Women in Agriculture

Lesson 48 :National Policy for Women in Agriculture

Policy Directions

1. Natural Resource Assets
   1. Land Rights
      • In all legal measures on land rights, especially land reforms, there shall be special focus on the rights of women and single women headed households including widows, abandoned and deserted women. This shall apply in cases of both agricultural and homestead property.
      • Legal guidelines for independent access and control over joint pattas in case of dissolution of marriage shall be worked out. In case of dissolution of marriage, maintenance shall be worked out to include women’s right to joint patta.
      • The process of devolution of jointly held pattas shall be done in a manner which protects the right of daughters to parental property.
      • Transfer and sale of any common agricultural or homestead land, whether owned privately or collectively, shall be done with the prior and explicit consent of both spouses.
   2. Displacement and Rehabilitation
      • The government shall ensure that no agricultural land has been diverted for nonagricultural purpose, industrial or developmental project unless it has been demonstrated that such a project will serve a “public purpose”. In any case of diversion, the least displacing option shall be adopted with a view to minimizing all displacement and with prior consent of affected people.
      • . Basic social infrastructure shall be provided in all rehabilitation packages. It shall be mandatory for all rehabilitation packages to include the formation of a Mahila welfare fund to which contributions shall be made by both government and project holders.
   3. Seeds and Biodiversity
      • The seed and biodiversity knowledge of women shall be recognized, documented, protected and integrated into agricultural research in the public domain.
      • Priority shall be given to women and women’s groups in the locality for participatory seed production and breeding.
   4. Water
      • The access of women farmers and agricultural workers, irrespective of caste and creed, to all sources of water, whether owned and managed by the state, local community and panchayat institutions, shall be ensured and prioritized for drinking, domestic and other purposes related to their work in agriculture and allied sectors.
      • To facilitate the conservation and equal distribution of all water resources, including ground water, panchayats shall promote the formation of women’s groups and SHGs.
   5. Forest Rights
      • The commitment of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2007 to have all forest rights jointly registered in the names of both spouses shall be honoured.
      • All committees constituted under the existing forest laws, policies, rules or guide lines shall have a mandatory minimum women’s representation of at least 33 ; per cent.
      • Special care shall be taken to ensure that forest rights for women from scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, denotified tribes and other women from traditional forest dwelling communities are maintained.


2. Production System
   1. Production of Food grains
      • In the context of the current food crisis primacy shall be given to the production of food grains by ensuring minimum support price, continuous and affordable supply of inputs, credit at minimum interests and the expansion of procurement, extension and other agricultural services.
      • Women’s cooperatives shall be given priority in leasing or sale of uncultivated lands for agro-forestry or integrated and biological farming
   2. Labour and Livelihood
      • Family labour and the unpaid work of women in all farm and non-farm activities shall be recognized and accounted for in Gross Domestic Product. All policies, research and evaluation activities of the state shall take note of such domestic and non-domestic activities supporting the agricultural sector.
      • Health care, childcare, and old age pension shall be provided to all women agricultural workers. All women agricultural workers shall be recognized and registered as workers for this purpose.
      • The formation of cooperatives, group enterprises and SHG owned enterprises shall be promoted and subsidized in processing of agricultural produce.
      • The formation of cooperatives, group enterprises and SHG owned enterprises shall be promoted and subsidized in processing of agricultural produce. Women agricultural workers shall be encouraged to undertake collective activities in non-farm sectors such as animal husbandry, forestry, and other activities through promotional schemes and subsidies.
   3. Inputs for Agriculture and Allied Activities
      • Fertilizer and manures: Public subsidies on chemical fertilizers and HYV seeds and pesticides shall be restored and additional support shall be given to women headed households, especially in areas where farmers suicides have occurred.
      • Production of vermi-compost and microbial fertilizers by women farmers and
      • agricultural workers shall be promoted through SHG groups and SGSY schemes.
      • Seeds and Nurseries: Certified seeds shall be provided through the Krishi Vigyan Kendras. SHGs and SGSY groups shall be used and supported for women’s nurseries for preparation of plantation materials.
      • Bio Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management System: Local units owned and run by women’s groups, particularly landless women, shall be set up for production of bio pesticides. Training, infrastructure and working capital for integrated pest management systems shall be provided by the State Governments through different schemes and block development programmes.


