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This article explores the challenges faced by women in South Asian agriculture, their significant contributions to the sector, and the need for empowerment through education, rights, and improved working conditions.
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GREETINGS J.C. Katyal Vice Chancellor CCS Haryana Agricultural University Haryana, India
South Asia (SA) Region • As per the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), SA comprises of seven countries – India, Pakistan, Bangla Desh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives • Notwithstanding this political alliance- led delineation, statistics on the state of agriculture and agriculture dependent population, largely include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal to designate South Asian Region.
Population and Area World – Population : 6.6 billion SA – Population : 1.5 billion World – Area : 13 billion ha South Asia – Area : 449 million ha Thus, South Asia has to feed 23% of the world population from merely 3.6% of the world area
South Asia - Agriculture • SA - a home to the most ancient agriculture based civilizations • One of the most resource rich regions, particularly bio-diversity • Region as a whole has high incidence of natural disasters • SA is characterized by high levels of food production; happening of Green Revolution • Emerging as a growing centre for manufacturing, trade and services • Despite successes, SA suffers from high density of population, environmentally stressed agriculture, high levels of rural poverty, gender inequality and social exclusion, natural resources degradation, depletion of land and water and a growing rural urban divide
South Asia - Farmers • Farmers living in different realities and facing different futures: small and marginal farmers dominate, holding size shrinking, subsistence farming, high rate of unemployment, supplement incomes by combining crops and livestock • Share of agriculture dependent population continues to be high • Out-migration has to some extent relieved economic pressure; left out population represented by infirm and females who have limited capacity and capability to invest in restorative management and soil and water conservation, all leading to accelerated damage of natural resources • Awareness and interest are increasing in technologies and policies on sustainable agricultural practices
S A- New Agriculture • Diversification and value addition are seen as tools of raising incomes, nutrition and sustainable growth of agriculture, which at present is stagnating or declining • A right mix of pro-farmer and pro-nature technologies, their transfer and enabling environment (education/training, inputs, infrastructure) and policies (prices and market links) are necessary elements of breaking the barriers of stagnation and or decline in agricultural productivity, profitability and sustainability of farming • Education and training for know how and skill building come as the front ranking strategy for relieving population pressure • Voice for lessening gender inequalities and mainstreaming is focus of development discussions
Productivity and profitability – women hit hardest • Falling agricultural productivity growth rates, rising costs, declining profits, high debt, spurious seeds and pesticides, cheap imported agricultural produce……all cause severe distress and need urgent attention • An estimated 27% Indian farmers did not like farming because it was not profitable. In all, 40%, if given a choice, prefer to quit farming (NSSO Report # 496) • Women lives are dependent on and intimately affected by the present state, particularly of male farmers and falling profitability of farming. If a farmer commits suicide due to mounting debt and falling profitability, the widow in fact becomes a living corpse
S A - State of Women Workforce • Employment of WWF is very high • WWF in agriculture often lacks basic services, education and health care • Low level of rights on productive assets worsens their situation • Micro-nutrient and vitamin A malnutrition remain stubbornly high • WWF is most unorganized because of unpaid nature of work and tradition-forced social responsibility of working maximum, demanding minimum and eating whatever is leftover in the family
Women – Contribution and Status • Women contribute to two-thirds of the world’s work hours, produce 50 per cent of the world’s food supplies • Women work in fields, take care of families and manage household • Despite the services rendered by women in the family and work place, they make up for nearly 70 per cent of the world’s poor and more than 65 per cent of the illiterates
Women at Work Pesticide Spray Wheat harvest
Health & safety issues of women in Agriculture • Burden of family planning • Dangerous machinery • Unsafe electrical wiring and appliances • Livestock-transmitted diseases • Exposure to toxic pesticides • Reproductive hazards • Stress • Ergonomic adversaries • Data gathered thus far point out that women with at least a secondary level education eventually give birth to one third to one half as many children as women with no formal education
India • India represents more than 90% of the SA region in terms of land and demographic resources • In order to narrate new agriculture in the context of education and technology transfer hereafter I cite India data as an illustration • With minor deviations, Indian situation is generally applicable to state of agriculture in South Asia
HRD–Perspective Indian Agriculture • To sustain an agricultural growth rate of 4%, Indian agriculture (for that matter SA agriculture also) must become efficient, diversified, broaden its export basket, and prepare to compete in ever more global markets • To sustain 4% agricultural growth, India needs new-look technologies, a hierarchical brigade of ‘knowledge and skilled men and women workers’, necessary systemic and institutional reforms in AE, supporting infrastructure and pro-agriculture policies
Perspective – gender integration or mainstreaming in AE • Integration – fitting gender issues within the existing course curricula and programs without adjusting gender considerations in sector and program priorities • Mainstreaming – gender considerations are central in the construction of educational policy and programs. Not only do the women become part of educational budgeting, women and men jointly reorient majority of the educational agenda • Mainstreaming has proved to be elusive
Transition from integration to main- streaming – causes of slow progress • No serious attempt to clearly identify gender sensitive core AE agenda and development of policy packages in support of that agenda • Insufficient attention while designing budgets that support women oriented AE agenda (including enabling issues) • Lack of clear indicators to measure outcome and impact (Source; modified version of Jahan, 1995,)
