Question : Women Participation in Farming

(a) whether women’s participation in farming is around 33 per cent of the total work force and as many as 7.5 crore women are engaged in animal husbandry;

(b) if so, the number of schemes/ projects being implemented by the Government to enhance the empowerment, skill and entrepreneurship in agriculture work of the women farmers;

(c) the details of the funds allocated and spent by the Government under these schemes/projects for empowerment of women farmers in the country including Rajasthan; and

(d) whether the Government is considering to provide identity cards to all the women farmers to ensure that the benefits of all the schemes reach them and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

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(a): Yes, Madam. 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 and marginal) is to the tune of 3.60 crore as against 11.88 crore of total cultivators in the country which works out to 30.33%. Further, as per NSS Report No. 559(68/10/3) (July 2011-June 2012), among women of all ages who were not workers in the subsidiary status, about 20 percent in rural areas and about 6.9 percent in urban areas pursued one or more of the activities relating to agricultural production such as maintenance of kitchen garden, work in household poultry, dairy etc. including free collection of agricultural products for household consumption and processing of primary products for household consumption.

(b) & (c): In line with the National Policy on Farmers (2007), the Department is promoting mainstreaming of gender concerns in agriculture by ensuring involvement of at least 30 percent women under its various beneficiary oriented Schemes/components. Besides, the network of 690 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) across the country established by Indian Council of Agricultural Research are mandated with Technology Assessment and Demonstration for its Application and Capacity Development of farmers including women farmers.

The Department of Rural Development is implementing a programme ‘Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), as a sub-component of National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) which is aimed at achieving socio-economic and technical empowerment of women. The details of such initiatives are given at Annexure .

(d): As women are already recognized as Cultivators & Agricultural Labour in the Census 2011 Report with their numbers duly reflected in main & marginal category, the Government has no proposal to provide identity cards to women farmers.