Women in agriculture

 Women in agriculturesow, weed, apply fertilizer and pesticides, harvest
 and thresh the crops. Their contribution to secondary
Dr.Kedar Karkicrop production, such as legumes and vegetables, is
 even greater. Grown mainly in home gardens, these
Rural women in Nepal are extensively involved incrops provide essential nutrients and are often the
agricultural activities. However the nature and extentonly food available during the lean seasons or if the
of their involvement differs with the variations inmain harvest fails. Women's specialized knowledge
agro-production systems. The mode of femaleabout genetic resources for food and agriculture
participation in agricultural production varies with themakes them essential custodians of agro-diversity. In
land-owning status of farm household. Their rolesthe livestock sector, women feed and milk the larger
range from managers to landless laborers. In all farmanimals, while raising poultry and small animals such as
production, women's average contribution issheep, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs. In Nepal’s
estimated at 55% to 66% of the total labor withcontext the increasing numbers of women’s
percentages, much higher in certain regions. In the hillsgroups in rearing these livestock commodity seems
and mountain region of Nepal it is estimated that ahave attracted many government and NGO to focus
pair of bullocks works 1064 hours, a man 1212 hourstheir programmes of rural income generation. Also,
and a woman 3485 hours in a year on one hectareonce the harvest is in, rural women provide most of
farm, a figure that illustrates women's significantthe labor for post-harvest activities, taking
contribution to agricultural production.responsibility for storage, handling, stocking,
Women play a vital role in farming and food securityprocessing and marketing.
in developing countries. In rural areas women growAlthough rural women are assuming an increasingly
most of the crops for domestic consumption and areprominent role in agriculture, they remain among the
primarily responsible for preparing, storing andmost disadvantaged of populations. Civil conflict, War,
processing food. They also handle livestock, gatherthe rural-to-urban migration of men in search of paid
food, fodder and fuel wood and manage theemployment, influx male members for foreign
domestic water supply. In addition, they provideemployment and rising mortalities attributed to HIV
most of the labor for post-harvest activities. InAIDS has led to a rise in the numbers of
Southeast Asia, for example, it is women whofemale-headed households in the developing world.
provide up to 90 percent of the labor for riceHad not been so numbers of victims from HIV/AIDS
cultivation. They also play a big role in growingin rural and hilly areas in Nepal have not reported so
secondary crops, such as pulses and otheralarmly.This feminization of agriculture has placed a
vegetables that are crucial ingredients for a healthyconsiderable burden on women's capacity to produce,
and well–balanced diet.provide, and prepare food in the face of already
 considerable obstacles.
 Women make up 51 percent of the agricultural labor 
force worldwide. In Africa and Asia, women workStudies demonstrated that while women in most
about 13 hours more than men each week. Indeveloping countries are the mainstay of agricultural
Southeast Asia, women provide up to 90 percent ofsectors, the farm labor force and food systems and
the labor for rice cultivation. In the world's leastday-to-day family subsistence, they have been the
developed countries, 23 percent of rural householdslast to benefit from - or in some cases have been
are headed by women.negatively affected by - prevailing economic growth
Gender, that is socially constructed relations betweenand development processes. Gender bias and gender
men and women, is an organizing element of existingblindness persist: farmers are still generally perceived
farming systems worldwide and a determining factoras 'male' by policy-makers, development planners and
of ongoing agricultural restructuring. Current trends inagricultural service deliverers. For this reason, women
agricultural market liberalization and in thefind it more difficult than men to gain access to
reorganization of farm work, as well as the rise ofvaluable resources such as land, credit and agricultural
environmental and sustainability concerns areinputs, technology, extension, training and services
redefining the links between gender andthat would enhance their production capacity. Despite
development. The proportion of women in agriculturalthe fact that women are the world's principal food
production and post harvest activities ranges from 20producers and providers, they remain invisible
to 70%; their involvement is increasing in manypartners in development. A lack of available gender
developing countries, particularly with thedisaggregated data means that women's contribution
development of export-oriented irrigated farming,to agriculture in particular is poorly understood and
which is associated with a growing demand fortheir specific needs ignored in development planning.
female labor, including migrant workers.This extends to matters as basic as the design of
 farm tools. But women's full potential in agriculture
Whereas these dynamics have in some waysmust be realized if the goal of the 1996 World Food
brought benefits, in general, the largest proportion ofSummit - to halve the number of hungry people in
rural women worldwide continues to facethe world by 2015 - is to be achieved.
deteriorating health and work conditions, limitedIt is now recognized that the empowerment of
access to education and control over naturalwomen is key to raising levels of nutrition, improving
resources, insecure employment and low income. Thisthe production and distribution of food and agricultural
situation is due to a variety of factors, including theproducts and enhancing the living conditions of rural
growing competition on agricultural markets whichpopulations. Give women equal access to and control
increases the demand for flexible and cheap labor,of land and other productive resources, increase their
growing pressure on and conflicts over naturalparticipation in decision- and policy-making, reduce
resources, the diminishing support by governmentstheir workloads and enhance their opportunities for
for small-scale farms and the reallocation of economicpaid employment and income.
resources in favor of large agro enterprises. Other A number of other changes will strengthen
factors include increasing exposure to risks related towomen’s contributions to agricultural production
natural disasters and environmental changes,and sustainability. These include support for public
worsening access to water, increasing occupationalservices and investment in rural areas in order to
and health risks.improve women’s living and working conditions;
 giving priority to technological development policies
Both women and men play critical roles in agriculturetargeting rural and farm women’s needs and
throughout the world, producing, processing andrecognizing their knowledge, skills and experience in
providing the food we eat. Rural women in particularthe production of food and the conservation of
are responsible for half of the world's foodbiodiversity; and assessing the negative effects and
production and produce between 60 and 80 percentrisks of farming practices and technology, including
of the food in most developing countries. Yet,pesticides on women’s health, and taking
despite their contribution to global food security,measures to reduce use and exposure. Finally, if we
women farmers are frequently underestimated andare to better recognize women as integral to
overlooked in development strategies.sustainable development it is critical to ensure gender
 balance in decision-making at all levels and provide
Rural women are the main producers of the world'smechanisms to hold organizations accountable for
staple crops - rice, wheat, maize - which provide upprogress in the above areas.
to 90 percent of the rural poor's food intake. Women