AE – Focus Gender • Common perception: Higher opportunity costs and lower benefits from educating girls. Preference goes to sons • General scene: Lack of boarding facilities, separate toilette facilities in schools • Larger view: AE not a preferred subject for girls
Female Faculty • Sanctioned strength 23000; in position less than 20,000 • 87%, 76% and 79% of the positions of assistant professors, associate professors and professors are filled • Relative proportion of females (circa 2000): ~ 20% (10% Assis. Prof., 6% Assoc. Prof. and 4% Prof.) • In recent years proportion changing fast • Insignificant females in managerial positions
Level of Technological Awareness and Understanding • Low level of awareness and understanding on modern farming techniques and lack of competence and necessary skills are fundamental elements of overdependence on agriculture as sole source of livelihoods • Only 40% of farm households access various sources of information. About 70% information comes from non formal sources to which women have hardly any reach • Women are also suffer maximum due to less education and training, which discourage mobility and shrink opportunities for off-farm vocations • Organized education and training cover only 4% of the workforce; 57% workforce dependent on agriculture (in this share of female workforce 85%) remains outside its ambit
Technological Needs of WWF • Women have different tech. requirements due to disparate priorities, problems and needs. Examples: food crops for food and fodder, local breeds of livestock, backyard poultry, goat rearing, local herbal remedies, less drudgery, efficient energy for cooking… • Women need greater awareness and understanding of how technologies affect household economies, their sustainable performance and overall health of environment • Gender oriented technology transfer and up-skilling women competence is of fundamental necessity if what Himachali women feel “Our lives are no different from that of our bullocks” has to be reversed
Emerging Issues of SA Agriculture • Falling productivity, profitability & stability of agriculture • Water becoming most critical • Climate becoming more deviating and unpredictable • Land availability shrinking • Agriculture becoming more complex & competitive • Technologies that include WWF to have far larger role than ever • Markets and consumers are having bigger say in what and how agricultural produce should be raised • Agricultural research shifting from problem reduction to problem solving approach • Economic growth will follow equity & gender mainstreaming • Place of people will be increasingly central to R&D • A new look technology transfer system that treats agriculture in all its aspects and is responsive to knowledge and skill needs of farm men and women in real time format is necessary to be devised • Only 40% of the farmers have access to information on modern methods of farming in India
Relative importance (% farmers) of different sources of accessing information Source: NSSO, 2005
Common Goals of SA Agriculture • To infuse faster transfer of environmentally friendly and time appropriate technologies to fulfill food & nutritional needs • To improve conservation of natural resource • To establish linkages to imbibe changing consumer needs & promote commercialization, diversification, access to global markets • To undertake research and technology development & transfer to counter ill effects of natural and man-made growth retardants • To emphasize development of HR, specifically WWF, by modernizing formal/non-formal education • Necessity is to develop a new look technology transfer system; village based, farmers and farming system driven, real time, supported by a technology transfer facilitator and above all links farmers to input dealers & output buyers
Trends in food grain production (M tons) Data source: Statistical Abstract Haryana (2005-06) and Agricultural Research Data Book (2006)
Need for Comprehensive Solutions – Focus Technology Transfer (TT) • Farming system approach • Address small and marginal farmers’ concerns • Build rural knowledge economy • Capability development to access and use of new scientific knowledge This requires: • Scientists to develop situation specific technology • Professionals/para-professionals for fast dissemination of technology • Knowledge and skillful farmers for adoption and application of technology
Stress Points of TT System • TT service does not cover physical, social and economic aspects of an integrated farming system • Technology transfer for improving livestock productivity is covered poorly • Livestock sector largely managed by women- their skill and knowledge needs remain neglected • Fragmented approach of technology transfer needs integration; all components (c to c) of farm business do not perform optimally • Uniform technology packages for all categories of farmers; gender sensitivity atypical miss • Less emphasis on cautions and precautions for accepting use of agro-chemicals; integrated solutions more a rhetoric and less a reality • Reach of technology transfer limited (typically to WWF), unable to offer real time solutions. Use of digital solutions only on margins
Operational holdings in India Source: Agricultural Research Data Book (2006)
Small and Marginal Farmers • Maximum concentration of poverty • Have less land & more dependent population • Unemployment/underemployment common • Limited marketable surplus • Diversify agriculture more than large farmers • Affected more by resources inadequacies & less due to technological inappropriateness • Suffer maximum distress during years of natural disasters • TT method a potential strategy
A New Extension Model • Addresses a farming system and provides holistic solutions to raise income, employability and sustainability • Includes resource poor small & marginal farmers (women also) • Provides real time solutions for all aspects of farming; is multidisciplinary; emphasizes partnerships; combines traditional and advanced means and methods • Is village based, assures farmers participation • Focuses on education and training for intensification, multiple use of resources and vertical integration with a market value chain • Builds competence & capacity for off-farm enterprises
Long-term Vision • Long-term vision of the extension model is to sustainably modernize agriculture in each village and to ensure that every rural person in employable age group (18-60 years) is employed gainfully. • In short-term (~ 5 years), mission is to partner with other extension/development agencies, grassroots level organizations, private service providers/agri-business houses for creating a sustainable village based real time technology transfer system for the development of agriculture in all its aspects leading to more income, larger employability & ensured health of natural resources • The technology transfer system will be evolved, tested and applied in two village clusters of 10.
