New Delhi: The International Day of Rural Women and the Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas (National Women Farmer's Day) are observed on October 15.
The International Day of Rural Women, which highlights the critical role that rural women play in enhancing agricultural and rural development, improving food security, and eradicating rural poverty, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007.
The Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas, celebrated to signify the significant and crucial role played by women in agricultural development and allied fields, was declared by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2016.
Both the days recognise the challenges women face and advocates for their rights and contributions to sustainable development.
Brief History of International Day of Rural Women
The International Day of Rural Women was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. It was created to recognise the significant contributions of rural women to their families, communities, and economies, as well as to promote gender equality and empower these women.
The day builds on earlier efforts to address issues affecting rural women, including the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which emphasised the importance of women’s empowerment in rural areas. Since its inception, the day has focused on raising awareness about the unique challenges faced by rural women, such as limited access to education, healthcare, and resources, and the need for policies that support their rights and development.
Brief History of Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas
In 2016, the Ministry had decided to observe October 15 as Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas. Women are contributing in various aspects of agriculture including sowing, planting, fertilizing, plant protection, harvesting, weeding, and storage.
The role of women in agriculture
- Agriculture can be an important engine of growth and poverty reduction. But the sector is underperforming in many countries in part because women, who are often a crucial resource in agriculture and the rural economy, face constraints that reduce their productivity.
- Aggregate data shows that women comprise about 43 percent of the agricultural labour force globally and in developing countries. But this figure masks considerable variation across regions and within countries according to age and social class.
- Time use surveys, which are more comprehensive but typically not nationally representative, add further insight into the substantial heterogeneity among countries and within countries in women’s contribution to agriculture. They show that female time-use in agriculture varies also by crop, production cycle, age and ethnic group. A few time-use surveys have data by activity and these show that in general weeding and harvesting were predominantly female
- activities.
- Overall the labour burden of rural women exceeds that of men, and includes a higher proportion of unpaid household responsibilities related to preparing food and collecting fuel and water. The contribution of women to agricultural and food production is significant but it is impossible to verify empirically the share produced by women.
- Women’s participation in rural labour markets varies considerably across regions, but invariably women are over represented in unpaid, seasonal and part-time work, and the available evidence suggests that women are often paid less than men, for the same work.
- Available data on rural and agricultural feminization shows that this is not a general trend but mainly a sub-Saharan Africa phenomena, as well as observed in some sectors such as unskilled labour in the fruit, vegetable and cut-flower export sector.
- Women make essential contributions to agriculture and rural enterprises across the developing world. But there is much diversity in women’s roles and over-generalization undermines policy relevance and planning. The context is important and policies must be based on sound data and gender analysis.
Percentage of Female Workers in Agriculture
The agriculture sector comprises of 76.2 percent women in rural areas and 11.7 percent in urban areas.
Significance of the day International Day of Rural Women
The significance of the International Day of Rural Women lies in several key areas. It acknowledges the vital role that rural women play in agriculture, food security, and community development. The day highlights the need for policies that promote gender equality and protect the rights of rural women, addressing issues like land ownership and access to resources. It focuses on empowering rural women through education, skills development, and access to economic opportunities, which can lead to greater community resilience.
The day serves to raise awareness about the challenges rural women face, such as poverty, discrimination, and limited access to healthcare. It aligns with global goals for sustainable development, emphasising the importance of women's participation in achieving economic and environmental sustainability. It serves as a call to action for governments, organisations, and individuals to support and uplift rural women.
Challenges Faced by Women Farmers
- Lack of ownership of land
- Lack of access to financial credit
- Lack of access to resources and modern inputs (most farm machinery is difficult for women to operate)
- Increased work burden (on-farm and off-farm productive activities) with lower compensation
Scheme for Women Farmers
- The guidelines of the various beneficiary oriented schemes of the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare provide that States and other Implementing Agencies to incur atleast 30% expenditure on women farmers. These schemes include Support to State Extension Programmes for Extension Reforms
- National Food Security Mission
- National Mission on Oilseed & Oil Palm
- National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture
- Sub-Mission for Seed and Planting Material
- Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture.
- Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)
- DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission)
Need For Promotion Of Women Farmer:
- Agriculture support system in India strengthens the exclusion of women from their entitlements as agriculture workers and cultivators.
- Rural women form the most productive work force in the economy of majority of the developing nations including India. More than 80% of rural women are engaged in agriculture activities for their livelihoods.
- About 20 per cent of farm livelihoods are female headed due to widowhood, desertion, or male emigration.
- Most of the women-headed households are not able to access extension services, farmers support institutions and production assets like seed, water, credit, subsidy etc. As agricultural workers, women are paid lower wage than men.
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