale‐headedhousehold(FHH)

Country % of rural householdsheadedbywomen

%of totalvalueof foodproducedbyruralFHHs

China 3.1 2.1Bosnia‐Herzegovina 25 13.2Ghana 33 12Nicaragua 38 17Nonetheless, all the indirect evidence presented above in terms of labourparticipation and output by varying definitions of gender indicates that it isunlikely that women produce as much as 60 to 80 percent of the food indevelopingcountries.Womenplayafundamentalroleinallthestagesofthefoodcycle in all regions, but these roles differ by region. Taking account of the


heterogeneityoftheircontributionisessentialifpoliciesandinterventionsaretobeeffective.ConclusionThe contribution of women to agricultural and food production is clearlysignificant.However, it is impossibletoverifyempirically theshareproducedbywomenbecauseagriculture isusuallyaventureamonghouseholdmembersandinvolves a range of resources and inputs that cannot be readily assigned bygender.Women’sparticipation in rural labourmarkets showmuchheterogeneity at theregionallevel,butwomenareoverrepresentedinunpaid,seasonalandpart‐timework, and the available evidence suggests thatwomen are often paid less thanmen,forthesamework.Weconcludethataccurate,current,regionallyspecificinformationandanalysisisnecessary forgoodgender‐awareagriculturalpolicymaking.Data collectionhasimproved substantially over the last decades, as has our understanding of thecomplexity of women’s roles and the need to collect data not only on primaryactivities but on all women’s activities. Data are needed to better understandgenderrolesinagricultureandhowtheychangeovertimeandinresponsetonewopportunities.References

1) Mehra,R.andM.H.Rojas.2008.“ASignificantShift:Women,FoodSecurityandAgricultureinaGlobalMarketplace,”InternationalCenterforResearchonWomen(ICWR),p.2.

2) Doss, C. 2002. Men’s crops? Women’s crops? The gender patterns ofcroppinginGhana.WorldDevelopment,Vol.30,No.11,pp.1987‐2000.

3) Doss, C. 2010. IfWomenHoldupHalf the Sky,HowMuchof theWorld’sFooddo theyproduce?Backgroundpaperprepared for theStateofFoodandAgriculture2010.

4) Appleton,S.1996.Women‐HeadedHouseholdsandHouseholdWelfare:AnEmpirical Deconstruction for Uganda. World Development, Vol. 24(12):1811‐1827.

5) Jacoby,H.G.1992.Productivityofmenandwomenandthesexualdivisionof labor in peasant agriculture of the Peruvian Sierra. Journal ofDevelopmentEconomics,37:265‐287.

6) Government of India. 2006.Employment andUnemployment Situation inIndia2004‐05,part Iand II.ReportNo.515(61/10/01).NationalSampleSurveyOrganisation,Ministryof Statistics&Programme Implementation,GovernmentofIndia.


7) Gupta, G.R. October 11, 2009. DeMoines Register. Guest column: “Whenwomenfarm,cropsandeconomiesgrow.”

8) Ministry of Statistics .Men and Women in India. and ProgrammeImplementation,2001.

9) Sethi,RajMohini,1991.WomeninAgriculture.RawatPublications,Jaipur,Rajasthan,1991.

10) ImpactofWTOwomeninagriculturebyNationalcommissionforwomen,NewDelhi‐2009.

11) Research paper on Agricultural Development Economics (ESA), by Sofateam&CherylDoss.


WOMENINAGRICULTURESECTOR

Dr.ArchanaShah**NatubhaiV.PatelCollegeofPureandAppliedSciences,VallabhVidyanagar,Gujarat‐

IndiaAbstract

Inanycountry,womenplayvital role ineconomicandsocialdevelopment.Around theworld around 43% are contributing to labour force in the agriculture sector. Manycountriesadoptednewlandlawsinordertostrengthenwomen’slandownershiprights.Inmany countries, the roleofwomen in agriculture is considered just as ahelpernotmorethanthat.Byprovidingtrainingandsupporttoruralwomenandwiththeadoptionofmodernagriculturaltechniqueswecanincreaseproduction.