Context of New Extension Model • Income • Employment • Sustainability
Approach and Strategy • Focus:Education and training for building knowledge and awareness for conservation agriculture, cost reduction, increasing livestock productivity, primary processing, off-farm vocations, protection and sustainable use of natural resources, use of non-conventional energy • Strategy:Education and training,village based, use of conventional and digital means, partnerships, multidisciplinary and eco-centric approach
Components • Technology transfer facilitators • Non-formal technology transfer agents • Networking of research and diverse development agencies • ICT • Village-cluster based ATIC • District level ATI
Organization of New- look Extension System • Village based:Two enterprising farmers having high school qualification to work as grassroots level extension workers for technology transfer • They will be supported by full time professional-graduate (PG) – TT facilitators • PG will also facilitate backward-forward links with markets, credit extending & other agencies, KVKs & HAU scientists • Assess farmers need and analyze constraints throgh diagnostic studies • Based on diagnostic analysis he will prioritize the activities in association with the two selected farmers • Team of graduates pursuing agri-business and agri-clinic scheme will be linked to new TT system
Organization of New- look Extension System: Contd. • Agriculture Training Institute: Organized on the pattern of ITI, ATI will build-up a class of expert farmers and self-employable work force in different areas of agriculture for productivity enhancement- • Trainings in low volume and high income diversified areas • Primary processing, use of alternate source of energy, nutrient rich feed blocks preparation, seed production • Apply a right mix of education and training with emphasis on skill building in real life situations • Use of conventional and ODL will be integrated to enable maximum participation of WWF
Organization of New- look Extension System: Contd. • Technology mediated information transfer for learning and skill building: • Apply real time transfer of technology to modernize agriculture • To develop decision support expert systems • Link small and marginal farmers to markets • Develop off- farm employment capabilities and opportunities
Activities and Programmes Philosophy: • ATIC facilitates farmers’ participation in - • Real time information access • Technology transfer and application • Need based education for knowledge and skill development • Establishing partnership for inputs and credit supply • Market links for remunerative prices
Reforms Required • Institutional reforms • Manpower demand projections to serve holistic development of agriculture and existing and emerging sectors of economy; • Reorientation of course curricula to develop knowledge, skills and entrepreneurial mindset of students to take up self employment, perform in the job market, contribute to rural livelihood security and attract foreign students; • Availability of competent faculty and qualified technical aides, • Linking research with industry and field • System reforms • Infrastructure rehabilitation and refurbishing • Smoothening of administrative procedures • Ensuring financial resource • Transformation of delivery systems through encouragement approach
Expected output and outcome • A village based extension system that provides real time solutions to all aspects of a farming system (from cultivation of crops to rearing and raising of livestock in unison to marketing of produce to its consumption and beyond) • Enhancement of income and employability leading to improved quality of livelihoods, particularly of small and marginal farm men and women • Enlarged possibilities for maintaining continuity of agriculture as an enterprise and sustaining quality of natural resources and rural livelihoods • Availability of a model for harnessing synergy arising from multi-disciplinarily and multi-institutional functioning
And Finally • AE needs modernization of course curricula to focus on employability, economic growth, environmental security and gender sensitivity • AE programs initiate institutional and systemic reforms • Addresses formal and non-formal education • Harnesses the power of tech-mediated delivery systems Contd.
And Still Finally • The extension model suggested by me is not intended to replace the existing TT system • It rather strengthens its contribution by focusing more on farming as an integrated enterprise, village based extension, real time extension, gender mainstreaming, partnerships – both with farmers and other agencies performing individually in the village • It looks for an improved system, a gender sensitive system, a robust system, a sustainable system
