"I am the first woman farmer in my block who started cultivation 15 years back," said 45 years old Aisha Begum Khatoon of Hridaypur village in Ambedkarnagar district. When she picked up the hoe for the first time, all the villagers rebuked her for treading on a man's domain. However, she decided to move forward, despite all odds, in order to look after her three daughters and one son.
Her husband lives in the city and takes no interest in agricultural activities. She owns a mere half acre land, but by resorting to organic farming, she is able to provide bread and better to her family of five members. She is now able to produce more than 20 varieties of crops, thanks to organic farming, and has become a role model for other women farmers of her area. Aisha Begum is grateful to the Gorakhpur Environmental Action Group (GEAG), for teaching her multi-layer cropping patterns, as well as time and space management.
Organic farming has provided her with a sustainable and economically viable model of agriculture production. She is also involved with Ekta Self Help Group and is the President of NARI Manch (this forum provides agriculture related information to women farmers). She has also been successful in creating more than 250 self help groups. Now her husband and her other family members take pride in her work. The Uttar Pradesh state agriculture Minister, Mr Chaudhari Laxmi Narayan, awarded her recently, during the Kisaan Sansad (Farmers' Parliament), in recognition of her excellent work in agriculture production.
Women farmers, despite being one of the biggest labor forces in India, are still fighting for their rights and identity. In India more than 84 per cent of women are involved in agricultural and/or allied activities. The agricultural sector provides employment to nearly 4/5 of the total women work force in India. One third of the agricultural laborers are women and 48 per cent of the women farmers are considered self employed in the agriculture sector.
According to a study conducted by GEAG, in Uttar Pradesh, 70 per cent of the state's population is involved in agricultural activities, making it a food surplus state. Women family members of about 80% of small and marginal farmers are involved in agricultural activities.Yet land holding rights of women farmers are a mere 6.5 per cent out of which a majority of them (81 per cent) got their land after the death of their husband, while only 19 per cent got it from their mother's side.
Neelam Prabhat, State Coordinator, Aaroh Abhiyaan, (a campaign for the empowerment of women farmers and their rights) working in GEAG, Uttar Pradesh said, "despite the tremendous contribution of women farmers in agricultural sector ,they have always been marginalized and denied their rights, not only by their family and society ,but by the policy makers as well. In general, they are treated as the assistants of male farmers."
She further said, " According to a recent report published by The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 40 million people have been pushed into hunger this year mostly due to soaring food prices, and the number of undernourished people worldwide is approaching the 1-billion mark. We can reduce this number if we empower women farmers and give them land holdings rights and joint bank accounts with their husbands."
The total number of hungry people has risen to 963 million this year, up from 923 million last year. FAO has cautioned, in the latest edition of its global hunger report, that this number could rise further as a result of the ongoing financial and economic crisis. In view of this we should strengthen production in a comprehensive way and should give the rights, long over due, to women farmers. In this way they will become an asset, not only to their families but also to society and the entire country.
PermalinkSubmitted by rakib ahmad on Sun, 28/03/2010 - 15:14
Thanks Amit, for the inspiring story of a marginalised woman farmer in UP. I am working at grassroots level in Assam. Separation of land patta in favour of daughters sh be completed by fathers in their lifetime. 2ndly' Issuing landholding certificates by circle officers/ tehsildars in favour of woman sh be legally made mandatory, within say, 100 days of application. Due to lack of land papers, woman farmers find it difficult to form acceptable groups for subsidy.
A 12 hour statewide Assam bandh is disrupting normal life on Tuesday. Barring police army and vehicles, the streets are wearing a deserted look. Shops and other business establishments are also closing. The schools in the morning are also remaining closed. The proscribed United Liberation Front of Asom is calling the statewide Assam bandh demanding immediate release of PCG member and human rights activist Lachit Bordoloi and demanding killing of innocent youths in the name of encounter.
