Question : Women’s Participation in Agriculture and Doubling the Income of Women Farmers

(a) whether the Government is aware that the share of women in the production of major crops in the country is 75 per cent;

(b) if so, the measures taken by the Government during the last four years and the current financial year to double the income of such women engaged in agriculture and the details regarding their effects, State-wise; and

(c) the details of the manner in which the Government is providing help to or enabling to double the income of the women working in the agricultural sector as workers or self employed farmers?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a) to (c): As per the Census 2011 conducted by the Registrar General of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, the extent of women participation in agriculture as cultivators (main & marginal) is to the tune of 3.60 crore (30.33%) and as female agricultural labour (main & marginal) to the tune of 6.15 crore (42.67%).

The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare has taken various pro-women initiatives which aim at bringing women into the mainstream agriculture so as to be able to contribute to doubling family’s income. These include (i) earmarking of 30% of funds for women under various major beneficiary oriented schemes/programmes of the Department; (ii) focussed women specific interventions under ATMA component of Sub-Mission on Agricultural Extension in terms of supporting Women’s Food Security groups

Contd…2/-

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(WFSGs) (@ 2WFSGs)/Block) and inclusion of one Gender Coordinator/State in the team of committed extension functionaries; (iii) undertaking macro/micro level studies in critical thrust areas related to women in agriculture; (iv) development of Gender Sensitization Capsule Module on Gender Learning and its delivery through training programmes organized through National/Regional/State level training institutes; (v) bringing out farm-women friendly literature and publications such as Compendium of gender friendly tools/technologies, Farm Women Friendly Handbook, compilation of best practices/success stories of the women farmers, etc.

Besides, trainings are being imparted to women farmers under various schemes of MoA&FW which include ATMA scheme, Cooperative Education Field Projects of DAC&FW; Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of DARE, ICAR and Entrepreneurship Development and Employment Generation (EDEG) under Sub-Mission on Livestock Development of DAHD. The EDEG supports activities related to poultry, small ruminants, rabbit rearing, piggery etc. which are mainly taken up by women.

Special skill training courses in agriculture and allied sectors are also being conducted for farmers including women farmers through KVKs, National Training Institutions of DAC&FW and State Agricultural Management & Extension Training Institute across the country. All these steps are aimed at building capacities and capabilities of farm women to adopt improved agricultural practices to get better returns.

The Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development is also implementing ‘Mahila Kisan Sashtikaran Pariyojana’ (MKSP), as sub-component of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) with an aim to create and sustain agriculture based livelihoods of rural women, which may contribute to raising family income. No specific study to learn State-wise effect of such interventions has however been undertaken.






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