Women in Agriculture / Rural Dev / Off Farm Sector and Empowerment
Dinesh
K Kapila
I am going absolutely as it comes on this. What do we mean by
Women’s Day. It is a point I always bring out. Honestly. Tell me, when we look
at women giving interviews to the audio visual media, we are judging their
confidence too. That makes us realise their self confidence and assess the
faith and passion they have in what they espouse. While I do not seek to uphold
all that is sourced from the Western World as correct and worth emulating,
after all there is something called cultural heritage too, but I draw the line
at personifying confidence.
What do you perceive when a woman or lady speaks from the typical western
mindset. She stands up straight and looks at the camera directly or at the
interviewer. The voice comes clear and so does the eye contact. I have spent
time on this over the years requesting and advising women to look at me or t
the camera or whoever it may be and to make eye contact while speaking. The
idea is not to make the uncomfortable but rather that their looking down or
elsewhere and then making a point just won’t do. Even while walking I find many
women looking down partially, why not look into the distance directly. The
women have to evolve and develop the confidence in themselves to demonstrate
their level of confidence.
I agree that the situation is much improved but we are a nation
and society at varying levels of development. Within every social and economic
class or community the degree of empowerment varies and varies deeply. It’s a
flux and this can be a very difficult process as we transition to another
level. From varying levels and cultural contexts. We are all on a journey of
discovering including of ourselves, particularly the women. They perhaps know
what they seek but are held back by the backers of status quo and self styled
norms. Social order, the threat of chaos, mixing up religion with empowerment
are all thrown into the mix of seasoned arguments to oppose the evolution
towards empowerment. This is a fact.
We have the example of some quoting from their religious texts to
justify that empowerment and self confidence are qualities already spoken for
and hence so embedded. They forget it’s typical of the mindset we have in our
nation that to say is to have executed it. Not so. As we are generally not able
to execute projects in terms of timelines etc so is there a wide gap between
the thoughts and ideals espoused in the religious texts which we quote and the
process of actual empowerment. Else our nation would not have required laws on
female foeticide.
Minor or rather mini revolutions are occurring across rural and semi urban
India but so are the votaries of stubs quo. The opposition will take time to
move to a broader level of acceptance of the rights of women. Even in urban
India, as urbanisation is a recent phenomenon, the mindset of status quo has
ventured in. This emanates from the entrenched social mindset most have come from,
after all it’s a nation with a huge history in flux.
Perhaps our political and social leaders need to speak out more
openly and honestly on the need to empower women and to rein in strong
patriarchal mores. This would work more effectively rather than many of us
doing our bit as the acceptability for many of us is limited.
I am very fortunate to have worked over thirty three years in an
institution where I could work first hand on this issue as also observe it
closely. I once met a lady from a deprived rural background at Kangra. She was,
way back in 1999 or so, committed to the concept of SHGs and
realised its value for empowerment. Then we invited her to Shimla for speaking
on the subject, she was at a loss, slowly she gained her confidence as she shared
her personal evolution and growth. A decade later, she had arrived, truly as
she motivated countless women in her area. I have in Ropar sat with Father
Joseph, a Moses like figure, as we let ladies swing away to Punjabi Songs after
sharing how inspite of social restrictions, they were attempting to push ahead,
simple dreams, education, grace, respect and a say in the family on
decisions. Including crucially on financial issues and a wider exposure to the
immediate environment, including the local banks and maybe visits to small
hotels.
There have been disappointments too. Such as entering a
Government School, upto Class XII, where the School Principal, a
lady, was deferring to her husband, who sat in the office only. I had to shoo
him out, bluntly. The Government does its part, but we have to evolve by
understanding we need to change. I just received a call from a medium level
political figure, he invited me to a function. Actually his wife is the Zila
Parishad Chief, but as he put it, the Government may reserve the position for a
lady but I only would run the show from behind the scenes. It sort of disturbed
me, we really need to evolve, I mean hearing this after all these years again.
It’s a slow slow path to moving up. One additional point, many
ladies, teaching, working in Banks even, if I share news such as on opening a
DMAT account, or a new Government avenue for investments, tell me to
share it with their husbands. Why should I do so, they ought to know this
aspect too. They may not work on it, but atleast be
aware.
Just by the way we men don’t have it easy too. As ladies evolve
and are at varied levels of empowerment and cultural contexts, we men have to
pick up clues, specially in social settings, as to the cultural norms which are
acceptable. This could be something as simple as to shake hands or greet with a
namaskar ! It can be confusing but that is how any society would evolve.
Seriously, men need new cultural norms and ideals because as women are
empowered and evolve accordingly do, men need to understand the evolution and
to learn on how to conduct themselves with the more empowered women[DKK1] .
Allow me to add a very personal observation too, and don’t mind it
too. We can sort of view that a well groomed self confident lady is truly
empowered. No excuse on time and being busy can justify being dowdy, shabbily
dressed and ill groomed. Don’t dress to please others but first do it for
yourself but also be correct and well groomed about it.
Entrepreneurship is also a personification of
empowerment. I am leaving out the well to do class and a certain
section across all social and economic groups. The upper crust has the
confidence and in the other sections some element will acquire it.
Women’s empowerment has five components:
women’s sense of self-worth; their right to have and to determine choices;
their right to have access to opportunities and resources; their right to have
power to control their own lives, both within and outside the home; and their
ability to influence the direction of social change to create a more just
social and economic order, nationally and internationally.
In this context, education, training, awareness
raising, building self-confidence, expansion of choices, increased access to
and control over resources, and actions to transform the structures and
institutions that reinforce and perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality
are important tools for empowering women and girls to claim their rights.
Incidentally,
who attends seminars on skill development and Agriculture in rural areas, it’s
the olde men. HP, TN, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and UP, Who does the work ok
dairy – women. But are no where to be seen. Technical inputs are important. There
is silence and not speaking up or inquiring even if they are present.
THE
WHY - Rural women are torchbearers for
social, economic and environment transformation for the ‘New India’. In India,
Agriculture employs about 80 percent of rural women. Empowering and
mainstreaming rural women workforce in agriculture can bring a paradigm shift
towards economic growth. It will enhance food and nutrition security and
alleviate poverty and hunger. It’s a win win strategy for achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals by 2030.
India
is celebrating and commemorating the progressive 75 years of India after
independence with ‘Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and promulgating mission of
warranting women as “Empowered women- Empowered Nation”. India is an agrarian
economy with about 54.6 percent of total workforce engaged in agricultural and
allied sector activities (Census 2011). Women are extensively engaged in the
activities pertaining to agriculture and allied sector. The workforce
participation rate for rural females is significantly higher at 41.8 percent
against urban women participation rate of 35.31 percent (MoSPI, 2017).
In
India, reforms are underlined for holistic development of women, enabling
socio-economic and health security. Since Independence, several government
flagship schemes and programmes have been initiated to improve the stature of rural
women in society by creating livelihood opportunities and engagements in paid
employment. Various schemes, such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation
Program (PMEGP), National Livelihoods Mission, Deen Dayal Upadhayay Grameen
Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Beti
Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana I (PMMVY), etc. have made a significant contribution to creating
gender parity and socio-economic empowerment of women in India. Now, rural
women have availing access to education, productive resources, capacity
building, skill development, healthcare facilities and diversified livelihood
opportunities through government beneficiary schemes. CRUCIALLY THE GAP
REMAINS.
Women play a significant and crucial role in agricultural
development and allied fields. The nature and extent of women's involvement in
agriculture varies greatly from region to region. But regardless of these
variations, women are actively involved in various agricultural activities. As
per the Census 2011, out of total female main workers, 55 per cent were
agricultural labourers and 24 per cent were cultivators. However, only 12.8
per cent of the operational holdings were owned by women, which reflect the
gender disparity in ownership of landholdings in agriculture. Moreover, there
is concentration of operational holdings (25.7 per cent) by women in the
marginal and small holdings categories.