3. Agricultural Marketing and Trade
   1. Policy Support for Market Protection
      • Quantitative Restrictions and import duties shall be reinstated to ensure that agricultural markets are protected for women in trade and retail of agriculture and allied products.
      • APMC Acts shall be strengthened to ensure that markets for small farmers and women agricultural workers are protected from unfair competition by monopolies and corporations in retail and procurement of produce.
   2. Procurement of Agricultural Produce
      • The scope and scale of FCI procurement shall be increased in order to ensure food security and self reliance in food. Public investment shall be made to expand the infrastructure of the Food Corporation of India in Central and Eastern India.
      • Linkages of the Food Corporation of India shall be made with women’s SHGs for procuring agricultural produce from local mandis and areas where FCI does not have its own depots. Financial and infrastructural support shall be provided to these groups.
      • All- women mandis shall be set up in localities so that women primary producers can directly market their produce in urban and rural areas.
      • Coarse grains, cereals, pulses, oilseeds and other essential produce necessary for the sustenance, health and nutrition of women and children shall be brought under the procurement system. A minimum support price shall be administered for them.
      • A market price stabilization fund shall be created to counter the fluctuations of the open market. Budgetary support shall be provided for this purpose.
   3. Procurement of Produce of Allied Sector
      • A Price Commission shall be set up to determine and administer minimum support prices for fodder, non timber forest produce, fish, poultry and livestock products.
      • Women’s cooperatives and SHGs shall be formed and promoted to carry out procurement and trade in these products. They shall be linked to LAMPS and TRIFED in the forestry sector, and for dairy products with organizations like NDDB.
   4. Retail Marketing and Trade
      • Policy and legislative support shall be provided to protect women vegetable and food grain retailers from unfair competition by emerging monopolies.
      • The skills of women retailers shall be augmented through technical and credit support in all post harvest and processing operations. Women retailers shall be provided regular market information through field level schools and IT kiosks, and training in accounting, grading, packaging and other related activities.
      • Technical assistance shall be given to upgrade the practices of women retailers so that they can provide value added products at reasonable prices.


4. Agricultural Organisation, Science and Technology
   1. Debt Relief, Rural Credit and Investment
      • Debt Relief Commissions shall be formed at the state level in order to help indebted families facing agricultural distress especially in areas where there are repeated farmer suicides.
      • Diversified credit portfolios shall be developed to include consumption loans for education, health and other basic needs. This will be done on the basis of an integrated approach for overall credit requirements of the family.
   2. Agricultural Extension
      • Transparent monitoring systems shall be set up to periodically review the working and impact of the agricultural extension system and government schemes on women farmers and agricultural workers.
      • A cadre of women agricultural extension workers shall be created in order to ensure that women farmers have greater access to technology and knowledge that will reduce their labour time while increasing their productivity. Women SHGs shall be linked with the agricultural extension service in order to expand its scale and scope, particularly in areas of seed production, nurseries, application and production of bio fertilizers and pesticides, veterinary services, and post harvest operations.
   3. Research, Science and Technology
      • A gender audit shall be done for all existing research and development programmes in agriculture and allied sectors. Evaluation of new experiments like biofarms, integrated and organic farming shall be done in order to gauge their impact on women’s labour and work.
      • Science and technology organisations shall encourage and promote grass roots innovations and the development of need based technologies which reduce the drudgery of women.
      • State governments shall be encouraged to adopt suitable legislation for protecting biodiversity associated knowledge.