Issues in Agriculture and Extension
- Agriculture-Specific Issues for Women
|
Issue |
Explanation |
|
Limited Land Ownership |
Less than 13% of women own land in India; limits access to credit and subsidies. |
|
Access to Credit |
Due to lack of collateral (land), women often can’t avail institutional loans. |
|
Technology Gap |
Most farm technologies are developed for men; not women-friendly (e.g., heavy tools). |
|
Invisibility of Women’s Work |
Women’s contributions in sowing, weeding, harvesting, etc., are unpaid and unrecognized. |
|
Extension Services Exclusion |
Male-dominated extension systems often neglect female farmers’ needs. |
|
Lack of Training & Capacity Building |
Few training programs focus on women or are accessible to them. |
|
Time Poverty |
Women juggle farm and household work, leaving little time for income-generating activities. |
Extension Issues
- Gender-insensitive Planning: Programs often assume men are the primary farmers.
- Lack of Female Extension Workers: Limits communication with women farmers.
- Cultural Barriers: In some regions, women cannot interact freely with male extension officers.
- No Gender-Disaggregated Data: Hampers planning and monitoring of gender-targeted interventions.
- Gender Mainstreaming – Approaches and Methods
Definition: Gender mainstreaming is the integration of gender perspectives at all stages of development – from planning, budgeting, implementation to monitoring and evaluation – in policies, programs, and institutions.
🌐 Approaches:
|
Approach |
Description |
|
WID (Women in Development) |
Focuses on integrating women into development without challenging existing structures. |
|
GAD (Gender and Development) |
Focuses on power relations and seeks to transform gender roles and address inequality. |
|
Empowerment Approach |
Aims to increase control and agency of women over resources and decision-making. |
|
Equity Approach |
Focuses on fair distribution of resources and opportunities to reach equality. |
⚙️ Methods of Gender Mainstreaming
- Gender Budgeting: Assessing how budgets affect men and women differently.
- Gender-Responsive Planning: Designing projects to meet the needs of both men and women.
- Capacity Building: Training officials and extension workers in gender sensitivity.
- Participation & Inclusion: Involving women in decision-making at local and policy levels.
- Monitoring & Evaluation: Gender-disaggregated indicators to assess impact.
- Gender Analysis Frameworks and Tools
📊 Purpose of Gender Analysis: To understand gender roles, access to resources, control, power dynamics, and how policies/programs impact men and women differently.
Common Gender Analysis Frameworks:
|
Framework |
Description |
|
Harvard Analytical Framework (1980s) |
Also called Gender Roles Framework. Focuses on activities (who does what), access to and control over resources, and influencing factors. |
|
Moser Framework |
Differentiates practical and strategic gender needs. Emphasizes planning for long-term gender equality. |
|
Longwe’s Women’s Empowerment Framework |
Five levels of empowerment: Welfare → Access → Conscientization → Participation → Control. |
|
Gender Analysis Matrix (GAM) |
Community-based tool analyzing program impact on women, men, household, and community across four levels: labor, time, resources, and culture. |
|
Capacities and Vulnerabilities Analysis |
Used during emergencies; focuses on existing capacities of women and men and their vulnerabilities. |
🧰 Tools for Gender Analysis:
- Gender-disaggregated data collection
- Access and Control Profile
- Activity Profile (Daily routine by gender)
- Time-use surveys
- Stakeholder Mapping (with gender lens)
- Needs Assessment (Practical vs Strategic)
- Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) with women’s participation
Tips for Competitive Exams (NET, SRF, UPSC, etc.)
- Harvard Framework = Activities, access, control → Useful for baseline surveys.
- Moser Framework = Practical vs Strategic needs → Use in planning gender projects.
- Longwe’s Framework = 5 levels of empowerment → Good for impact assessment.
- Gender Budget ≠ Separate budget → It’s analysis of existing budget from a gender lens (NET-2020).
- WEAI (Women Empowerment in Agriculture Index) measures women’s roles in production, income, leadership, time, and resources.
