Profile of women in cashew farm and processing sector and their constraints at workplace-a case study

Abstract

A cross sectional analysis of farm women in various activities related to cashew production and processing was conducted at Cashew Research Station (KAU), Madakkathara, Kerala. Among the total workers 68.88 per cent were women workers and 77.40 per cent of them were residing in the same village which made them to coordinate the farm and household activities in a better way. The women were involved in seasonal farm activities viz harvest and post-harvest handling (93.54%), grafting (67.74%), nursery operations and planting (87.09% each), weeding and fertilizer applicationactivities (83.87%) and pruningand canopy management (74.19%).Afewskilled groups were involved in cashew apple processing (22.58%) and nut processing (29.03%). More than half of the women workers (51.61%) were the sole earning members of the family. The threat of snake at farmland was identified as major constraint and needed to be addressed at policy level to get insured. Introduction of proper safety measures at farm level would also help to reduce the risk of wild animals in the remote farmlands. The seasonal nature of cashew farm sector was identified as another major constraint for farm women and hence diversified income generation activities needed to be taken up for assuring year-round employment.