Indiaisthefourthlargestagriculturesectorintheworld.TheGreenRevolutionbroughta modern approach to agriculture by incorporating irrigation systems, geneticallymodifiedseedvariations,insecticideandpesticideusage,andnumerouslandreforms.Ithadanexplosiveimpact,providingunprecedentedagriculturalproductivityinIndiaandturnedthecountryfromafoodimportertoanexporter.InIndia,women'sparticipationrate in the agricultural sectors is about 47% in tea plantations, 46.84% in cottoncultivation, 45.43% growing oil seeds and 39.13% in vegetable production. Indianwomen’s high illiteracy rate, an education barrier that prevents women fromparticipating inmore skilled labor sectors.Genderwagedisparityis also amajor factorwhichshouldbeconsidered.

Governmentshouldpayattentionandmakemorefavourablepoliciesinfavorofwomen,wagesshouldbeincreased,theirhealthandeducationshouldbetakencareof,toincreasetheirroleineconomicdevelopment.

KeywordsAgriculture,Farming,Women_____________________________________________________________________________________________________Introduction

In Indiaaround180millionhectaresof land is available for farmingoutofwhich140million are cultivated regularly. In Indian economy, agriculture play an important roleand in agriculture women play a key role. Women make up the majority of theagriculturalworkforceinmanyareasoftheworld.

Agriculturearuralactivityprovideslivelihoodmainlytoruralpeople.Higher%ofruralwomenareengagedinagriculturalactivitiesfortheirlivelihood.Inourcountrywomenareengagedindifferentagriculturalactivitieslikefarming,dairy,beekeeping,Mushroomcultivation ,Coconut cultivation, Lac cultivation , Agro processing etc. which plays an


importantroleineconomy.Indianwomenalsoshareinfisheries.Theavailabilityofworktowomenduringaparticularyeardependsonmanyfactorssuchaslandforms,climateof region, rain amount, castes, farming system etc. Droughts and floods, increasingtemperature adversely affects the livelihood of women laborers. Socio‐economicdevelopment is possible by providing the right tools, training, and technology . Inagriculture women can actively participate in activities like sowing, transplanting,weeding,irrigation,fertilizerapplication,plantprotection,harvesting,winnowing,storingetc.Themajorrolewomenhastoplayisindomesticactivitieslikecooking,childrearing,watercollection,fuelwoodgathering,householdmaintenanceetc.Theyarealsoinvolvedin allied activities like cattle management, fodder collection, milking etc. Generallywomenworkaspaidlaborers, laborsupervisorsandharvesters infarmandsometimesthey cultivate their own field. A large percentage of female ( 83.3%) are engaged inagriculture sector thanmale (66.5%) and now a day ratio of femaleworkers tomaleworkersinagricultureisincreasedduetocertainreasons.

Background

Today India’s rank is second in farm output and GDP based on agriculture and alliedsectoris13.7%[1]Accordingto2011data,theaveragefarminIndiaisabout1‐5acres,inFrance50hectares,inUS17hectaresandinCanada273hectares[2].Theagriculturalexports raised from just $ 5 billion in 2003 to $ 39 billion in 2013 and India becameseventhlargestexporter.Around84%ruralwomenareengagedinagriculturalactivitiesfor their livelihood among them about 33% are cultivators and 47% are agriculturallaborers[3].Inthisthewomenwhoworkinlivestockandfisheriesarenotincluded.