The Economic Survey 2017-18 says that with growing rural to
urban migration by men, there is ‘feminisation’ of agriculture sector, with
increasing number of women in multiple roles as cultivators, entrepreneurs, and
labourers. Globally, there is empirical evidence that women have a decisive
role in ensuring food security and preserving local agro-biodiversity. Rural
women are responsible for the integrated management and use of diverse natural
resources to meet the daily household needs. This requires that women farmers
should have enhanced access to resources like land, water, credit, technology
and training which warrants critical analysis in the context of India. In
addition, the entitlements of women farmers will be the key to improve
agriculture productivity. The differential access of women to resources like
land, credit, water, seeds and markets needs to be addressed.
With women predominant at all levels-production, pre-harvest,
post-harvest processing, packaging, marketing – of the agricultural value
chain, to increase productivity in agriculture, it is imperative to adopt
gender specific interventions. An ‘inclusive transformative agricultural
policy’ should aim at gender-specific intervention to raise productivity of
small farm holdings, integrate women as active agents in rural transformation,
and engage men and women in extension services with gender expertise.
Rural women perform numerous labour intensive jobs such as
weeding, hoeing, grass cutting, picking, cotton stick collection, separation of
seeds from fibre, keeping of livestock and its other associated activities like
milking, milk processing, preparation of ghee, etc. Details of activities taken
up by women in Agriculture and its allied activities are as follows.
Mainly rural women are
engaged in agricultural activities in three different ways depending on the
socio-economic status of their family and regional factors. They work as:
- Paid
Labourers.
- Cultivator
doing labour on their own land.
- Managers
of certain aspects of agricultural production by way of labour supervision
and the participation in post harvest operations.
The types of
agricultural activities taken up by women include the following :
Sowing Nursery management Transplanting Weeding Irrigation
Fertilizer application Plant protection Harvesting, winnowing, storing etc.
Livestock is the primary livelihood activity used to meet
household food needs as well as supplement farm incomes. It is a common
practice in the rural areas to give an animal as part of a women's dowry.
Studies have revealed rural women earn extra income from the sale of milk and
animals. Mostly women are engaged in cattle management activities such as Cleaning
of animal and sheds Watering of cattle Milking the animals Fodder collection Preparing
dung cakes collection of farm yard manure
Except grazing, all
other livestock management activities are predominantly performed by women.
Men, however, share the responsibility of taking care of sick animals. It is evident that the
women are playing a dominant role in the livestock production and management
activities.
Poultry farming is one
of the major sources of rural economy. The rate of women participation in
poultry farming at household level is central in poultry industry.
5 Ways To Empower Rural Women
For centuries, women all across the world have struggled to get
access to basic human rights. The pace of progress has been different in
different countries. While urban women living in developed and developing
countries have come a long way in empowerment, rural areas still remain
resistant to this concept. Even in the
current day and age, most rural women in India suffer from gender norms that
view their roles merely limited to being a mother and a wife. Most women
receive almost no formal education or opportunities to become financially
independent. To empower rural women, every society needs to go through the
stage of actionable steps to improve the living conditions of rural women and
altogether raise rural society.
Women, children, elderly, indigenous
and disabled people face the highest levels of vulnerability to severe food
insecurity and malnutrition. Rural women and men increasingly face the
challenge of having to adapt their production systems and livelihoods in the
context of climate change and natural resource depletion. Rural men and women
have different access to productive resources, services, information and
employment opportunities, which may hinder women’s productivity and reduce
their contributions to agriculture, food security, nutrition and broader
economic and social development goals.
Multiple dimensions of inequality
inhibit women from managing risks and shocks, and limit their adaptive capacity
to climate change. Women farmers are more exposed to climate change risks
compared with men, as they depend more on natural resources for their
livelihood, have fewer endowments and entitlements to help them absorb shocks
and may not equally benefit from agriculture technologies and practices. Climate
change can exacerbate existing gender inequalities in agriculture, but also
create new opportunities to maximize women’s potential as agents of change and
resilience building. This requires recognising the crucial role and capacity of
women in agriculture, and in ensuring food security and nutrition.
Assuring equal access to productive
resources, climate-smart and labour-saving technologies and practices, services
and local institutions is at the core of FAO’s approach to enhancing the
sustainability of agriculture. Climate-smart agriculture is an approach that
integrates the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental,
economic and social dimensions) by jointly addressing food security and climate
challenges. A gender-responsive approach to climate-smart agriculture
identifies and addresses the different constraints faced by men and women, and
recognises their specific capabilities. This approach
aims at reducing gender inequalities and ensuring equal benefit from CSA
interventions and practices, thus achieving more sustainable and equitable
results. A gender-responsive or gender-transformative approach can be
beneficial to food and nutrition security and broader development outcomes by
simultaneously addressing the interconnected challenges of gender inequality,
resilience to climate change and disasters, and improving agricultural productivity
and livelihoods through climate-smart agricultural development
Five ways in which we can
empower rural women:
The goal of FAO’s policy on gender equality is to achieve equality
between men and women in sustainable agricultural production and rural
development for the elimination of hunger and poverty. To reach this goal, FAO
works with countries, other UN agencies, civil society organisations, bilateral
and private sector partners to make progress towards achieving the following
objectives by 2025: ¡
Women and men equally participate as decisionmakers in rural institutions and
in shaping laws, policies and programmes Women and men have equal access to and control
over decent employment and income, land and other productive resources Women and men have equal access to goods and
services for agricultural development, and to markets Women’s work burden is
reduced by 20 percent through improved technologies, services and
infrastructure. The share of total
agricultural aid committed to projects related to women and gender equality is
increased to 30 percent.
1. Education & Skill development
Through various government schemes and programs, the enrollment of
female children in schools improved over the years. Unfortunately, the dropout
rates of women are staggering.
The main reason being the increasing responsibility of housework,
lack of proper menstrual hygiene management facilities and unfair gender norms
set by society.
To conquer this challenge, we need to develop awareness programs
and schemes that address the problems faced by female students and focus on
decreasing the dropout rates.
Another step to empower women is providing vocational education
and skills development training to match the market needs and obtain
employment.
2. Improving representation in
communities
Women representation in communities is comparatively much lower
than men. Traditional norms often hinder women from participating in policies
that concern them. As a result, their needs are barely taken into account.
Therefore, it is crucial to form and support rural women
empowerment movements and form policies that require a minimum representation
of women in every aspect that concerns them such as labour unions, politics,
education and local administrations.
3. Accessible Financial Services
Even
though many rural women work as daily wage workers, they do not have full
liberty over their earnings. Rural areas are governed by patriarchy in which
the male member of the family is responsible for handling finances and
expenditure. Hence, designing easily accessible financial services that
directly connects women to their bank accounts and not mediated through their
husband is necessary. In addition, creating secondary financial products that
allow women to save, borrow and lend money safely can also provide much-needed
support.
4. Social Protection in the
rural economy
In many rural areas, women work much longer than men in terms of
both employed and non employed (household) work. Nevertheless, they are paid
much less in terms of daily wage. In
India, Madhya Pradesh accounts for the lowest daily wage for rural women. Besides, there is not even a
slight consideration of factors like maternity leave, menstrual hygiene etc.
Therefore, the rural women workforce is on a decline in India.
5. Education on female health
& hygiene
Many rural households are crippled with poverty due to the lack of
family planning. Owing to the limited household income, children are unable to
receive formal education and are dragged into child labour. To fight this
challenge, women of the household need to be educated and advised on family planning.
Lastly, in order to progress collectively, we cannot leave the rural women
behind. With the current wave of rural transformation, we need to support the
unheard voices of rural India. By educating, supporting and empowering women,
we can truly transform our society.
Women
in agriculture play a vital role in wide range of activities, thereby
contributing to sustainable agricultural development. To achieve inclusive
agricultural growth, empowering women by having comprehensive understanding
about work participation, gender issues, drudgery and health and nutritional
status is necessary. Further, these issues are to be addressed through
gender-friendly technology assessment, refinement and extension methodologies.
With this focus, the Directorate of Research on Women in Agriculture is
implementing research and capacity building programmes.
