“Agriwoman Economic & Social Change — the Future of Womenomics": The Views From Male Feminists

The vision of socio-economic empowerment for women would not be achieved unless those living on the outskirts are empowered as well. These are the Agriwomen of India, whose voices frequently go unheard due to their gender, and who struggle to define their individuality at the grassroots level due to patriarchal traditions and gender socialization.

Agriculture employs 80 percent of all economically active women in India; they make up 33% of the agriculture labor force and 48% of self-employed farmers. Women in the agriculture sector of India do the majority of extensive farming activities, from sowing to harvesting, although they have lesser access to resources than their male counterparts.

In the above context, Krishi Jagran has organized a live session on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 8th March 2022 on “Agriwoman Economic & Social Change — the Future of Womenomics"  involving male dignitaries and entrepreneurs from various sectors.

This event was moderated by MC Dominic, Founder & Editor-in-chief of Agriculture World & Krishi Jagran.

Many esteemed speakers participated in this session and shared their wisdom as well as presented their perspective of the role and the potential of women in the agri sector.

MC Dominic, Founder & Editor-in-chief of Agriculture World & Krishi Jagran came up with a thoughtful idea to empower the women population. He said that women should have 50% reservation in all legislative activities. At the same time, he also said that the seats of the Member of Parliament should be doubled and women should be given a chance in those seats, and then see how progressive they are in this direction. He added that in this way, we can increase their morale further by giving them equal opportunity in society.

Manoj Bhatt, a progressive farmer from Uttarakhand said that there is a lot of scope and schemes from the government to empower the women population.

Raju Kapoor, Director of Public & Industry Affairs, FMC Corporation highlighted the real situation, saying that it is important to understand the struggle of women. Otherwise, women's day will come and go every year but it will not make any difference on the grassroot level.

Raju said that there is still a huge lack of infrastructure for women's education and employment. He also stressed on the need for hygienic toilets and washrooms for women to work.

Dr. Anil Kumar, Director, ICAR-Central Institute of women in Agriculture, said that Women play a very dynamic and multifaceted role from every aspect. On this day, there is a need to highlight the role women are playing in the agriculture sector, he added.

He cited a study released in 2021, stating the difference in the working hours of men and women per day. Women work 91 mins more than men. Apart from rural areas, there is also the untapped and underutilized potential of urban areas with educated women as well as resources that can be utilized with rooftop agriculture, he continued.

He brought the focus on technological development in the agriculture sector and said that technological advancements can help empower women even more.

Prabhat Labh, CEO, Grameen Foundation India, said that it is very important for women to grow from ground level. In today's time, women are playing a larger role in production including sowing and harvesting, leaving the harvest and the main profit to the man associated with post-harvest activities. Hence, there is a solid need to involve women in every stage of the agriculture value chain so they can reap significant benefits, he added.

Sanjay Wayal, Founder & CEO, Ishved Biotech Pvt Ltd, presented a great example of women empowerment by stating that 90% of the workforce of Ishwed biotech is women. There will be a target of 10000 women will be targeted to get employed in his organization by 2030, he added the vision and mission of ishwed biotech Pvt Ltd.

Dr. Ravindra Kumar Sohane, Director of Extension Education, Bihar Agricultural University, presented a quick review on the initiatives taken from GOI as well as the Bihar state government for Women Empowerment.

He also highlighted the huge increase and dominance of women's power in agriculture universities and other sectors which were there earlier or dominated by males.

Pradip Patil, CEO of Prime UAV, presented an example of women in technology including Sarita Ahlawat, the woman behind the big drone show on republic day. In addition to that, he came up with research on GPS technology” in drone technologies for security purpose that too involving the woman.

Ramkumar, Vice President Garuda Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., spoke on the need to celebrate the women's contribution 365 days/year rather than celebrating it only one day. We are contributing and striving to improve the participation of women in the Agri sector with Drone technology, he said. We are guiding out the rural entrepreneurs involving the majority of women with training and guidance on the use of Agridrone he further added.