Womenperformsmajorityactivitiesinagriculturesector.Belowisthedata[4]

Table‐1:FarmactivityperformedbyWomeninAgricultural

Activity Involvement (Percentage)Landpreparation 32

Seedcleaningandsowing 80Intercultivationactivities 86

arvestingreaping,winnowing,drying,cleaningandstorage 84

Women’sparticipation inagriculturehas increased from27to29% whereas thetotalruralworkernumber isdecreased [5].Thedemand for livestock ,fruitsandvegetableshaveincreasedandfarmerscroppingpatternhaschanged[6].Livestockmaintenanceistheactivitywhichprovidesmilk,eggsandmeataswellasfinancialsupport.Intheruralareas women earn extra income from the sale of milk and animals. Women perform


majorityactivitieslikecleaningofanimal,sheds,wateringandmilkingtheanimals.Theyalsocollectdung,preparecakesandgenerateextraincometopoorfamilies.

The Poultry farming can be improved by educating women how to use moderntechniques,suchasvaccinationanduseofimprovedfeed,propermarketingforsellingofeggsandmeatandalsoreducedpoverty.

In India large number of small famers are there due to Laws of Divided Inheritance.According towhich landwasdividedamongmale inheritors fromthepriorgeneration.The laws of these type reduces the farm size andpreventswomen from ownership orinheritance.Forsmallfarmersitbecomesdifficulttocompetewithlargerfarmproducers,Somenmigratetocitycentersforhigherwagesandemploymentwhilewomenhavetosupport their familyand take careof their small farm. In2011, theagricultural sectorworkforceinthesubcontinentwas75%women[7]

According to data large number of women is agricultural laborer in India still haveextreme problems in terms of pay, land rights and representation in local farmersorganizations. The decreased job opportunities leads lower rate of education andpoorhealth.Incooperativesonly7.5%ofwomenparticipatescomparedtomen92.5%.[8]

In India, women’s participation rate in the agricultural sectors is about 47% in teaplantations, 46.84% in cotton cultivation, 45.43% growing oil seeds and 39.13% invegetableproduction[9].

The female farmers can be trained and productivity can be increased for eg. in Didgivillage a group of 50 female were motivated to developed high biodiversity farmingsystems on non‐irrigated, not very fertile, fields of less than two acres. Around 12‐23varieties of crops they grow on their small plotswithout chemical fertilizer and todaytheynotneedtopurchaseanyoftheirfoodfrommarkets.

Sometimetraditionalplantscanbereplacedbynontraditionaltogethighprofit.MunnaDevi, a widow who stays with her family in a male dominated society of the villagePadasoli at Jaipur in Rajasthan started pigeon pea cultivation with the support ofICRISAT.Traditionallyfarmersgrewpearlmillet,sorghumormungbean.Shebecamethefirstwomenwhogrewpigeonpeaonasmall landarea.Theprofitshegot frompigeonpeaascomparedtosorghumencouragedhertogrowpigeonpea.Shegrewpigeonpeaon5acresof leasedland.Shegotanetprofitof`70,000perhafrompigeonpeaasagainst10,000perhafromsorghumandmungbean.Shepreparednewdishesfrompigeonpeaflour and encouraged others to cultivate pigeon pea. She also plays a leadership roleamongstthewomenfarmers’groupinPadasolivillage[10].ShestartedtoprepareDalfrompigeonpeaforthemiddaymealprogram,adalmillwasestablished which provides earning to other women also. The Green revolution hasincreased production but leads adverse effect on small farmers, health as well as


environment, due to these many women practices organic farming. Now a day ,Agrochemicals are widely used in our country. Use of fertilizer have not affectedwomen’semploymentbutuseofweedicidesandherbicideshavereplacedthemanualuprootingofweedsandhoeingfordestroyingweedsanddiminishedtheneedoffemaleworkers.Inlastseveralyears,therehasbeenagradualrealizationoftheimportantroleplayedbywomeninthefieldofagriculture.Womenhavetakencareofmanysectorsofagricultureandhelped in rapiddevelopmentof theagricultureandgrossdomesticproduct (GDP).Women not work for physical output but also for quality and efficiency. Women arecapable of changing the face of rural India but they need a proper guidance for thepurpose and this can be achieved by developing skill providing vocational training invarious areas like organic farming , horticulture ,dairy ,nutritional bio‐security etc.Designingtoolsforwomen,knowledgeaboutanimalhusbandry,sourcesforsideincomeandfinancialsupportcanincreasewomenroleinagriculture.

