From Faceless Agricultural Workers to Proud Farmers – The Ujaas Journey
From Faceless Agricultural Workers to Proud Farmers – The Ujaas Journey
Authors : Hiral Dave
Women play a critical role in agricultural production in developing countries, including India, where agriculture accounts for 32% of GDP. Women constitute a substantial majority of the agricultural workforce and produce most of the food that is consumed locally, which makes them the principal agents of food security and household welfare in rural areas. Yet, they are not recognized as farmers. Their work is merely considered to be an extension of their household chores.
The socioeconomic status of women workers in the tribal belt of south Gujarat, where the Ujaas Mahila Khedut Vikas Sangh is operational, is perhaps worse than that of their counterparts elsewhere in the country. One of the reasons for this is the inaccessibility and remoteness of the area. The consequent lack of awareness has meant that let alone women, even the male farmers have not had access to government programmes such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The benefits of the schemes for tribal farmers under the Tribal Sub Plan have not reached them either.
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