Search

Efforts for empowering women have been a priority agenda in development because women make crucial contributions to society. One of the significant issues that women are well positioned to address is the stunting or impaired development of children due to poor nutrition. As this issue is a threat for national development in Indonesia, the central government has initiatives to tackle stunting, and one of these is the Sustainable Food Garden, or Pekarangan Pangan Lestari (P2L). The innovative program is designed to prevent stunting by empowering women, which also contributes to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research is focused on the implementation of the P2L initiative in Jombang Regency in East Java, Indonesia. More specifically, it explores how the program capacity, especially at the organizational level, plays a significant role in the implementation of P2L through women's involvement in Kelompok Wanita Tani (KWT) or the Women Farmers' Group. The fieldwork research was performed in four KWTs villages in Kesamben District, one of the focal locations for addressing stunting and food insecurity in Jombang. By using qualitative research methods involving interviews, observation, and analysis of relevant documents, this study finds that within the implementation of the P2L program in Jombang Regency, the program capacity, especially at the organizational level has been fulfilled well. Such program capacity, which includes political capacity, analytical capacity, and operational capacity, has led stakeholders' commitment to fulfill the program's goals and objective, and above all to empower women. In this, Women Farmers' Groups (KWTs) have also contributed to improving nutrition, decreasing the prevalence of stunting in Jombang Regency, and supporting economic growth for women and families, and thus the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As of late, there has been debate about the importance of recognizing women in agriculture as farmers. The demand to be recognized is backed by women's significant contribution to the household economy. Scholars have attempted to establish a correlation between land ownership and women's empowerment in agriculture. This is an oversimplification of the situation of women farmers and their empowerment, especially in the context of tribal society where women have better access to and control over community and forest resources. We undertook this study to examine if having land and other resources is a prerequisite for the empowerment of tribal women farmers. The study is based on a primary survey conducted by a network of civil society organizations (CSOs) that enhance the livelihoods of tribal women in Madhya Pradesh, India. The analysis is informed by the researchers' decade-long experience of working with tribal women farmers, our visits to the villages during the study period, and the available literature. The survey's findings indicate that having resources is necessary but not sufficient on its own for the empowerment of tribal women. Additionally, the survey points out that having better access to and control over resources has a very weak to weak correlation with decision-making, leadership, and wellbeing outcomes. Many ethnographic studies and our direct work with tribal communities in Central India show that agency is also exercised through the work tribal women put in and the knowledge they have. Moreover, understanding the agency of tribal women requires a nuanced and close observation of women's assertions and negotiations in their everyday lives. We believe it is crucial to examine how tribal women perceive their immediate environment, as well as their relationships with people, nature, work, and kinship affiliations. Therefore, this paper calls for future ethnographic studies to understand tribal women's agency and an in-depth exploration of sociocultural contexts in which tribal women live. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filipino women farmers have displayed their indispensable contribution to the Philippine agricultural economy for a long part of history, yet there remains a dearth of knowledge concerning how these women use literacy to effectively perform their roles in society. This research looked into Filipino women farmers' literacy experiences and practices. Through an ideological literacy perspective, feminist framework, and ethnographic research approach, it was revealed that the literacy practices of the Filipino women farmers of a rice-planting community in Northern Philippines are deeply rooted in their social and economic environment. Their literacy events vary according to what they want to achieve and what roles they play in the different domains of practicing literacy. Furthermore, it was found that these literacy practices and the women's experiences with literacy are patterned after long established sociocultural practices and existing patriarchal structures within Philippine agricultural societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While authoritarian states promoting neoliberal forms of governance have taken advantage of COVID-19 to weaken the foundations of civil society, there has also been a significant rise in contemporary struggles for a more democratic society during and around the pandemic. From December 2019 to November 2021, India has seen a significant number of protests. The timeline of collective resistance against the state and its divisive, violent and neoliberal agenda represents a critical juncture in Indian politics. This paper focuses on the farmers' protests that started from last November and recently ended in a stunning, hard-earned victory. In a sector that is overwhelmingly male-dominated and deeply patriarchal, women farmers have come out on the streets protesting the controversial Farm Laws hastily passed by the Indian government in September 2019 that threatened to corporatize farming and increase exploitation and marginalisation of small farmers. What is most interesting about the farmers' protests is large-scale participation of women across caste, class, occupational, and religious divide which has changed the composition and dynamics of collective resistance and demonstrate how organised and collective resistance can become symbols of solidarity and intersectional dissent. The paper will examine the role of gender and female agency in protests by female occupying bodies in physical spaces particularly when under the pretext of COVID -19 crisis management the state has severely pushed back against citizens right to dissent and fight for justice. The farmer's protest has brought to the fore women's role in mass mobilisations. Women's participation in the protest has tremendous significance for women's movement for justice, equality and rights and can pose a real challenge to the return of the 'Strong State'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the impact to women engaged in agriculture in relation to the construction of Sahiwal Coal Power Plant project in Qadirabad, Punjab, Pakistan. The power plant was developed as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative. This plant was built on private [agricultural] lands. This study relies on data collected via a field survey, judgmental sampling, and case study methods. Observations and data collected surface the changing occupational roles of women, who, prior to the development of the coal plant had been employed primarily as agricultural workers. A noted adjustment of female labor to domestic service and tailoring surface not only the occupational impact of the development of the coal powered plant, but also the relationship between the plant's construction and occupational opportunity, lifestyle, status, and social power dynamics as it relates to women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender and poverty combine to put a burden on the status of women farm workers. On top of that, women's contribution in agriculture, albeit important to the overall agricultural chain, is commonly overlooked. This study looked into the time-use of women in agriculture, relative to men in the largest rice producing community in the Philippines. The methodology included key informant interviews of nine women, a survey questionnaire to a total of 159 individuals form the farming household, and a time-motion