The role of women in any field should be appreciated so they can do their workenthusiastically. Women can be independent and decisive ,their confidence levelincreases if they earnmoney .Themain advantage of agriculture sector is uneducatedwomen could also participate in agriculture ,with the experience they could bemastertheycouldsimultaneouslytakecareofherchildrenandfamily.Theycouldearnmoneyandgetlivelihood,theirchildrenwillbecomesindependentandsmart,womencanspendmoremoneyontheireducationandherfamilieslifestandardincreases.Women’sactiveparticipationincountry’seconomyshouldbeachieved.

MainThrust

Womenshouldbemotivatedto increasetheirsharebygivingthemlandrightsandmakeeasy accessto land .InAfricacertain landrightsaregiventowomentomotivatethem. Selfhelpgroups(SHG)were formedbyKVK(KrishiVigyanKendra(KVK) shouldbeincreasedandnumberoftrainingprogramalsoneedtobeincreased. Vocationaltrainingsmustbeprovidedtoincreasetheirskillandmakethemefficient.Theymustbecontactedwiththeagriculturalexpertsandmakethemawareabouthowtoincreaseyield,whichcropshouldbeplantedinthatparticularareainwhichseason. Womenwhen supportedby her familymember canwork efficiently and do betterwork.Their role shouldbeappreciatedbysocietyaswellas their familymembersandmake them self confident. some times knowledgeable rural women are not able toexpressherviewduetothemendominance. More investment should be done in agriculture to improve women participation.Governmentshould increased loan facility,subsidyandother financialhelptomotivatethemforagriculturalwork.Theyshouldgetfinancialsupportduringnaturalcalamitylikedroughtandflood.


Decisionmaking power:In our country women are asked to take decision in theirhome but they are not given equal importancewhile taking decision about agriculture,generallymaledominates.thisshouldbereducedbymakingthemawareaboutdifferentsubjectsrelatedtoagriculture. Literacyrate : Indianwomenwhoparticipate inagricultureare illiterate.Theymustbeeducate themselveswith technologyandgetknowledgehowtouse technologyandmachineryforagriculture. Government should interfere and take care ofwages ,wages forwomen should beincreasedpeoplepreferfemaleworkersforplantationbecausesometimestheytakelesswages without argument and their work are perfect. Many women participate inagricultural work without labor in family farm .The labor rate should be increased.According toUnitedNationsHumanDevelopmentReportonly32.8%of Indianwomenformally participate in the labor force, a rate that has remained steady since 2009statistics. Sexualharassmentshouldbestoppedbyprovidingthemasecureatmosphere

FutureTrends

Womenshouldmoreconcentrateon livestockmanagement,Poultry farming ,moreandmoremilkandeggsproductiontoincreasetheirincome. Agricultureandwomenparticipationinagriculturemustbeincreasedforincreasingfoodsecurityandeconomyofthecountry. Largeamountofprofitbyindustrialsectormightmakepeopleattracttowardsitsopeoplemay lessconcentrate inagriculturebutat thesame timeonehas tounderstandimportanceoffoodsecurityandhazardouspollution. Tofeedourgrowingpopulationweneedtoincreasefoodproductionby70percentbefore2050. Weshoulddosustainablefarming,paymoreattentiontoproductionofbiofuelalso.

Conclusion

Women’sparticipation inagricultureshouldbe increasedbydevelopingtheirskillsandinterest, awareness about best practices, providing them proper guidance andknowledge,mentalandphysicalsupportetc.Womenalsoshouldbemotivatedtobeanentrepreneurofagriculturalproductsbydevelopingleadershipqualities.Womenshouldbemotivatedtoadoptnewandinnovativemethodslikeorganicfarming,soiltesting,howto control weed and disease ,water conservation techniques ,nutrient applicationmethods,dripirrigationetc.

