Women in Agriculture

Lesson 19 : Women & Poverty

Causes of Rural Poverty

The causes of rural poverty are manifold including

• Inadequate and ineffective implementation of anti-poverty programmes.
• The overdependence on monsoon with non-availability of irrigational facilities often result in crop-failure and low agricultural productivity forcing farmers in the debt-traps.
• The rural communities tend to spend large percentage of annual earnings on social ceremonies like marriage; feast etc.
• Increase in unemployment.
• Dominance of caste system which forces the individual to stick to the traditional and hereditary occupations.