Gender-Specific Technologies
🔹 Definition: Gender-specific technologies are tools, equipment, and innovations designed keeping in mind the physical, social, and economic needs of women, especially in agriculture, household, and allied sectors.
🔧 Why Needed?
- Most farm tools are designed for men → not ergonomically suitable for women.
- Women engage in labour-intensive tasks (e.g., weeding, transplanting).
- Aim is to reduce drudgery, increase productivity, and ensure equal participation.
🌾 Examples of Gender-Specific Technologies in Agriculture:
Activity | Gender-Specific Technology | Developed by |
Weeding | Cono weeder, wheel hoe | TNAU, CIAE |
Transplanting | Drum seeder, mat nursery method | ICAR Institutes |
Harvesting | Improved sickles (serrated edges) | CIAE Bhopal |
Threshing | Pedal-operated threshers | ICAR-CIAE |
Cooking/energy saving | Improved smokeless chulhas | MNRE, NGOs |
Water carrying | Head-load reduction devices (like trolley) | Rural Development NGOs |
Fodder chopping | Manual chaff cutters with safety features | ICAR Institutes |
Storage | Metal grain bins with improved design | ICAR & KVKs |
- Gender Dimensions in Food and Nutritional Security
🔹 Definition: The role of gender in ensuring availability, access, utilization, and stability of food and nutrition in the household and community.
👩🌾 Role of Women in Food and Nutritional Security:
Function | Women’s Contribution |
Food Production | Women contribute 55–60% of farm labor. |
Home Gardens | Cultivate vegetables, medicinal plants. |
Food Preparation | Responsible for household cooking decisions. |
Nutritional Care | Take care of children’s and family’s diet. |
Income Use | Spend a higher share of income on food, health, and education. |
Knowledge on Nutrition | Have indigenous knowledge about nutrition. |
Key Programs Involving Women
- Poshan Abhiyan – India’s flagship nutrition mission.
- Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) – Women as Anganwadi workers.
- SABLA Yojana – Nutrition for adolescent girls.
- Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) – Empowering women farmers.
📚 Summary Table for Quick Revision
Concept | Key Focus Area | Related Schemes/Tools |
Gender-Specific Technology | Tools suited to women’s physiology & tasks | Cono weeder, improved sickle, chulhas |
Gender in Nutritional Security | Women’s role in production, food prep, care | Poshan Abhiyan, MKSP, ICDS |
Challenges | Limited access, heavy workload, less participation | Extension gaps, policy neglect |