National Mission on
Agricultural Extension & Technology (NMAET) – Sub-Mission on Agricultural
Extension (SAME)
Agriculture Technology Management Agency
(ATMA)
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a |
Specific provisions
(only for Women) |
|
|
i) |
Support for Women Food Security Groups
(FSGs) |
|
|
ii) |
Support for Gender Coordinator |
|
|
iii) |
Representation of Women farmers in decision
making bodies |
|
|
iv) |
As Beneficiary |
|
|
b |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/along with men) |
|
|
v) |
Provision of Seed money /Revolving Fund |
|
|
vi) |
Capacity building,skill development and
support services |
|
|
vii) |
Representation of Women farmers in decision
making bodies |
|
Agri-Clinics & Agri-Business Centers
(ACABC)
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/along with men) |
|
|
i) |
Back-ended Composite Subsidy |
|
Mass Media Support to Agricultural Extension
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/along with men) |
|
|
i) |
Outreach to women |
|
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (only for
Women) |
|
|
i) |
As Beneficiary |
|
|
b) |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/along with men |
|
|
1. |
Procurement of
Agricultural Machinery & Equipments (Subsidy Pattern) |
|
|
1.1) |
Tractor |
|
|
i) |
Tractor (upto 20 PTO HP)(Cost Norms -Rs.3.00
lakh/unit) |
|
|
ii) |
Power Tiller |
|
|
|
Power tiller (below 8 BHP) (Cost
Norms-Rs.1.00 lakh per unit) |
|
|
|
Power tiller (8 BHP & above)(Cost
Norms-Rs.1.50 lakh per unit) |
|
|
iii) |
Tractor/Power tiller (below 20 BHP) driven
equipment |
|
|
|
Land Development,tillage & seed bed
preparation equipment (Cost Norms-Rs.0.30 lakh per unit) |
|
|
|
Sowing, planting reaping and digging
equipment (Cost Norms- Rs.0.30 lakh per unit) |
|
|
|
Plastic mulch laying machine (Cost Norms
-Rs.0.70 lakh per unit) |
|
|
|
Self -propelled Horticulture Machinery (Cost
Norms-Rs.2.50 lakh per unit) |
|
|
|
Plant Protection equipment Manual sprayer:Knapsack/foot
operated sprayer.Cost Norms -Rs.0.012 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Plant Protection equipment Manual
sprayer:Knapsack/foot operated sprayer.Cost Norms -Rs.0.012 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Powered Knapsack sprayer/ Power Operated
Taiwan sprayer (capacity 8 – 12 lts)(Cost Norms-Rs.0.062 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Powered Knapsack sprayer/ Power Operated
Taiwan sprayer (capacity above 12 - 16 lts)(Cost Norms-Rs.0.076 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Powered Knapsack sprayer/ Power Operated
Taiwan sprayer (capacity above 16/lt (Cost Norms-Rs.0.20 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Tractor mounted /Operated Sprayer (below 20
BHP ) (Cost Norms -Rs.0.20 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Tractor mounted /Operated Sprayer (above 35
BHP) /Electrostatic Sprayer (Cost Norms-Rs.1.26 lakh/unit) |
|
|
|
Eco Friendly Light Trap (Cost Norms-Rs.0.086
lakh/unit) |
|
|
2. |
Area expansion under
Bamboo Mission (MIDH) |
|
|
|
Forest areas / Public land (Through JFMC /
Panchayati Raj Institutions / SHGs,Women group etc. |
|
|
3. |
Coconut Development
Board (CDB) under MIDH |
|
|
|
Adoption of technologies (Back-ended credit
capital subsidy). |
|
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (only for
Women) |
|
|
|
Promoting Women Groups. |
|
|
b) |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/ along with men) |
|
|
ii) |
For manual sprayers: Knapsack/foot operated
sprayers, eco friendly light trap (NCIPM) |
|
|
iii) |
For Knapsack and Taiwan power sprayers
(capacity below 16 litres) @ 50% of the cost of procurement |
|
|
iv) |
For Knapsack and Taiwan power sprayers
(capacity above 16 litres) @ 40% of the cost of procurement |
|
|
v) |
Manually/Bullock drawn implements including
Chiseller (@ 40% of the cost) |
|
|
vi) |
Tractor driven,farm implements like
Rotavator/Seed Drill/Zero Till Seed Drill/ Multi-Crop Planter/Zero Till Multi
-Crop Planter/ Ridge furrow Planter/ Raised bed planter/ Power weeder/
Groundnut digger and Multi crop threshers |
|
|
vii) |
Small tractor with trolley (25% of the cost
of procurement) |
|
|
viii) |
Distribution of pre-processing,processing
and oil extraction equipment to Farmers associations / FPOs/FIGs / SHGs
/Women Groups,cooperatives /federations. |
|
|
ix) |
Establishment of Seed Gardens Support
through the States' Department of Agriculture /Horticulture (75:25) for
setup/ start joint venture/lease out seed gardens to farmers’ SHGs /
FIGs/Women Group/Cooperative Societies/ FPOs. |
|
Integrated
Scheme for Agricultural
Marketing (ISAM)
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
i) |
Storage Infrastructure Projects under
Agriculture Marketing infrastructure (AMI) for Registered FPOs,
Panchayats,Women, Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiaries or
their cooperatives/Self-help groups.. |
|
|
ii) |
For Infrastructure Projects Other than
Storage Infrastructure for Registered FPOs,Women, Scheduled Caste (SC)/
Scheduled Tribe (ST) beneficiaries or their cooperatives . |
|
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (only for
Women) |
|
|
i) |
As Beneficiary |
|
|
b) |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/ along with men) |
|
|
ii) |
Promotion of Farmer Producer Organizations
(FPOs) and marketing support for value chain integration (to un-registered
farmer groups, SHGs of Women & others etc. for local marketing of pulses
and millets) |
|
National
Mission for Sustainable
Agriculture (NMSA)
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (only for
Women) |
|
|
|
Soil & water conservation; Water use
efficiency; Soil health management and Rain-fed Area Development |
|
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (only for
Women) |
|
|
i) |
Training Programme |
|
|
ii) |
As Beneficiary |
|
|
b) |
Provisions (where
women get benefits either over & above/ along with men) |
|
|
iii) |
Tractor |
|
|
|
Tractor (08-20 PTO HP) |
|
|
|
Tractor (Above 20-70 PTO HP) |
|
|
iv) |
Power Tillers |
|
|
|
Power Tiller (below 8 BHP) |
|
|
|
Power Tiller (8 BHP & above) |
|
|
v) |
Rice Trans-planter |
|
|
|
Self-Propelled Rice Trans-planter (4 rows) |
|
|
|
Self-Propelled Rice Trans-planter |
|
|
|
Self- Propelled Machinery Reaper cum Binder |
|
|
vi) |
Specialized Self Propelled Machinery |
|
|
|
Reaper/Post Hole Digger/Augur/Pneumatic /
other Planter |
|
|
vii) |
Self-Propelled Horticultural Machinery |
|
|
|
Fruit Puckers/ Tree pruners/ Fruit
Harvesters/ Fruit Graders /Track Trolley/ Nursery Media Filling
Machine/Multipurpose Hydraulic System /Power operated horticulture tools for
pruning, budding,grating, shearing etc |
|
|
viii) |
Land Development, tillage and seed bed
preparation equipments |
|
|
|
MB Plow/ Disc Plow/Cultivator/Harrow/leveler
Blade /Cage wheel/Furrow opener/Ridger/Weed slasher/Laser Land Leveler/
Reversible Mechanical plough |
|
|
|
Rotavator/Rotopuddler Reversible Hydraulic
