"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.
Barring a few districts, the ruling party is finding it quite difficult to edge the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad in the early trends of Panchayat polls available here. Congress is showing expected performance in Kamrup both rural and metro along with Jorhat, Sivasagar, Tinsukia, Sonitpur, Nagaon and Dhubri districts while the it is trailing behind AGP in Golaghat, Darrang and Dibrugarh districts. Earlier, the counting began this morning amidst tight security measures in the headquarters in altogether 19 districts. The counting was delayed in Nalbari and Barpeta. There is an incident of lathi charge at the vote counting centre in Nalbari. The Assam United Democratic Front performance is...
Congress is moving neck and neck with the opposition Asom Gana Parishad in the initial trend of the counting of votes that has begun in the morning on Monday. In Guwahati rural, Congress is taking an early lead over the ruling party while the ruling party and AGP are trailing behind BJP. In Jorhat also the ruling party is having a tough battle with AGP. In Sivsagar, the ruling party is taking an early lead. The ruling party is showing a shining results in Dhubri district while it is trailing behind AGP in Golaghat district..Counting of votes has been delayed in Darrang district by three hours. Nalbari too delayed the counting of votes followed by police lathicharge outside the counting...
The city police have recovered a huge cache of foreign made arms and explosives from Jalukbari area in Guwahati on Monday morning while the district administration was remaining busy in vote counting. According to information, the explosive materials were ercovered by the patrolling personnel of 65 Battalion from a polythene packet kept under a boat moored on the banks of the Brahmaputra near the office of Government Railway Police Superintendent at Pandua. The seizure included grenades, RDX, gunpowder and detonators. Investigation is going on.
Amidst tight security ring, the counting of votes in the panchayat poll has begun on Monday morning to decided on the fate of altogether 89,272 candidates from 19 districts across the rural Assam. According to information, all these candidates are in the fray for 25,089 panchayat posts. Of them, 1,877 candidates for 487 posts of zilla parishads, 2,053 candidates for 8,955 block level panchayat posts. These are in addition to those 9,802 candidates for 2,053 posts for presidentships. Moreover, 68,638 candidates are in the fray for altogether 20,496 posts of memberships. The counting process has started in the headquarters in all these districts at around 8-30 in the morning. The initial...
The opposition parties will closely monitor the vote counting on Monday throughout the state apprehending large scale rigging by the ruling Congress. Led by AUDF, the these opposition parties held a meeting on Sunday at the Circuit House and discussed the situation.The meeting was attended by the leaders of AGP(P), CPI(ML),RCPI,RSP, Samajwadi Party. They alleged that the ruling party utilized the state administrative machinery in the polls. These parties will remain alert in view of the situation. They unanimously resolved to protest if any ragging bid is noticed on Monday.
Despite a chilly Sunday morning, the atmosphere atop the Borail hill became agog with festivity as it was throbbing with the dance of Dimasa as Busu Dima gets underway. The people in large numbers joined the Baidima, the name of the dazzling Dimasa dance on the day of their much-vaunted Bihu. For these colourful people, it’s the harvest festival. Busu Dima means -Busu means Bihu while Dima means the tribe Dimasa. The Dimasas have Busus: Hangseo Busu, Surem Busu and Zidao Busu. Hangseo is Zudima along with pork, mutton and chicken. Zudima is a traditional liquor. Busu is enjoyed with a cup of zudima full to the brim.
The All Assam Students Union will observe a statewide dharna on 2nd February demanding immediate steps to save the wildlife at the Kaziranga National Park. This was decided at a dharna staged at the Latashil Playground on Sunday. Led by AASU and Asom Unnati Sabha, several city based intellectuals, artists and litterateurs and prominent citizens participated in the dharna demanding immediate steps to check poaching in the sanctuaries.The speakers at the Dharna site were vocal against forest minister Rockybul Hussain for his silent role despite killing of 312 rhinos during his term. The AASU leaders further have threaten an intensified strike if the sanctuaries are allowed to be the safe...
Two ULFA cadres and an Army captain died at a fierce encounter at the Meshakhi forest area in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district on Sunday. According to information, the encounter is still going on and the Army is cordoning off the entire area. The two dread ULFA leaders have been identified as Chandan Dohutia, a major sergeant and corporal Tutu Moran. The army captain who also died at the encounter is H Chaudhory who received the President’s medal for his outstanding service on Saturday’s Republic Day. The crackdown began in the morning. Details are awaited.
Nilambar Buragohain, Area Organiser, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), posted at Force Head Quarter Delhi as Additional Director (Administration), has been awarded Police Medal for Meritorious Service 2008. Buragohain has been working with the paramilitary service since 1976. He hails from Napam Gaon, Dhemaji.This Medal is awarded every year on the occasion of Independence and Republic Day in recognition of the meritorious record in Police service or in the Central Police/ Security Organistaion. All Police personnel in the country with at least 15 years of service are eligible for this award. The recipients of the award are presented Medals in Ceremonies arranged by the State Government/ Central...
Assam Governor Lt General (Retd) Ajoy Kumar Singh has reiterated his clarion call to the militant outfits to come forward for talks for a peaceful and prosperous Assam saying doors for talks are still remaining open. Hoisting the national tri-colour at the Judges’ Field on Saturday morning, the governor said the anti insurgency operations have been successful adding the state will get a India Reserve battalion by March.Terming the Beltola incident a serious incident to be dealth with, he said the Justice Manisana Commssion has begun its probe to unearth the truth.The governor has claimed that his government is fully committed to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit adding...
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