Does biasedness have women’s face in rural Indian Dairy Sector? : A review

Abstract

Agriculture is regarded as one of the major pillars providing support to the rural population in their daily bread and butter. Due to growing rural to urban migration by men, there is ‘feminization’ of the agriculture sector (The Economic Survey of India, 2017-18). But this scenario changes to a different zone when we take into account the rural livestock sector in India. It paints a different picture all over. In India, the feminization of livestock production and animal husbandry had started long back even before the advent of Operation Flood in the 1970s. As of recent times, about 70% of the workers, 80% of food producers, and 10% of basic food stuff processors pertaining to the livestock sector are women. Instead of their considerable involvement and participation, significant gender disparities exist in access to technologies, credit, information, inputs and services owing to inequities in ownership of productive assets including land and livestock. There is an urgent need to correct gender biasedness. Recognition and support of women’s roles as livestock owners, processors etc.; needs to be strengthened along with their decision-making capabilities, which would promote the women’s economic and social empowerment providing a way to break the cycle of poverty.