CropLife India Celebrates the Spirit of Women Farmers

CropLife India, an association of both Indian and Global R & D driven crop science organizations, and the leading voice of the plant science industry in India, has been celebrating Women’s Day by an event - “नारीत्व का उत्सव”, since many years. The objective of the celebrations has been to recognise the invaluable contribution of women farmers in agriculture and economic development. Training on safe and responsible usage of agrochemicals and identification of counterfeits were imparted; which are imminent for safe crop protection. The program included a Drone demonstration of crop protection products by IoTechWorld, working under the Narendra Modi Government’s ‘NaMo Drone Didi Initiative’.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. R.S. Chauhan, Head – KVK, Bichpuri, said, “The campaign theme for 2024 is "Inspire Inclusion" and the overarching theme is "Invest in women: Accelerate progress." It emphasizes the importance of creating an inclusive society and investing in women's empowerment. We salute the spirit of womanhood as women are the real architects of society. Women have been contributing to a multitude of activities of farming, which necessitates the knowledge transfer of crop protection technology. Moreover, as iterated in a proverb - "if you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”.

Around 250 women farmers participated from the nearby villages of Agra, viz. Shamshabad, Fatehabad, Bichpuri, Ghadi Gosain, Gaghpura, Narawar, etc. Uttar Pradesh. Dr. R.S. Chauhan, Head – KVK, Bichpuri presided the function. Prof. Beena Sharma, Pooja Saxena, V.N. Jha, President, Prof. Mahesh Alok, Prof. Jaspal Singh, Prof. S. N. Sharma, Dr. R.S. Chauhan, Dr. Rakesh Kulshrestha, Chandrakala, and Scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra were present during the occasion.

“CropLife India is calling on fellow food and agriculture stakeholders across India to #InspireInclusion and work towards women empowerment to achieve sustainable and equitable food systems and rural development.”

The International Women’s day special program “नारीत्व का उत्सव” provided a platform to these women farmers where they were felicitated for their hard work & achievements in agriculture. From seed sowing to harvesting, women are part of almost all activities, yet sadly their access to resources is less compared to the male farmers. The event focused on inspiring these women to produce safe & healthy crops by using genuine crop protection products, detecting Counterfeit, Spurious, Substandard and Unregistered/Unlicensed agrochemicals. Women shared their achievements, experiences & challenges faced on the field as farmers.

The program conducted various activities like kitchen garden activities, food processing, waste management, integrated pest management & cultural performances by women to motivate, educate and make them aware about their own potential and abilities.