Women farmers are now playing decision-makers and innovators role: Study

Women involved in wheat-based agriculture are now challenging the men involved in these activities. Women are transforming from workers to innovators and managers, they are adopting specific strategies to increase their importance in the wheat-based livelihoods, says a new study.

In June a study with new findings related to the women involved in the wheat-based agriculture is published in the European Journal of Development Research. The finding is based on data collected from fieldwork conducted by Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) in 2015 in six wheat-growing communities Bihar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), Haryana, and Punjab.

The study focused to examine the way in which men and women farmers involved in the agriculture are innovative. The study also studied how local gender norms affected women’s life involved in agriculture.

As more men are now migrating to big cities in search of job women who are left in villages are getting more involved in agriculture. The study did not study the exact roles in which women are involved but tell the growing number of them in the decision making on and off the field.

The study pointed out some places in the states where gender gaps are affecting women to play the main role in the field. Prem and Ganga in Bihar; Deva and Cheeda in UP; Bete in Punjab; and Thali in Haryana have classified accordingly.

Women are now playing important role in many sectors in the country. During the COVID-19 lockdown as migrant workers left back to their homes. Women of the family helped men in sowing as the monsoon rains started in June.

The authors of the study include Cathy Farnworth from Pandia Consulting Germany; Tahseen Jafry from The Centre for Climate Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University; Preeti Bharati, Lone Badstue of International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico; and Ashok Yadav from Ananya Finance in Jharkhand.