Strategic framework for achieving gender equality in agriculture

Abstract

The gender equality on field is vital to enhance production and withstand emerging agrarian crisis. This paper highlights strategic steps that can help in achieving the gender equality on and off farm among farm families of India. The present study is based on ex-post-facto research design and multistage random sampling technique was used for this study. Twenty-eight villages were finalized for the study, covering all seven districts of South Gujarat and from them ten women farmers from each village were selected. Thus 280 farm women formed the sample of our study. Study revealed that the limited right over land and resources, non-availability of credit to women in agriculture and physical drudgery were the most common gender related issues experienced by farm women. They further suggested that equal sharing of work and family between men and women, improving women’s ownership rights through the mechanism of joint pattas, registration of all new assets in the name of both husband and wife and easy access to loans through women’s SHGs can help in reducing gender gap. Thus, considering these results strategic framework at different level is prepared to achieve gender equality in Indian agriculture.