study of women's work in raising livestock during a whole day. The data revealed that women are involved in all aspects of the agricultural production although there is a differentiation in the time allocation between the men and female farmers. Women worked 2.6 hours per day on the average compared with 6 hours per day for men. Statistical analysis also showed that women's work in the home is not lessened even as she devotes more time on the field. Hence, she experiences double burden. More than half of the women (60%) stated that they do not own the land, in contrast to only 29.6% among the men. The study supports that gender matters and males dominate on decisions regarding crop production (usually a man's decision), usage of money earned from activities, and in the determination of the purpose of livestock. However, women provide labor and take direction. From this perspective perspective, this study highlights the role of women and their contribution to agriculture, ultimately supporting the need for agricultural statistics to include gender and not be gender-blind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the nature of the feminization of agriculture, and factors influencing the phenomenon in citrus producing pocket areas of Sindhuli district in Central Nepal. Presenting the intra-household division of work in agriculture among better-off family members in rural farms, emerging themes from narratives of women farmers' lived-experience as farmers are discussed. Based on the narratives, this paper explores how household members' everyday lifestyles regarding agriculture and non-agriculture shape their lives differently. Outlining the problematic of gendered agricultural engagement, three in-depth case analyses of farm families have been presented through data collected from narratives and participant observation as part of ethnographic study. These case studies highlight how women attribute economic and noneconomic rationales for their life choices, using agency as an analytical lens. Finally, given the choice dilemma individuals face to reshape their lives, this paper shows how and why women farmers' socially ascribed responsibility for livestock rearing spurs the feminization debate. It also demonstrates the need to further explore the extent of livestock feminization to the pattern of gendered mobility and non-mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nepal entered into a new era after ending 10 years of civil war through signing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the government and the rebel radical Maoist party in November, 2006. Women's positions were constitutionally secured and space widened for the engagement of women in the broad social, political and economic spheres. Therefore, the postconflict context provided tremendous opportunities for women to engage in high value commercial agricultural business. The main objectives of the study were a) to examine the effects of armed conflict on agricultural markets, and b) to analyse the state of women's engagement in high value agricultural exports and its role in market revival. This study involved qualitative research to analyse women's engagement in commercial agriculture with a specific focus on the marketing of large cardamom (Amomum Subulatum Roxb.), which does not include the small cardamom (Elettaria Cardamomum, Maton). The main finding of this study is the proactive engagement of women in high value, low volume commercial agriculture and its positive contribution to the social, economic and political spheres at individual, households and community levels in Nepal. Women were recognised more in society once they engaged in commercial agriculture especially when they were members of cooperatives and in the position of sanctioning the loans as members of the executive committee to local people (including men). They were also offered political positions in the party structures. They were, comparatively, economically stronger and independent. However, while the government's efforts were appreciated they were not able to secure better prices for the cash crops and tackle the disease problem. Women were not able to secure a better price in the study area due to lack of up-to-date market price information. Further, in the past 7-10 years their cardamom plants suffered heavily from disease (appearance of black spots on leaves, shrinking, and gradually drying of the leaves which people locally called Chhirke- Furke) affecting production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agriculture plays a very important role in the economic development of rural India. It is well known that the contribution of rural women in agricultural sectors is very significant. A study was conducted in the Darrang district of Assam with the objectives to explore the involvement of rural women in decision-making of different agricultural activities and to find out the labor efficiency of rural women in agricultural activities. Purposive sampling technique was used for selection of development blocks and random sampling technique was used for selection of villages in the study. The study revealed that in case of sericulture and handloom sectors, all decisions were taken by the farm women only and this was followed by livestock and poultry (57.33 per cent) and agriculture (40.00 per cent). On the other hand, in case of labor efficiency of rural women, the efficiency was more in small size group than medium and large size groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study on women in the Philippines, particularly in Benguet which is the largest vegetable producer in the country, was undertaken in order to provide a wider interpretation of the contribution of women farmers to agricultural productivity, as well as to look into the relations between feminization of agriculture, and women's occupational health. Methods employed in this study included personal interviews to look into the knowledge, involvement, and contribution of women in agricultural farming as well as a survey to look into women''s perceived occupational health issues and healthcare provision by the local government. The study showed that women play a key role in farming activities including seeding, weeding, pesticide application, harvesting, and marketing of crops. Women are regarded by men in Benguet as integral partners in farming, and they hold and control agriculture-derived incomes. The study showed that ill health of women farmers is affected by the trends and processes of feminization in the agricultural sector. Health policies and programs therefore cannot be separated from considering how economic production affects women's health. Health should be understood within the context of economic production and relations of production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feminist research shows how gender, in interaction with other socioeconomic differentiation theories on class and ethnicity, influences agrarian transition, health patterns, and economic development. In the highland community where this study was conducted, women play a very important role in the production of vegetables and crops. At the same time, there are hazards facing these women predisposing them to certain occupational health issues. As such, this research study aimed to look into occupational issues of women, as well as certain cultural, political, socio-economic perceptions and attributes that affect women's occupational issues. 251 women farmers from identified communities using cluster sampling were included in this study for the survey questionnaire. The data collection tools were structured personal interview, key informant interview, and secondary data gathering. 59% of the women said that farming was family-based. 28.3% had children under 18 years old involved in farming. The most commonly used pesticide was manzeb, a carbamate, for a duration of 20 years. 59.4% reported that sickness was perceived to be due to occupational exposure to pesticides during application in the field. In the FGDs cultural, political, and socio-economic factors that affect their occupational and health issues were looked into. This study aimed to target women in agriculture and their occupational issues to influence local and national policies concerning them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]