Women in agriculture Dr.Kedar Karki Rural women in Nepal are extensively involved in agricultural activities. However the nature and extent of their involvement differs with the variations in agro-production systems. The mode of female participation in agricultural production varies with the land-owning status of farm household. Their roles range from managers to landless laborers. In all farm production, women’s average contribution is estimated at 55% to 66% of the total labor with percentages, much higher in certain regions. In the hills and mountain region of Nepal it is estimated that a pair of bullocks works 1064 hours, a man 1212 hours and a woman 3485 hours in a year on one hectare farm, a figure that illustrates women’s significant contribution to agricultural production. Women play a vital role in farming and food security in developing countries. In rural areas women grow most of the crops for domestic consumption and are primarily responsible for preparing, storing and processing food. They also handle livestock, gather food, fodder and fuel wood and manage the domestic water supply. In addition, they provide most of the labor for post-harvest activities. In Southeast Asia, for example, it is women who provide up to 90 percent of the labor for rice cultivation. They also play a big role in growing secondary crops, such as pulses and other vegetables that are crucial ingredients for a healthy and well–balanced diet. Women make up 51 percent of the agricultural labor force worldwide. In Africa and Asia, women work about 13 hours more than men each week. In Southeast Asia, women provide up to 90 percent of the labor for rice cultivation. In the world’s least developed countries, 23 percent of rural households are headed by women. Gender, that is socially constructed relations between men and women, is an organizing element of existing farming systems worldwide and a determining factor of ongoing agricultural restructuring. Current trends in agricultural market liberalization and in the reorganization of farm work, as well as the rise of environmental and sustainability concerns are redefining the links between gender and development. The proportion of women in agricultural production and post harvest activities ranges from 20 to 70%; their involvement is increasing in many developing countries, particularly with the development of export-oriented irrigated farming, which is associated with a growing demand for female labor, including migrant workers. Whereas these dynamics have in some ways brought benefits, in general, the largest proportion of rural women worldwide continues to face deteriorating health and work conditions, limited access to education and control over natural resources, insecure employment and low income. This situation is due to a variety of factors, including the growing competition on agricultural markets which increases the demand for flexible and cheap labor, growing pressure on and conflicts over natural resources, the diminishing support by governments for small-scale farms and the reallocation of economic resources in favor of large agro enterprises. Other factors include increasing exposure to risks related to natural disasters and environmental changes, worsening access to water, increasing occupational and health risks. Both women and men play critical roles in agriculture throughout the world, producing, processing and providing the food we eat. Rural women in particular are responsible for half of the world’s food production and produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food in most developing countries. Yet, despite their contribution to global food security, women farmers are frequently underestimated and overlooked in development strategies. Rural women are the main producers of the world’s staple crops – rice, wheat, maize – which provide up to 90 percent of the rural poor’s food intake. Women sow, weed, apply fertilizer and pesticides, harvest and thresh the crops. Their contribution to secondary crop production, such as legumes and vegetables, is even greater. Grown mainly in home gardens, these crops provide essential nutrients and are often the only food available during the lean seasons or if the main harvest fails. Women’s specialized knowledge about genetic resources for food and agriculture makes them essential custodians of agro-diversity. In the livestock sector, women feed and milk the larger animals, while raising poultry and small animals such as sheep, goats, rabbits and guinea pigs. In Nepal’s context the increasing numbers of women’s groups in rearing these livestock commodity seems have attracted many government and NGO to focus their programmes of rural income generation. Also, once the harvest is in, rural women provide most of the labor for post-harvest activities, taking responsibility for storage, handling, stocking, processing and marketing. Although rural women are assuming an increasingly prominent role in agriculture, they remain among the most disadvantaged of populations. Civil conflict, War, the rural-to-urban migration of men in search of paid employment, influx male members for foreign employment and rising mortalities attributed to HIV/AIDS has led to a rise in the numbers of female-headed households in the developing world. Had not been so numbers of victims from HIV/AIDS in rural and hilly areas in Nepal have not reported so alarmly.This feminization of agriculture has placed a considerable burden on women’s capacity to produce, provide, and prepare food in the face of already considerable obstacles. Studies demonstrated that while women in most developing countries are the mainstay of agricultural sectors, the farm labor force and food systems and day-to-day family subsistence, they have been the last to benefit from – or in some cases have been negatively affected by – prevailing economic growth and development processes. Gender bias and gender blindness persist: farmers are still generally perceived as ‘male’ by policy-makers, development planners and agricultural service deliverers. For this reason, women find it more difficult than men to gain access to valuable resources such as land, credit and agricultural inputs, technology, extension, training and services that would enhance their production capacity. Despite the fact that women are the world’s principal food producers and providers, they remain invisible partners in development. A lack of available gender disaggregated data means that women’s contribution to agriculture in particular is poorly understood and their specific needs ignored in development planning. This extends to matters as basic as the design of farm tools. But women’s full potential in agriculture must be realized if the goal of the 1996 World Food Summit – to halve the number of hungry people in the world by 2015 – is to be achieved. It is now recognized that the empowerment of women is key to raising levels of nutrition, improving the production and distribution of food and agricultural products and enhancing the living conditions of rural populations. Give women equal access to and control of land and other productive resources, increase their participation in decision- and policy-making, reduce their workloads and enhance their opportunities for paid employment and income. A number of other changes will strengthen women’s contributions to agricultural production and sustainability. These include support for public services and investment in rural areas in order to improve women’s living and working conditions; giving priority to technological development policies targeting rural and farm women’s needs and recognizing their knowledge, skills and experience in the production of food and the conservation of biodiversity; and assessing the negative effects and risks of farming practices and technology, including pesticides on women’s health, and taking measures to reduce use and exposure. Finally, if we are to better recognize women as integral to sustainable development it is critical to ensure gender balance in decision-making at all levels and provide mechanisms to hold organizations accountable for progress in the above areas.