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Major
Areas of Work » Women in Agriculture
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Agriculture in India employs 70% of the
working population and about 84% of all economically active women.
However, some argue that 84% is an underestimate. In reality there
are few women in rural areas who are not ‘farmers’ in some
way, be it working on the family farm, working as wage labour, or working
as share croppers.
A disproportionate number of those still dependent
on land are women in India. 58 percent of all male workers but 78 percent
of all female
workers, and 86 percent of all rural female workers, are in agriculture.
The irony however is that they do not have control over agriculture.
The
problems of women in agriculture resemble the same ‘progressive
set of problems’ that other marginalised communities face in
the general population but in a more acute and distressing manner.
However, when addressed in a women-centric manner, the potential
for increased productivity, restoration of ecological balance, for
high positive social impacts like increased status, self-confidence
and food security for communities are all increased much more tangibly
than working in a gender-neutral manner. The problems relate to land
ownership, security of tenure, land quality issues in cases where
land ownership is assured, and finally, land management issues in
terms of agriculture and the support systems it requires.
As both
theory and empirical evidence inform us, there is a particular continuum
related to women and social justice – land ownership
by women - viable and sustainable land use patterns – increased
productivity – environmental sustainability – sustained
food security etc. Such a continuum should be recognised and given
a central importance in policy formulations.
CSA is aware of and sensitive
to the need to give a central space to women in agriculture and restore
some positive roles for them,
even as certain gendered roles that are accompanied by drudgery are
to be changed. In our programmes, women play a central role, whether
as extension agents reaching out to farming women and men or as farmers
on the ground, taking part in our trainings and programmes actively.
At
a policy level, CSA took a couple of opportunities provided by the
National Farmers’ Commission and by MANAGE, to articulate
our views on what should be done to improve
the situation of women
farmers and agricultural workers.
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