Adept to Adapt: Closing the Gender Capacity Gaps for Scaling Up System of Crop Intensification

Abstract

The system of rice intensification (SRI) has been introduced as an alternative system for growing rice with lesser inputs and water. Labour is one of the most crucial concerns in the adoption of SRI by farmers. The adaptation to newer methods of rice cultivation is presumed to be easier if the workforce is adept to adapt. The new skills needed to adopt SRI, are transplanting young and single seedlings and use of mechanical weeders. The present study was therefore, undertaken, to identify training needs of women farmers in SRI cultivation. Line sowing was perceived as a new skill to be acquired and rated as highly skilful. Close attention was needed by women farmers/labour to systematically plant within the square. The paper attempts to apply the components of the community capitals framework (CCF) developed by Cornelia and Jan Flora (2013), for closing the gender capacity gaps in the uptake and scaling up of SCI/SRI. The seven forms of capital in this framework are considered not only as individual capabilities and endowments but are viewed as collective resources and are to be considered in the specific order of natural, cultural, human, social, political, financial and built capital. In this paper emphasis is being given to build the Human and Social Capital for closing the gender capacity gaps for scaling up SCI/SRI. There is immense scope of harnessing the potential of training members of women’s self-help groups (SHG) to form a SRI task force to help in the wide spread adoption of SRI by farmers.