plough |
|
|
|
Chisel Plough |
|
|
ix) |
Sowing, Planting, Reaping and Digging
Equipment |
|
|
|
Post Hole digger/Potato Planter/Potato
Digger /Ground nut digger/Strip till drill/Tractor drawn reaper/Onion
harvester /Rice straw Chopper/Zero till seed cum fertilizer drill/ Raised Bed
Planter/Sugar cane cutter/Stripper/Planter/Se ed drill/Multi crop planter /
Zero-till multi crop planter/Ridge furrow plante |
|
|
|
Turbo Seeder/Pneumatic Planter/Pneumatic
vegetable transplanter /Pneumatic vegetable seeder/Happy seeder/Plastic Mulch
Laying Machine |
|
|
|
Chisel Plough |
|
|
x) |
Inter Cultivation Equipment |
|
|
|
Grass Weed Slasher/ Rice Straw Chopper/Power
Weeder (engine operated below 2bhP) |
|
|
xi) |
Equipment for Residue management / Hay and
Forage Equipments |
|
|
|
Sugarcane thrash Cutter /Coconut Frond Chopper/Rake/Balers/
Straw reaper |
|
|
xii) |
Harvesting & Threshing Equipments |
|
|
|
Ground Nut Pod Stripper/Thresher/Multicrop
Threshers/Paddy Thresher/Brush Cutter |
|
|
|
Chaff Cutter (Operated by engine/electric
motor below 3bhp and by power tiller and tractor of below 20 BHP tractor) |
|
|
|
Tractor (above 35
BHP) Driven Equipment |
|
|
xiii) |
Land Development, tillage and seed bed
preparation equipment |
|
|
|
MB Plow/Disc Plow/Cultivator/ Harrow/
Leveler Blade/Cage Wheel/Furrow opener/Ridger/Reversible Mechanical plough |
|
|
|
Weed slasher /Laser and
Leveller/Rotavator/Roto-puddler/Reversible Hydraulic plough/Sub-soiler/
Trench makers(PTO operated)/Bund former (PTO operated) /Power Harrow
(PTO operated)/Backhoe Loader Dozer (Tractor operated) |
|
|
xiv) |
Sowing , Planting , Reaping and Digging
Equipment |
|
|
|
Zero till seed cum fertilizer drill/Raised
Bed Planter/ seed drill/ Potato Digger/tractor drawn reaper/onion harvester |
|
|
|
Post Hole digger/Potato Planter/Ground nut
digger/Strip till drill/ Rice straw Chopper,Sugar cane
cutter/Stripper/planter/multi crop planter /zero –till multi crop
planter/Ridge furrow planter /Turbo Seeder/ Pneumatic Planter/Pneumatic
vegetable trans-planter / Pneumatic vegetable seeder/Happy seeder/Cassava
Planter/Manure spreader /Fertilizer Spreader |
|
|
xv) |
Inter Cultivation Equipment |
|
|
|
Grass/ Weed Slasher / Rice straw Chopper/
Weeder (PTO operated) |
|
|
xvi) |
Harvesting & Threshing Equip. (Operated
by engine/electric motor above 5 hp and tractor of above 35 BHP tractor) |
|
|
|
Ground- Nut Pod Stripper/Thresher/ Multi
crop Threshers / Paddy Thresher/ Chaff Cutter/ Forage/Harvester/Birds Scar |
|
|
xvii) |
Equipment for Residue mgmt./Hay and Forage
Equipment |
|
|
|
Sugarcane thrash Cutter/ Coconut Frond
Chopper/ Hay Rake/ Balers (Round)/ Baler (Rectangular) Wood
chippers/Sugarcane ratoon manager / Cotton stalk uprooter/ Straw reaper |
|
|
|
All manual/animal
drawn equipment /implements / Tools |
|
|
xviii) |
Land Develop., tillage and seed bed
preparation equipment |
|
|
|
MB Plow/ Disc Plow/Cultivator
/Harrow/Leveler Blade/ Furrow opener/Ridger/ Puddler |
|
|
xix) |
Sowing & Planting Equipment |
|
|
|
Paddy planter/ Seed cum fertilizer
drill/Raised Bed Plant er/Planter/ Dibbler/Equipment for raising paddy
nursery |
|
|
|
Drum Seeder (Below 4 Row) |
|
|
|
Drum Seeder (Above 4 Row) |
|
|
|
Harvesting & Threshing Equipment |
|
|
|
Ground Nut Pod Stripper/Thresher/Winnowing
fan/Tree climber Horticulture Hand tools |
|
|
|
Chaff Cutter (upto 3 feet) |
|
|
|
Chaff Cutter (above 3 feet) |
|
|
xx) |
Inter Cultivation Equipment |
|
|
|
Grass Weed Slasher / Weeder/ Cono-weeder /
Garden Hand Tools |
|
|
xxi) |
Plant Protection Equipment |
|
|
|
Manual sprayer:Knapsack /foot operated
sprayer |
|
|
|
Powered Knapsack sprayer/Power Operated
Taiwan sprayer (capacity 8-12Its) |
|
|
|
Powered Knapsack sprayer/Power Operated
Taiwan sprayer (capacity above 12-16Its) |
|
|
|
Powered Knapsack sprayer/Power Operated
Taiwan sprayer (capacity above 16lts) |
|
|
|
Tractor mounted /Operated Sprayer (below 20
BHP) |
|
|
|
Tractor mounted /Operated Sprayer (below 35
BHP) |
|
|
|
Eco Friendly Light Trap |
|
|
|
Tractor mounted /operated sprayer (above 35
BHP) |
|
|
|
Electrostatic Sprayer |
|
|
xxii) |
Post Harvest Technology |
|
|
|
Establishment of PHT units for transfer of
primary processing technology, value -addition, low cost scientific
storage,packaging units and technologies |
|
|
S.No |
Scheme / Mission
& Component |
Provisions |
|
a) |
Provisions (only for Women) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
b) |
Provisions (where women get benefits either
over & above/along with men) |
|
|
1) |
Modified National Agricultural Insurance
Scheme (MNAIS) |
|
|
|
Insurance protection for notified food
crops,oilseeds and annual horticultural /commercial crops . |
|
|
2) |
Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme(WBCIS) . |
|
|
3) |
Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS). |
|
Gender
work participation scenario: As per the
men and women work participation rate from the census 2001 data, Mizoram with
value 0.093 had the most equitable gender work participation scenario, followed
by Manipur (0.094), Nagaland (0.10) and Himachal Pradesh (0.11). Some high
gender work participation disparity states include Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Punjab, Kerala, West Bengal and Odisha. GAPS ARE THERE IN NUTRITION,
SKILLS, OWNERSHIP OF ASSETS, EQUAL
ACCESS TO ASSETS, DECISIONS ON COMMERCIAL DECISION AND A SAY IN IT, IN WOMEN
FRIENDLY TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT, GENERAL AWARENESS, EDUCATION, TRAVEL,
WE
NED A STRATEGY TO PLUG THE GAPS. By the
way the work force participation rate is higher for rural women than women in
urban areas. ICT awareness among Odisha farm-women Studies on on-farm women for
the ICT facilities available in the village indicated that 50% farm-women were
aware about the PCO booth in their village, and only 20% farm-women were aware
about village information centre /kiosks. Only one woman was aware of toll-
free kisan call centre. Traders suggested for enhancing knowledge of tribal
women in marketing system.
Access
and control over resources: About 3-4% women had land ownership and almost
the same extent had household ownership. Their ownership was restricted mostly
to ponds, fallow, pastures or rainfed lands and marginal land-holding. On an
average, 2.18% women controlled over family resources as against 48.15% men.
Drudgery
reduction: Various enterprises such as food processing enterprise, community
meal preparation by the self-help groups, bamboo-craft, quilt making, dairy and
vegetablegrowing were identified as drudgery-prone activities.
Health
and nutritional security: Motivation campaigns were organized to inspire women
for laying nutrition garden in their homestead. To minimize iron deficiency
(anaemia), additional food requirements during pregnancy and lactation,
importance of breast-feeding, supplementary feeding for young children,
preparation of nutritious weaning food at home, importance of kitchen-garden in
homesteads.
