Role of women in today’s agriculture: An impact study in Samastipur district of Bihar
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Date
2015
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Rajendra Agricultural University, Pusa (Samastipur)
Abstract
Women are vital human resources and constitutes half of the world population. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (2011), women farmers account for more than quarter of the world’s population. Women comprise on an average 43 percent of the agricultural work force in developing countries. In India women constitutes 48.49% of population (World Bank, 2012). As farmers, agricultural workers and entrepreneurs, women constitute the backbone of India’s agricultural and rural economy. As per census 2011, the percentage of female main workers to the total population of female stood at 25.5 percent. At All-India level the percentage share of females as cultivators, agricultural labourers are 24.92 percent and 18.56 percent respectively. The participation of woman farmers varies from carrying out actual farm operations in the field to supervision, management and decision making in different agricultural operations. Despite their productive contribution in agriculture, woman as farmers face constraints such as lack of accessibility to skills, trainings, information, technology, access to inputs, credits, financial incentives, market and control over farm income. Women farmers are less likely then men to use modern inputs such as improved seeds, fertilizers, mechanical tools etc., Hence, to bring about immediate desirable changes in the behaviour of farm women, they must be provided with the opportunities and resources.
100 rural women were randomly selected from four villages i.e., Harpur, Mahamdda, Gorai and Madhopur of Pusa and Kalyanpur blocks in Samastipur district and categorized into landless, marginal, small and medium farmers on the basis of size of land holding. Some of the most revealent independent variables i.e., age, caste, education, size and type of family, family income, occupation, size of land holding, social participation and knowledge level were selected. The dependent variables of the study were nature of involvement of woman farmers in agriculture, decision-making pattern of woman farmers in agriculture, and extent of adoption of improved agricultural technology of wheat production.
The findings of the study revealed that the participation of woman varies from pre-harvest to post-harvest agricultural activities. The maximum involvement of woman farmers was in post harvest activities than pre harvest activities. Marginal woman farmers were participating physically more while small and medium woman farmers were supervising the activities. The study further found that the woman having more involvement in production process were also participating more in decision-making process. The maximum participation of woman farmer in decision-making was that of marginal farmers. The extent of adoption of various improved technology of wheat was varying and the maximum adoption was of post harvest technology like harvesting of crops and storage management of grains. The study further found that maximum woman farmers were taking money as loan from from their personal savings, friends or co-operatives. The various constraints that hinder the progress of women as farmers were their dual role played at farm and home, male dominance, lack of knowledge and skill, lack of credit,etc.,
The most important factors influencing the involvement of woman farmers in agriculture were caste, income, and size of land holding as these factors were positively and significantly affecting the involvement of woman farmers in agriculture. The study further indicated that the knowledge level of women farmers and marital status were positively and significantly affecting the decision-making pattern of woman farmers and in terms of extent of adoption of improved agricultural technology, the factors, occupation of respondents, family income, size of land holding and knowledge level of woman farmers were contribution as important factors. So these factors should be kept in due consideration while studying the role of woman as farmers.
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