Governmentshoulddesignandimplementpoliciesforagriculturalwomenwelfare.

Theroleofwomeninagriculturalproductionshouldbeappreciatedandencouragedbygivingthemdifferentawards.Theactiveparticipationofwomenshouldbeachievedby


givingthemlandrightsandproperwages.Theymustbeguidedbygovernmenthowtheycould make more profit on the same land. The loan facility should be provided bycooperative banks, government banks and other financial support agencies on regularbasis aswell as at the timeof natural calamities. SHGs andothers like ICRISAT shouldplaytheirroleactivelytogetpotentialparticipation.Nowaday,women’sparticipationincooperativesisonly7.5%whichshouldbeincreased.

Bysharingofdomesticresponsibilities,allowingthemtotakedecision,educatingwomen,women’sparticipationandultimatelyeconomyofthecountryshouldbeincreased.

References

1.Agriculture‘sshareinGDPdeclinesto13.7%in2012‐132.June2015.FarmsizeandProductivity:UnderstandingthestrengthofSmallholdersandimprovingtheirlivelihoods.3.RaoE.Krishna(2006).Roleofwomeninagriculture:Amicrolevelstudy.4. ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics &Management Research Vol.1Issue1,Oct2011,ISSN22498826.5.DataILOAsia–Pacificworkingpaperseries,ArunaKanchi,June20106. Report by Vijay Paul Sharma,Dinesh Jain ,Indian Institute of ManagementAhmedabad..7.Singh,Roopam ,Sengupta ,Ranjana (2009).EU FTA and the likely Impact on IndianWomenExecutivesummary.8.DamanPrakash,”RuralWomen,FoodsecurityandAgriculturalCooperatives”20039.Satyavathi,C. Tara ; Bharadwaj ,Brahmanand P.S. (2010) “Role of Farm women inagriculture:Lesssonslearned10.ICRISAT,WomenFarmersday,12thSeptember2014,Hyderabad,INDIA.


WOMENINAGRICULTUREANDRESEARCH(CaseStudyfromBuldhanaDistrictofMaharashtra,India)

UjjwalaPralhadBharad*,TulsiSagarSheth+*DepartmentofMechanicalEngg.,BIT’SEdu.Campus,Varnama,Vadodara,Gujarat,India

+ScienceandHumanityDepartment,BIT’SEdu.Campus,Varnama,Vadodara,Gujarat,IndiaABSTRACTTheprimarysectoroftheeconomyisthesectorofaneconomymakingdirectuseofnaturalresources.Thisincludesagriculture,forestry,fishingandmining.Acrosstheworld45%ofthepeopleareincludedintheoccupationoffarming,fromwhich60to65% is women. In some part it reaches up to 90% like West Africa, Thailand etc. India isdeveloping country. The main occupation is agriculture, because 70 per cent of thepopulationisinvolvedinthisoccupation.Manywomenindevelopingcountriesareoccupiedinagriculture.WomenoccupationinagricultureinlowincomecountriesinAsiaisbetween60‐80percent.Mostimportantly,itchallengestheviewofallresearchersandinternationaldevelopment comities thekey involvementofwomen in the fieldofResearch,Agricultureand Food security. Rural women cannot adopt new technologies because of their pooreducational level. This paper finds that agriculture creates many jobs for women inagriculturesector.Jobsthatbringmanyhouseholdresourcesunderwomencontrolleadstogreater earnings in the family. The scope of the present study concludes that, theinvolvementofruralaswellasurbanwomanisincreasesothechancesofimprovementinagriculturalandresearchstudygoesonincreasing.

