Women in Agriculture

Lesson 40 : Empowerment of women – Dimensions &Ways

Major Concerns and Constraints of Women Empowerment

• Women have to do job that are time and labour intensive such as sowing, transplanting, weeding, interculture, harvesting, threshing, and post-harvest operations like, shelling, cleaning, grading and processing.
• They also contribute to decision making processes for crop production, seed production and management, post-harvest management of agricultural and horticultural produce, biomass utilisation, livestock management, marketing and financial management.
• In addition, women take up small ventures to generate additional family income.
• Women constitute a major component of agricultural workforce. But lagged behind in use of improved crop production and processing tools and machinery.
• In addition to their role in agricultural production, women are gainfully employed in agri-based allied activities like dairying, animal husbandry, poultry, goatery, rabbit rearing, beekeeping, floriculture, horticulture, fruit preservation, post-harvest technology, value added food products, etc.
• The role of women in agriculture and allied occupations, and household activities are not properly recognised.
• Gender neutral and simple devices / equipment for crop production and processing are yet to be developed and popularised.