The Centre is all set to start oil exploration in the Brahmaputra river basin saying it could boost oil production. Addressing the golden jubilee function of Oil India Limited (OIL) here on Monday, DONER Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar said the basin has huge potential of oil reserve which had to be exploited. He said the exploration work will start as soon as the required environmental clearance was received. According to Aiyar, oil exploration work would also start in Tirap and Changland districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Guwahati based journalist and a regular contributor to 'Assam Times', Nava Thakuria has been awarded with the first media fellowship on refugee issues sponsored by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research (C-NES). The Fellowship with the theme, 'The Chins of Myanmar: Refugee Life in a Distant Neighbour', with a focus on Protection and Durable Solutions for the Chin ethnic group from Western Myanmar, which lives in challenging conditions in the Northeast as well as in New Delhi starts from 1 March to 31 May.The announcement was made by a Committee comprising Mr. Sanjoy Hazarika, C-NES Managing Trustee, journalist...
With much fanfare and cultural extravaganza, the colourful Karbi Youth festival is going on atop the Karbi hills. The colourful cultural event of the Karbi youths was inaugurated by Assam Governor Lt general (retd) Ajoy Singh on Saturday. The event marked its beginning with a glowing tribute to the Karbi culture legend Rangsina Sarpo. In his address, the Governor said he was really mesmerized by the Karbi songs and dance adding that has turned 75 but never did he enjoy these cultural festival. In his address, veteran Karbi political leader Dr Jayanta Rongpi said only autonomous state could restore permanent peace and prosperity in the hills district.
Assam BJP leadership has come in for sharp criticism following the party’s poor performance in the recent panchayat polls. Several leaders within the party have openly criticized the state unit president Ramen Deka saying he failed to reach the grass root level. With this it has become clear that dissidence against Ramen Daka is resurfacing within the party. The recent panchayat polls have painted a dismal picture for the party where only 1600 have been elected out of more than 8000 candidates the party fielded across the state. It was quite deplorable compared to the performance in 2001.
The Assam BJP has demanded a specific set of policy from the Government on conversion saying it is mother of all social tension in the state. Addressing a press conference on Sunday in the city, state BJP president Ramen Deka said conversion has been the main reason behind the simmering social tensions in Assam. Saying it inadmissible, Mr Deka added that conversion is still going on in Assam adding that a clear cut policy should have to be there to regulate these. He further said infiltration has already disturbed the state’s demography and it will be more harmful if conversion continues.
The Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad has staged a statewide silent protest on Saturday demanding immediate release of PCG member Lachit Bordoloi, stopping police harassment on lawyer Nekibur The AJYCP activists in Guwahati staged the silent protest with black clothes in their faces demanding an end to the autocratic rule of the Tarun Gogoi government. The agitating student leaders said the arrest of PCG member Lachit Bordoloi is nothing but a bid desperate bid to foil the peace process. They further threaten to intensify the agitation if the government fails to ignore these demands.
A microlite glider of the Indian Air Force nose landed in a tea estate near the IAF eastern aircommand base at Chabua in Dibrugarh district on Saturday at around 10-30. The pilot sustained minor injury in his hand while co-pilot escaped unhurt. The two-seater glider also did not suffer much damage,. The glider developed a technical snag, two minutes after taking off from Chabua.
United People's Front, Manipur Organized a Mega Marathon 2008 in Manipur with theme 'Run for your Nation' on 17-02-08 from Khuman Lampak Main Stadium. This is second time which is biggest ever in Manipur. Pix by UB Photos.
Four hardcrore ULFA cadres were killed in Sonari during a joint operation by Army and Sivasagar police on late Friday night. According to information, Army’s 316 Field regiment jawans and the Sivasagar police conducted a massive raid in Naphuk Naharani gaon under Sonari police station and found out these ULFA cadres in a house. These four cadres died on the spot during the operation while the police suspected that two or three more cadres have escaped the operation. Two of these militants have been identified to be Phatik Handique and Ranju Hazarika. The others have yet to be identified. The police have recovered a AK-47 rifle, 4 grenades, one 9mm pistol some ammunitions and mobile...
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