Vocational
skills: Skill-oriented trainings were imparted among adolescent girls and young
mothers in Crèche management, preparation of educational play materials,
soft-toy making, food preservation, preparation of utility items, embroidery
and infant garment making. Utilization of non-degradable farm-waste: Degradable
farm-waste, mostly from natural fibres such as banana, jute, sisal, hemp, and
non-degradable farm wastes such as nylon sarees, waste polyethylene bags were
used for preparing files, purse, bags, asanas, durries, tablemats, footmat,
runners and photo-frames. Livelihood security: Efforts were made to strengthen
SHGs by conducting group trainings in a systematic manner, providing continuous
facilitation support by exchange of information and ideas with successful group
members, micro financing strategies by enhanced, mutual trust between banks and
SHG groups, promoting saving habit and proper use of loan by SHG members.
Members were equipped with entrepreneurial skills such as tie-and-dye, vermi-composting,
dairying, flour milling, preparation of handicrafts, embroidered products
through demonstrations, video films, mahila mandals (success stories of women
entrepreneurs). Micro-enterprise units were established by many SHGs in which
their skills were developed.
WHAT
WORKs – a share - Understanding the
context Any programme has to develop a gender strategy, which is the core of
the actions of that programme to promote gender equality under the specific
socio-cultural context identifying the different constraints and opportunities
of local men and women. Tailoring the approach to meet the needs of both women
and men in the community set the ground for how programme activities should be
designed within a gender framework. Empowering women with tools and resources
made a concerted effort to adopt agricultural technologies more appropriate for
women, and coupled with organised gender-sensitive training for female
extension workers such as equipping them with bicycles often works.
Setting
up structures to promote sustainability Beyond promoting women’s active
participation at the farm level, we need to mobilise resources to enable
smallscale female farmers to invest in farm enterprise diversification,
productivity-enhancing technologies and non-farm economic activities and
livelihood strategies contributing to food security. At the community
level, the rural finance component of any programme must be for enhancing the
capacity of farmers to save their livelihoods and assets, whilst ensuring that
they are indeed able to access financial services. The three-pronged
approach, combining provision of technical assistance, credit line and risk
sharing mechanism in the form of a portfolio guarantee, will progressively
produce some positive results The introduction of smart subsidies was
considered a key entry point for women to acquire assets and improve their
productivity.
Women
friendly equipment and designs are a must. The say in decision making and
financial matters is what eludes women even if active in agriculture. .
Reforms
are underlined for holistic development of women, enabling socio-economic and
health security. Since Independence, several government flagship schemes and
programmes are initiated to improve rural women stature in society by creating
livelihood opportunities and engagements in paid employments. Various schemes,
such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Program (PMEGP), National
Livelihoods Mission, Deen Dayal Upadhayay Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY),
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Pradhan
Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana I (PMMVY), etc. have made significant contributions
in creating gender parity and socio-economic empowerment of women in India.
Now, rural women have availing access to education, productive resources,
capacity building, skill development, healthcare facilities and diversified
livelihood opportunities through government beneficiary schemes. Rural Women
Workforce in Agriculture Sector In rural communities, agriculture and allied
sector is the primary source of livelihood that includes 80 percent of all
economically active women, out of which 33 percent constitute agricultural
labour force and 48 percent are selfemployed farmers. Rural women are
engaged at all levels of agricultural value chain; i.e., production-
pre-harvest, post-harvest processing, packaging, marketing to increase
productivity in agriculture. As per Pingali et al. (2019), the ratio of women
to men working in agricultural sector has increased over the time and made
greater amount of contribution to GDP per capita. They are the momentous
demographic group for sustainable food system (FAO, 2011). It is projected that
women-oriented reforms, ensuring equal access to resources, skill development
and opportunities Kurukshetra December 2021 27 in agriculture would increase
agricultural output in developing countries between 2.5 and 4 percent (FAO,2011).
In
a recent announcement under AatmaNirbhar Bharat, funds were allocated to
mainstream the women engaged in agriculture development and equal provision of
rural services. As per the Prime Minister’s vision of AatmaNirbhar Bharat, the Government
of India has prioritised agenda of ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Agriculture’ to
provide access to resources/ schemes to rural women engaged in agriculture and
allied sector. Special beneficiary-oriented schemes are laid by Department
of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to mainstream the participation of rural
women. - through National Training Institutes, State Agricultural Management
and Extension Training (SAMETIs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and State
Agricultural Universities (SAUs), across the country. With increased
feminisation and pro-women initiatives, the percentage of female operational
holdings in the country has increased from 12.78 percent during 2010-11 to
13.78 percent during 2015-16 (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare,
2019).
These training programmes have opened
avenues for new livelihood opportunities for rural women. Parallel research
projects on introduction of new interventions in streamlining women engagement
in farming sector, technology testing and refinement, gender sensitive
extension approaches, and reduction etc. are led by ICAR Central Institute for
Women in Agriculture, Bhuvneshwar for enhancing participation of women in
agriculture. Over the years, rural women participation in training sessions has
been increased significantly. Also, gender-specific interventions and its adoption
are encouraged through training and awareness camps. The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya
Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is a placement linked skill development
program for wage employment for rural youth. Also, Farmers Producer
organisation (FPO) and women self-help groups (SHG’s) played significant role
in dissemination of these programmes amongst rural women.
The participation
of rural women in workforce can be encouraged by providing safety, security,
good health, education, skill development and equal rights. Prime step for
empowering women is conservation of sex ratio percentage in the population and
preventing female-infanticides in the country..
Thirty three percent reservations for participation in politics is the key
reform for political women empowerment and facilitate them to emerge as great
leaders. Today, local women occupy as much as 43 percent of the seats at
village and district levels.
Financial Empowerment India has taken a
significant initiative in extending banking outreach to rural areas. The
financial inclusion and accessibility to banking through Pradhan Mantri
Jan-Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) has boosted confidence and prospects of rural women
participation in economic activities. Jan Dhan campaign has ensured access to
financial services, viz, banking/ savings and deposit accounts, remittance,
credit, insurance, pension in an affordable manner to rural women. These
financial accessibility measures have ensured transparent mode of transaction
and timely access to financial services through direct benefits transfer (DBT)
facility provided under various Government of India schemes. Over 7 years of
the implementation of this scheme, 43.04 Crore accounts has been opened in the
country. Further, this constitute 55.47 percent (23.87 crore) women account
holders and 66.69 percent (28.70 crore) are Jan Dhan accounts in rural and
semi-urban areas (Ministry of Finance, 2021) Kurukshetra December 2021 29 Over 9 crore women have benefitted
jointly from Mudra and Stand-Up India (Ashish Kumar, 2019). Towards Millennium
Development Goals@2030 India’s performance has improved from 0.665 in 2018 to
0.668 in 2020 (Global Gender Gap Index Report 2020). Initiatives for
mainstreaming women participation in economic activities could work as catalyst
in achieving goals as set under United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Promotion of gender equality and
access to Government schemes/programmes will encourage women participation in
agriculture sector. This will help in alleviating extreme poverty and hunger
and support in improving the country’s economy. Further, adequate investment in
pro-rural women schemes and more community level participation will expedite
the empowerment in a mission mode for better future prospects. Skill
development and access to education, health care and digital ecosystem can play
a significant role in lives of rural women. Proper training and capacity
building on new agricultural technologies can help women farmers. Conclusion
Rural women are major stakeholders in growth of agricultural sector for the New
India. Acknowledging and mainstreaming of rural women via ensured access to
resources, technology, education, health facilities, ownership rights and skill
development will improve agriculture productivity and help in building an
empowered nation.
Personal Recollection - Interaction with Women -
Interaction with Women - Their Viewpoints, Profile and
Requirements, and Impact of Proximity to Urban Areas
The interactions were at varies places in the districts referred
to -
(a) First, what would be really representative of what occurs in
smaller villages dotting the kandi areas (dry semi hilly regions) in Punjab; -
around 60-70 women had gathered at a function by a NGO, ASRA, from three
villages near Anandpur Sahib town. Four SHGs formed there had become functional
and had initiated internal loaning, as also started the process of establishing
a relationship with banks. However, the following was lacking -
- Not a single woman - from amongst all present from age groups
of approximately 18 to 45, was reading a newspaper or magazine. Reading was
strictly religious, if at all.
