Women Empowerment: Contribution Of Women In Several Agricultural Activities
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Women Empowerment: Contribution of women in several agricultural activities

Co-Founder & Consultant
Women comprise a significant share of the labor force engaged in agriculture as farm laborers, producers, distributors, marketers and agricultural entrepreneurs. In Latin America 20%, in Asia 30-60% and in Sub-Saharan Africa, 50-75% of the Agricultural labor force is supplied by women. However they do not enjoy the same rights and privileges as their male counterparts. It is estimated that women are responsible for 70% of actual farm work and constitute up to 60% of the farming population. In vegetable cultivation women contribute from seed sowing to marketing and post-harvest operation like their male counterparts. In many cases women force are better options than men like nursery raising, hand pollination of pointed gourd etc.
Table shows the result of a study conducted in rural Rajasthan to quantify the contribution of women in several farm activities in India.
Percentage contribution of farm women in several agricultural activities

Farm Activities
Percent
Ploughing of field
2.0
Cleaning of field
85.0
Levelling of field
5.0
Raising of nursery for seedling
(Okra, chilli, tomato, pea)
55.0
Sowing
25.5
Transplanting
20.5
Manure application
32.5
Fertilizer application
1.0
Weeding
75.5
Thinning
60.5
Gap filling
80.5
Irrigation
26.0
Plant protection measure
(Insecticide, pesticide use)
0.0
Cutting
100.0
Picking
100.0
Shifting production to threshing floor
89.5
Threshing
50.0
Winnowing
95.0
Drying of grain
100.0
Cleaning of grain
100.0
Grading
90.0
Storage
100.0
Processing
100.0

Source: Chayal et al 2010
Not only agricultural activities, women have to reconcile their work in the fields with domestic and child-care responsibilities. Women’s position is complicated further because their work in agriculture is often done on informal basis-through part-time or informal labor arrangements and therefore goes largely unrecognized. Providing them with educational and technical support, can be an effective approach to increase the productivity of women and fight hunger and poverty. Empowerment of women through better access to economical assets and decision making process will not only give proper nourishment of the children and family members but will also secure a sustainable growth to the small farming families.

Article Source: Kurukshetra May 2010

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