KeywordsWomen,Research,Agriculture__________________________________________________________________________________________________________IntroductionInthescenarioofEconomicSurveyofIndia,thetotalpopulationinIndiais1.29billionin2014‐15. Out of total population, an overwhelming majority of the population dependsdirectly or indirectly on income streams generated by the agriculture sector. Theagriculture sector remained the leading sectorwith its job absorption ability and it stillabsorbs 70% of the country’s labour force. Agriculture and agro‐based industry is thebackboneoftheIndianeconomy.Ruralwomenareinvolvedinagriculturaloperationstoagreater extent, they need assistance from Government, private or any other agency fornewest information sources related to crop production, livestock and especially poultryproduction. There are no specific information sources and training facilities for ruralwomen. Rural women farmers play a vital role in food production and foodsecurity.Agriculturalproductsliketea,sugar,rice,tobacco,spicesetc.constitutethemain itemsofexportsof India.Theagricultural sector is significant as it provides greater employmentopportunities in the construction of irrigation projects, drainage system and other such


activities.Women comprise half ormoreof the agricultural labour force inmanyAfricanandAsiancountries,but theshare ismuch less insome.Womenare overrepresented inunpaid,seasonalandpart‐timework,andtheavailable evidencesuggeststhatwomenareoftenpaid less thanmen, for thesamework.Themainoccupationof India isagriculture,because 70 per cent of the population is involved in this occupation. Many women indevelopingcountriesareoccupiedinagriculture.Therefore the present study was carried out to assess the role, contribution of ruralwomen farmers in agricultural development and their constraints in district Buldhana,Maharashtra,India.

Aboveimagesshowsinvolvementofwomeninfarmingactivities.MaterialsandMethodsThestudywasconducted indistrictBuldhana,Maharashtra, Indiawhichcomprisesof13 Tehsils. Out of which one tehsil was selected through simple random samplingsystem.TehsilChikhliconsistsof16villages.ThroughsimplerandomsamplingsystemfivewereselectedasSawana,Shelud, Jambhora, Sawargaon(Dukare)andPalaskhed(Jayanti).Amongeachvillage,15farmer’sfamilieswereselectedat random.With the help of abovesaid list, from each selected farmer’s family, one woman whowasdynamicallyengagedin farmingactivitieswas selected, therebymakinga sampleof75 respondents.Thedatawere collectedwith the help of a pre‐tested interview schedule betweenOctober 2015‐November2015.Thecollecteddatawereanalyzed onMicrosoftexcel.ResultsanddiscussionsIn the present study the following constraints under different categories as social‐economicandtechnicalconstraintswereidentified.Respondentswereinterviewed tofindout their perceptions about agricultural extension education services in figure andpresentedintables.Fig. 1b shows that a largemajority of the respondents collectively had different level ofeducation i.e., 24% were above matric, middle to matric and up to primary level ofeducation, 16%were illiterate. However, only 12% of the respondentswere primary to


middle.Moreorlesssimilarresultsintheageandeducationwerealsoobserved.

Table:1DistributionoftherespondentsaccordingtotheirAge

Age %ofrespondents No.ofrespondents21‐40 57.3 4341‐60 37.3 28>60 5.3 4Total 100 75


120 100 80 60 40 20 0

21‐40 41‐60 >60Total

%ofrespondents

No.ofrespondents

Fig. 1 reveals that 57.3% of the respondents fall under the age category of 20‐40years, followedby37.3%of41‐60yearsand5.3%of themwereabove60yearsofage.

Table:2DistributionoftherespondentsaccordingtotheirEducationalLevel

Primaryto Middleto Above Illiterate UptoPrimary Middle Matric Matric TotalNo. 12 18 12 22 11 75% 16 24 16 29.35 14.67 100


Fig. 2 shows that a large majority of the respondents collectively had different level ofeducationi.e.,14.67%wereabovematric,29.35%weremiddletomatric,24%wereuptoprimaryleveleducation,16%wereilliterate.However,only16%oftherespondentswereprimary to middle. More or less similar results in the age and education were alsoobserved.