- There was no awareness about products of banks, either of
asset or liability classification.
- Literacy was upto class VIII normally with a few
matriculates, but literacy skills were lost due to lack of application.
- A felt need for subsidy or grants from the government was
maximum.
- No knowledge of insurance as a method to minimize risks was
known or found amongst them.
- Small credit needs for consumption expenditure was found to be
the main demand.
- Entertainment vide TV was common but with a religious bias,
quite regulated and minimal emphasis on current affairs etc.
- The NGO and CDPO faced problems in accessing the villages in
kandi areas due to distances, transport issues and banks being located only on
the main highway.
(b) At a village in district Nawanshahr, near an industrial
belt, where a major commercial bank had decided to be pro active; it was found
that -
- Small credit needs, specially for operations - say Rs 7000/-,
a washing machine for Rs 15,000/-; Rs 5000/- for three women to start making
detergent powders, Rs 25,000/- to stock items at a shop, Rs 50,000/- to repair
a house etc. were the main demands. Dairy animals to be added by individual
members was another demand from members of SHGs. The bankers reaction at branch
head level was interesting in that where ever he found that the husband had a
sound credit record and a tangible security, he was ready to state that the
loan could be sanctioned, but was extremely reluctant to entertain requests for
even Rs 5000/- or Rs 7000/- as loans in the absence of any tangible security,
even if the husband had a job as a contractual employee at a factory nearby
earning him Rs 4500/- per month. The branch head apprehended that the
contractor could dispense with the employee any time and the loan would be non
recoverable. These are the realities of rural financial markets. The Branch
Head’s apprehension was consistent even when his Regional Head was making
commitments of financing to the women. This is representative of the
major barrier - the bankers, particularly from commercial banks, on rural
postings, are not used to handling micro loans which are collateral free.
At this village the CDPO ICDS had formed 10 SHGs and there were
two SGSY groups formed by the DRDA, however, though migrant labour was present
in large numbers, the female family members were getting minimal access to SHGs
and credit, the major reason stated as that the capital was not secure as they
could shift base anytime. This when they had been there for five to ten years.
Even bankers were found reluctant to entertain them. The NGO SSMES was also
working in this village.
(c). At villages near Chamkaur Sahib and near Daburji, which are
partially urbanised and have a more aware profile, women were found to be
extremely desirous of earning and adding to the family incomes. Education
levels and general awareness levels are generally higher near small towns.
Members of SHGs are raising funds by subscribing Rs 100/- to Rs 200/- a month
and this ultimately results in a reluctance to avail bank loans as their own
funds are found to be sufficient for meeting limited consumption
needs. At these areas, a large number of SHGs had been formed by the
NGOs SSMES (over 100 SHGs) and Ambuja Cement Foundation (60 + SHGs) as also
CDPOs of Ropar and Chamkaur Sahib Blocks; over 250 SHGs were
functional.
(d) Social mores however continue to be a strong negative
influence as regards women, specially enforced by the established opinion
makers at villages, at the level of sarpanch / ex sarpanch etc. Even
the police is observed to be biased against women in noting complaints from
them. Social power structures continue to be vested with men even if the women
are elected to certain positions - the women concede this reality readily. In
addition, as some women replied to a specific query - on a male child's
birthday, if male; sweets could be distributed but for a female child; a prayer
at the local religious place was enough. Across Ropar, while
travelling in the kandi areas with the NGOs RHDC or ASRA or the CDPOs or
whether in the highly productive plains with SSMES or ACF or CDPOs; the gender
discrimination is conceded as reality in institutional terms by women. The
women support SHGs as this facilitates access to empowerment and a collective
approach to problems. At a village near Nurpur Bedi, women members of SHGs got
together and coerced the police station to register cases against some
influential families in land dispute. This had given them immense
encouragement.
(e). Bankers, generally from commercial banks, are found to be
still averse to extending loans to SHGs for consumption loans and are fixated
with a stress on income generation efforts being connected with the extension
of the loans to SHGs. Loans even of Rs 40,000/- to Rs 50,000/- are not
sanctioned or delayed on this account at times. The Regional Rural Bank however
was noted to have a very sound record in general as regards the loans to SHGs
and encouragement to this sector as also many branches of the cooperative bank.
As regards commercial banks, it is individual led efforts which stand out more
than an institutionalized approach.
A frequent reason given is that with a high credit profile and
average deposits of Rs10.00 crore to Rs 12.00 crore even at a small branch in
Punjab, loans of a higher quantum were only profitable for the branch.
- Transfers affect performance and relationships, at
a ADB of PSU Bank, the Branch Head was extending loans of Rs 2.50 lakh to
General SHGs for consumption expenditure, his transfer resulted in an immediate
slow down as the successor was from HP and used to extending loans of a small
amount only. The women members of SHGs affiliated to the branch were old SHGs
with savings of Rs 50,000/- to Rs 80,000/- and desired only loans of a higher
quantum. This created a disonance and often required intervention.
(f). Incidentally, even if migrant labour has been present for
10-12 years at a single location, access to any banking service is uniformly
denied normally, to men or women as the case maybe.
(g). Rural women, once aware and trained in financial literacy -
specially rates of interest and fixing installments - are found to
generally demonstrate a higher degree of financial literacy and awareness as
also discipline than the men by NGOs. Women were also found to be serious in
learning the concept and adopting it. The deep felt need of these women to
access credit and opportunities can only be felt and understood by
interaction.
(h). Marketing facilitation is a major demand by SHG members as
social mores prevent many from considering venturing out to even nearby towns
for marketing their products. Quality of products remains a gray
area though individual success stories are occurring. This is a major area of
concern as groups evolve. With major corporates launching products at multiple
price points in villages in Punjab, marketing is a gray area.
E. Summarized Comments / Observations.
1. There is a still a marked tendency to use the services of
informal intermediaries amongst farmers to approach banks / other service
providers, specially amongst those who own marginal holdings or are semi
literate. Bankers with sound relationship building skills fare much better in
building up effective business profiles in rural areas.
2. Ruralites would prefer a mix of the moneylenders informality
and formal systems and procedures of banks, may be the flexibility inherent in
the system of banks as regards KCC specially needs to be embedded by extensive
efforts, with a focus on the small / marginal farmers as larger farmers are
already comfortable.
3. Literacy profiles need extensive capacity building -
for a usable / applicable realistic literacy profile attuned to day to day
requirements. Financial literacy is limited as of now even amongst the larger
farmers and women. This would ultimately enable costing to be adopted and cash
flows developed as also a higher degree of awareness to emerge. It would also
reduce the acute dependency on the opinion makers / influence makers by many
farmers / micro traders /women.
4. There is certainly a requirement for financial services
providers such as Mutual Funds / Insurance Companies to tap the savings pool in
rural hinterlands - they need to educate the farmers with cash surpluses as
also to enable investment opportunities closer to smaller towns / habitations.
However, the rural areas require extensive education about the risks inherent
in such financial products and investment options.
5. Government programmes require more publicity and at the same
time the conditionalities are to be clearly specified. Repayment in government
sponsored programmes connected with lending by banks needs to be explained and
insisted upon. Bankers need to publicize SCCs / GCCs as also the insurance
component of KCCs / SCCs. Small loans as a portfolio may need a separate review
by controlling offices.
6. The interest rate subvention needs to be explained as also
the absence of compounding on agriculture loans; this would impact farmers
positively. Secondly, the farmers do require education on calculating rate of
interest / products etc.
7. Insurance as a risk management tool - for self / family /
products; is yet to be understood by most rural inhabitants, more marketing /
education on this front is required. 8.
A purely commercial transaction / paid service based mutually
respectful relationship is desired by most farmers with banks / departments.
This does occur for the aware / larger farmers but the micro / marginal economy
based ruralites feel externalized from the existing system and structure. The
word beneficiary for loanees needs to be reduced in usage at banks even if
government departments need to use it.
