In recent years, India has witnessed a significant shift in its agricultural landscape with the increasing feminization of this sector. This phenomenon is propelled by a complex interplay of economic and socio-cultural forces. Economically, changing agricultural practices, including mechanization and migration of male labor to non-agricultural sectors, have created opportunities for women to step into farming roles. Moreover, government initiatives promoting women’s participation in agriculture through credit facilities and subsidies have further incentivized their involvement. Socio-culturally, shifts in traditional gender roles, greater awareness of women’s rights, and improvements in education have empowered women to actively engage in agricultural activities. Additionally, the growing recognition of women’s contributions to agriculture and the economy has led to a societal shift in perceptions towards their role in farming. Collectively, these economic and socio-cultural factors are driving the increasing feminization of agriculture in India.
Tag: Role of women/poverty and developmental issues.
Decoding the Question:
- In the Introduction, try to define feminization of agriculture in India and quote some facts related to it.
- In Body, provide reasons for the feminization of agriculture and examine the impact of it.
- In Conclusion, mention the measures the government of India has taken to strengthen and empower women in the agriculture sector.
Answer:
The rising share of farm work in India undertaken by women is a phenomenon commonly referred to as the “feminization of agriculture”. As per Census 2011, India had about 481 million people in its workforce and about 31% or about 150 million of these workers were women. This share was about 14% in 1981. Multitudes of women have entered the Indian workforce in the last few decades, and this growth has been exceptional in the case of the agricultural sector.
The increasing feminization of agriculture in India:
- Indian agri-workforce is split under two heads: cultivators (who own the land or have the right to operate on it) and labourers (ones who do not own land but work on land owned by others in return of wages paid to them in cash or kind).
- As per Census 2011, there were about 263 million agricultural workers in India and 37 per cent (or 98 million) of them were women.
- Between 1991 and 2011, more than 85 million agricultural workers entered the agri-workforce and 49 million (58 per cent) of these were women.
- In the two decades since 1991, while the number of male cultivators reduced by 3 million, that of women cultivators jumped up by 2 million.
- There was an increase of 74 million agricultural labourers in these two decades, and about 47 per cent of these were women.
- In livestock activities, this extent of feminisation is much larger. As per the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), the percentage share of female workers was 60 per cent in cattle, 40 per cent in goats and 60 per cent in poultry in 1983-84 and this increased to 70, 55 and 70 per cent respectively by 1999-2000.
- In states like Tamil Nadu, Manipur, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, women accounted for more than half of their agri-labourers.
Effect of Economic and Socio-Cultural Forces on Increasing Feminization of Agriculture in India:
- Increment in Suicides rate among the farmers: Suicide by male cultivators had resulted in a large number of female members in the family taking up the responsibility of managing the household. According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2015”, cited crop failure and indebtedness as the major reasons for the deaths, which increased by 2 per cent from the year 2014.
- Migration and social mobility are largely reserved for men: Against the backdrop of rural distress and agrarian crisis, rural men sought employment outside agriculture. The women in the House are forced to participate in farming to overcome poverty.
- Food insecurity: The feminization of agriculture has been associated with food insecurity through poverty and limited crop yields.
- Women’s unfree labour: Feminization of agriculture is also linked to women’s unfree labour, and it is precisely this unfreedom on the backs of which men’s freedom is built to migrate, to engage in comparatively better jobs, to escape social discrimination in the villages.
To ensure the main-streaming of women in the agriculture sector, the Government of India is earmarking at least 30% of the budget allocation for women beneficiaries in all ongoing schemes-programme and development activities. The draft Land Reform Policy (2013) of the Union government recognized the need to grant land ownership rights to rural women and redistribute land to all landless poor. While reorganizing land rights for rural women may be an arduous and long-drawn task, alternative economic opportunities through schemes like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and National Rural Livelihood Mission must be strengthened to empower women in the agriculture sector.
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