120

100

80

60

40

20

0

21‐40 41‐60 >60Total

Fig:2Plotofdistributionoftable:2


Table:3Distributionsofmenandwomeninagriculturalwork

AgeParticipationinagriculturalwork

No.ofMen No.ofWomen

21‐40 15 28

41‐60 9 19

>60 1 3

Total 25 50

Fig:3indicatesthatinallagegroupno.ofwomenparticipantsarelargeinagegroup21‐40,thereisvastdifferencebetweenwomenandmeninagegroup41‐60andthereisinvolvementof3womenand1maninagegroupof60andabove.

50

45

40

35 Participactionin

30

agriculturalworkNo.of

25 Men

Participactionin

20

15 agriculturalworkNo.of

Women

10

5

0

21‐40 41‐60 >60 Total

Fig:3Plotofdistributionoftable:3Conclusion:Itwasconcludedthattheinvolvementofruralaswellasurbanwomanisincreaseso the chances of improvement in agricultural and research study goes onincreasing.Inthiscasestudyitisobservedthattheeducationallevelofdifferentagegroupvariestendstotheiragriculturalresearchknowledge.Therespondentscollectively had different level of education i.e., 14.67% were above matric,29.35%weremiddle tomatric, 24%were up to primary level education, 16%were illiterate.However,only16%of the respondentswereprimary tomiddle.


Moreor lesssimilarresults intheageandeducationwerealsoobserved. Italsoconcludes that the difference between the educational level above matric andbelow matric is halved. If it decreases then the development of women inresearchwillincrease.For the betterment of rural women in agriculture sector, followingrecommendationhavebeenmade.Inmostcountriesparliamentarychangeshavebeen made to facilitate women’s rights and women’s have direct access toagriculture credit. Maximum involvement of female agricultural labours inagriculturalfieldsindicatesgreaterincomeandsecureruraleconomyofthisruralarea.Hopeparticipationrateof femaleagricultural labourswill increaseinnearfuturetoensurehealthyfamilyincome.Maximum involvement of female agricultural labours in agricultural fieldsindicates greater income and secure rural economy of this rural area. Hopeparticipation rate of female agricultural labours will increase in near future toensurehealthy family income.For instance,Thailandhadmadechanges in legaltermfromhousewifetowomenfarmertoallowheraccesstoagriculturecredit.SimilarparliamentaryalterationsarealsoneedinIndia.References:

1. Butt.T.M,Hussein,Z,Y,Mahmud.K,Muhammad.S. (2009):Roleof rural

womeninagriculturedevelopmentandtheirconstraints,pp1‐4.2. FAO.2010a. Roles ofwomen in agriculture. Prepared by the SOFA team

andCherylDoss.Rome3. https://en.wikipedia.org/4. M.Modal (2013):Theroleof ruralwomen inAgricultureSectorofSagar

IslandWestBengalIndia,pp81‐865. StatisiticalProfile2012‐13,India6. Team.S,Doss.C.(Mar2011):Theroleofwomeninagriculture.pp1‐48.



(ICWSTCSC-2016)

AUTHOR INDEX

Role of Women in Growth of Agricultural Sector

Sr. No. Author Page No 1. Amit. R. Pandit 34

2. Dr. Anjali Kulkarni 9

3. Dr. Anjali Kulkarni 15

4. Dr. Archana Shah 43

5. Dr. Nayana H. Brahmbhatt 1

6. Dr. YachanaJha 9

7. Dr. YachanaJha 15

8. Haresh Kalasariya 1

9. Rinku V Patel 1

10. Krishna Pandya 1

11. Pratik Soni 27

12. Pritesh Pandey 27

13. Prof. Harshadaben P. Kalola 21

14. Sunit Parmar 27

15. Tulsi Sagar Sheth 49

16. Ujjwala Pralhad Bharad 49

Documents

Editorial Board ICWSTCSC-2016 Role of...... , Kheda district 3953 sq. mi and Anand district 1810 sq. mi covered in Gujarat. Main crops from various district of Gujarat The state produces