9. Gender discrimination as regards women is a reality and needs
to be acknowledged. Extensive campaigns to overcome entrenched
social barriers are required.
10. Non farmers, specially artisans, state they are unable to
offer collateral for small / micro loans, if requested it is often denied and
at times they do not even request out of a fear of refusal. The micro or
marginal trader also requires access to low cost credit.
11. Women require to be mobilized into SHGs and the existing
SHGs require a qualitative upgradation also for enhanced empowerment and higher
credit flow. Commercial banks have to be guided not to insist upon
income generation training activities by SHGs while extending loans to
SHGs,
12. Overall, the farmers concede they do have a satisfactory
deal on the whole financially in terms of services from banks. Access,
timeliness, etc. are all conceded to be extended to them, specially if the
farmers are having comparatively larger holdings. Its the smaller player in
whichever vocation in rural areas who needs to be reached out to.
13. The role of government machinery is very important -
specially the leadership role of the DC / ADC; this provides an impetus to the
functionaries down the line.
14. Small Traders / Small artisans / Small businessmen also
require a specific range of products.
Note - In addition to the above, a deep hunger for economic
progress and financial prosperity is noticed very clearly in rural areas
coupled with a strong desire for infrastructure amenities.
Additional Point – Women have to empower women. Liberate each
other, Mother in laws specially.
=========================================================
Definition
According to Schumpeter’s concept, “Women who innovate, imitate
or adopt a business activity are known as women entrepreneurs”.
Government of India based on women participation in equity and
employment of business enterprise has defined women entrepreneurs as “An
enterprise owned and controlled by a women having a minimum financial interest
of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of the employment generated in
the enterprise to women.”
Opportunities
for Women Entrepreneurs
(i) Opportunities Based on Business
Women entrepreneurs are bestowed with numerous business
opportunities depending upon their area, choice of industry, capacity to
invest, technical and non-technical skills etc., When a woman decides to become
an entrepreneur she has extensive opportunities to tap into. The following are
the opportunities unfolding in different spheres of commerce. i. In the sphere
of manufacturing women can start ventures like Agarbathi manufacturing, papad
making, bedspread making, embroidery, export of handicrafts, apparel
manufacturing, sweet stalls, manufacturing soft drinks, pickle making ,
manufacturing garments, handicrafts, printing press etc.
ii. In the sphere of service industries, women entrepreneurs may
try their hand in ventures like catering service, computer centres, tutorial
centres, Typewriting institutes, beauty parlours, dry cleaning, small
restaurants, tailoring, crèche, florist shops, event management etc.,
iii. In the realm of trading ventures, women can enter the
ventures like fancy stores, diagnostic centres, milk distribution, sweet
stalls, drug stores, grocery stores, textile retailing, cool drinks parlour,
coffee parlour, cell phone repairs, photo studios, photocopier firms, working
women’s hostel etc.,
iv. Highly educated, experienced and broadly exposed women
technocrats can start larger venture like running hospitals, coaching centres,
diagnostic laboratories, manufacturing activities, suited to their field of
specialisation, advertisement and media firms, call centres, hotels etc.,
(ii) Financial Opportunities
All Banks in India provide financial support to the women
Entrepreneur, in the form of micro small loans to buy Raw Materials and
Equipments.
(iii) Non-Financial support
Women entrepreneurs are provided with the following
non-financial support in the form of :
i. Putting in Policies, regulations and legal structures
suitable to women entrepreneurs
ii. Financial counselling and training
iii. Business advisory service
iv. Handling legal barriers
v. Establishing Commercial linkages
vi. Client research
vii. Profitability and Efficiency analysis
viii. Offering and designing the products based on their needs
ix. Lower rate of interest
x. Collateral free loans
xi. Simplified processing system
xii. Flexible repayment system based on business nature
(iv) Opportunities Created by Associations
There are various associations like Self Help Groups (SHG),
Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE), Women’s India Trust (WIT),
Small Industries Development organisation (SIDO), National Bank for
AgricultureandRuralDevelopment(NABARD), Self Employed Women’s Association
(SEWA), Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka (AWAKE), The
International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development, TiEStree
Shakti (TSS), Tamilnadu Corporation for Development of Women Ltd. (TNCDW),
Marketing Organisation of Women Enterprises (MOOWES), Women Entrepreneurs
Promotion Association (WEPA), Women Entrepreneurs Association of Tamil Nadu
(WEAT)andWeoW by Google are aggressively promoting women entrepreneurship in
India.
Similarly, MSE cluster development programme bear a substantial
portion of the project cost in respect of ventures owned and managed by women
entrepreneurs. The percentage of guarantee given by Credit Guarantee Fund
Scheme for Micro and Small Enterprises extend upto 80% for MSEs owned and
operated by women.
(v) Opportunities Created by Government
Government both Union and Central have put in a number of
schemes exclusively for promotion of women entrepreneurship namely:
i. Stand-Up India Scheme for Women Entrepreneurs
ii. Trade related Entrepreneruship Assistance and Development
(TREAD) Scheme for Women
iii. Mahila Coir Yojana
iv. Mahila E-haat
v. Magalir Udavi Scheme
vi. Prime Minister’s RozgarYojana (PMRY)
vii. Development of Women and Children in Rural India (DWCRA)
viii. Mudra Yojana Scheme for Women
ix. Udyogini Scheme
x. TRYCEM
(vi) Opportunities Created through Training Programme
Government of India has introduced National Skill Development
Policy and National Skill Development Mission in 2009 in order to provide skill
training, vocational education and entrepreneurship development to the emerging
work force. This has been catalysing the emergence of women entrepreneurs in
India. The following training schemes are being implemented for promoting self
employment of women by Government of India.
1. Support for Training and Employment Programme of Women (STEP)
2. Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas (DWCRA)
3. Small Industry Service Institutes
4. State Financial Corporations
5. National Small Industries Corporations
6. District Industrial Centres
(vii) Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India (CWEI)
Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs of India (CWEI) was registered
as a civil society in the year 1996 which is a non-profit organisation in New
Delhi. It is accredited by Government of India. It is a member of National
Board, Ministry of MSME and is working closely with Ministry of Rural
Development in the Public Private Partnership to support below poverty line
families in India. They are rendering the following functions:
i. They are acting as a springboard for enterprises started by
the women.
ii. It is helping women achieve high economic empowerment.
iii. It is acting as a catalyst to improve the access of
womenfolk to natural resources.
iv. It is providing technological support in the sphere of
product design and development in the case of women owned enterprises.
v. It is providing quality control, marketing and technological
supports to women owned enterprises.
vi. It is spreading knowledge to women entrepreneurs about
various government schemes.
In sum, it can be stated that women consortium is an agency
providing a comprehensive service of various types to women owned enterprises.
Challenges of Women Entrepreneurs
Though there is a tremendous growth in the women
entrepreneurship in India, a number of research studies conducted in India have
brought out the following problems and challenges encountered by women
entrepreneurs during the course of their entrepreneurial journey.
1. Problem of Finance
The access of women to external sources of funds is limited as
they do not generally own properties in their own name. Financial institutions
too do not consider women in general creditworthy as they are sceptical of
their entrepreneurial capabilities of women. They impose stringent condition
which discourages women to avail themselves of loan assistance from banks. In
this context, they are pushed to rely on their own savings and small loans from
friends and relatives. Because of the limited funds, women entrepreneurs are
not able to effectively and efficiently run and expand their business.
2. Limited Mobility
Indian women cannot afford to shed their household
responsibilities towards their family even after they plunge into the venture
started by them. This restricts the mobility of women entrepreneur
significantly. The domestic responsibilities do not allow women entrepreneurs
to freely move out of business enterprises in connection with business
activities.
3. Lack of Education
Illiterate and semi -literate women entrepreneurs encounter a
lot of challenges in their entrepreneurial journey with respect to maintaining
accounts, understanding money matters, day-to-day operations of the company,
marketing the products, applying technology etc., This reduces the efficiency
of operating the business successfully.
4. Lack of Network Support
The successful operation of any venture irrespective of the size
depends upon the network of support extended by various constituencies like
family members, friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours, institutions and
so on. Women entrepreneurs need much needed psychological support and wiser counselling
especially during the time they actually encounter challenges. But it is
reported that women entrepreneurs get very limited support in times of crisis
from most of these constituencies.
5. Stiff Competition
Women entrepreneurs have to face acute competition for their
goods from organised sector and from their male counterparts. Since they are
not able to spend liberally due to financial constraints, they are not able to
compete effectively and efficiently in the market.
6. Sensitivity
Women are more prone to a variety of emotions. Being mother,
women are vulnerable to many emotions. They tend to have sympathy and empathy
for others. This trait does not allow women entrepreneurs to take objective
decisions in many contexts during the course of running the entrepreneurial
venture. Besides, the weak emotions do not allow them to tolerate failures and
disappointments arising during the normal course of their entrepreneurial
journey. This inherently tone downs the effectiveness of their functioning.
7. Lack of Information
Women entrepreneurs are reported not to be generally aware of
subsidies and incentives available for them due to their poor literacy levels
or due to their pre occupation with household responsibilities. This lack of
knowledge or limited knowledge about subsidies prevents them from availing
themselves of special concessions, benefits and incentives awarded by
Government and other agencies.
8. Dependent culture
In India, women however educated and talented are groomed to be
dependent on their parents, life partners and children during the various
phases of their life cycle. They could not take decisions on their own in many
contexts due to this dependency factor. They have to take permission from their
support groups to engage in any purposeful and gainful activity. They are not
treated as equals unlike women in western countries. This cultural barrier does
not allow them to start and manage their ventures according to their free will
and pleasure.
9. Lack of Supportive Fora – At all levels, even tehsils, where
are the libraries and platforms for discussion. We need that.
1.
Lack focus on Career Obligations 2. Economic Instability of women 3. Lack of
Risk taking ability
4.
Arrangement of Finance& Raw Material 5. Cut-throat Competition 6. Low
levels of literacy amongst women 7.
Problems in getting financial assistance by banks & Financial Institutions
8. Marketing Problems
9.
Less support towards family 10. High cost of production:
Some
Practical Aspects.
Be
hands on, always, and demonstrate and learn from it. There is no embarrassment
in being hands on and gaining practical insights. Secondly, even if at home
mainly in Hindi or Punjabi languages, but if you have a sound business plan and
a passion for the activity, pursue it. Do not be under confident, ever because
of language issues. I have noticed this over the
years and hence have shared this. Plus there is no age for starting
out as an entrepreneur, young or old. I often state at interactions that the
only thing certain in life is your future, no matter how much philosophers say
it’s uncertain, as you have the power and capacity to work on your future.
As an
entrepreneur, you start your own business or trade, you are a job creator, you
are responsible for your own as well as the well being of your associates and
the team, you have to take decisions throughout the day and you have to manage
risk, informally and formally. More important, it’s a process which is without
a timeline, hence the mental stamina and self confidence has to be there and
within. You manage people, you are the boss, you are the first employee, more
important – you are the Brand, Always, let there be no mis-step even once. You
are the back office, you are the master of everything. And you manage People,
Risk, Money, Customers, Suppliers, Building the Business and Complying with
Regulations and Laws.
You
could be an entrepreneur for passion, tapping a perceived opportunity, social
responsibility, to change the world or because you are a rebel. It
could be a mix. But to me what is important is that You Must Understand that
Business is about Money. It’s not about the idea or the technology. It’s about making
the idea happen, in the commercial execution. Organise your market research in
detail, and know your trade margins and norms. Tweak your model, if planned
for, after the research. Such as the Flipkart Entrepreneurs had; The Product
with all Varieties on the website, Quick Delivery and Returns Allowed. It
worked. Then learn to discount slowdowns and recessions, in the sense, prepare
for them, but remember cycles are there in the economy and businesses, you have
to manage and survive.
This
will be hard, incredibly hard. But the pluses in the autonomy and sense of
ownership are there plus in the income generated. A note of caution, failure
could be a reality and don’t be afraid about it, just learn honestly from a
failure, minor or major, and move on. Never stop trying, that is the key, be
mentally robust always. And your customer orientation should be stellar
consistently. Build relationships, this is a major and key area. I
will stress that building relationships across a major spectrum is really important,
and this need not be the commercial but a genuine all encompassing
relationship.
Agribusiness.
Agriculture
and rural businesses are the areas of maximum social impact but remain
underinvested in India from an equity/start-up investment standpoint. Many
investors do not invest in these sectors on account of perceived long gestation
period, exit issues etc. Rural areas remain underinvested in terms of
healthcare, education, infrastructure etc. and are ripe for
entrepreneurship. A shift from agriculture to agribusiness is an essential
pathway to revitalize Indian agriculture and to make it more attractive and a
profitable venture. Agripreneurship has the potential to generate growth,
diversifying income, providing widespread employment and entrepreneurial
opportunities in rural areas. Today, we need a focus on basic concepts of
agripreneurship, entrepreneurship skills, and the financing options as
available and maybe as evolving. There is a viewpoint and it’s also my own
personal observation that the youth is not keen to join agriculture, therefore,
there is a need to glamorise the farm sector. The ABIC would or should enable
in due course a movement of the youth, especially in rural areas, to endeavour
to be employment generators instead of employment seekers. In any
case we need to foster agri-business entrepreneurs/ agripreneurs, who can work
with farmers. What Agripreneurs need to know and realise is that they must
from inception develop a deep expertise in agriculture and consumer domains and
specially at the their own level. An inefficient supply chain, a dominant set
of suppliers, agents / buyers / middleman etc impacting direct sales and the
share of prices, the lack of financing options are a reality. Then the
distributor and aggregator doubling up as a financer in addition to
banks, inadequate irrigation and the inverse relationship between
farm size and productivity are major challenges. Secondly, they
should align the products and business models with the constraints and
aspirations of the farmers and consumers, do not offer a solution based on your
perception, work with them. Conduct extensive pilots across different crop
settings, climatic zones and harvesting seasons for building relevance and
encourage adoption. Build a partnership with organisations which can manage and
know the mode of managing farmers groups and their produce. Try to tap CSR
Funds too.
As a
person from this region, I must add that the current socio cultural milieu,
specially of many members of the land owning community, is not of marketing.
It’s quite feudalistic. We now need to move to a business orientation in terms
of thought, action and social norms. In Punjab and Farmers I have heard farmers
say, they have gone to drop the Sugarcane or paddy at the market.
This betrays a non commercial mindset and a false bravado. Think business,
think sales, cash realised, think margins and profits.
Additional
Points
a. Read the fine print carefully of
each subsidy product and absorb it fully. Do not depend on intermediaries etc.
The information is on all websites. Consult widely and meet officers in the
Govt. Depts if appropriate / required.
b. You have to fulfil all norms of
bank loan and adhere to the terms and condition of sanction as stipulated by
the Organisation / Department or Bank. Security norms have to be complied with
and understood.
c. All timelines for lodging claims
for subsidy have to be adhered to by the Banks and the entrepreneurs. Banks and
entrepreneurs may adhere to the check list.
d. Subsidy is not the basis to take a
business decision. Study your idea and operating environment. Your business
model must be generating cash and a surplus after a certain
period.. Remember each business comes with a risk.
Plan for an emergent happening.
f. Maintain a close
professional relationship with the Bank and Government Department.
g. Do not interpret creatively the
guidelines etc of subsidy, adhere to the guidelines.
h. Read and Read and meet financial
institutions. Value each incentive and be aware about
it. Learn to handle follow up with patience.
i. Be suitably updated
professionally – means technically.
j. Be open and may I say
less control any tendency to be cynical. When on the rounds. Gain knowledge and
update yourself professionally at each interaction.
k. Know the exact financial
implications of each transaction including the subsidy and more important seek
financial assistance realistically. Means the amount, period for repayment,
aspects of security, insurance etc.
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