Prof (Dr) R.D. Gupta
In rural areas, both men and women must be motivated and trained in the latest, suitable and profitable agricultural technologies for sustainable development. But our developmental programmes are frequently embodied to train mainly to family requirements on use of technology and do not pay much attention towards women sector who contribute to family income and also undertake field operations. Moreover, the programmes meant for women are mostly concerned with trainings on house-keeping and handicrafts. Apart from these, training programmes the farm women of our country are also very keen to acquire the knowledge of farm technology since many of them work in the agricultural fields to perform various operations.
Women’s participation in economically productive activities is not new but it is a time immemorial practice. Now it is a matter of common observation that the women not only engage themselves in many of farm operations in their own fields but also work in the fields of others as hired labourers. It is believed that women’s share of labour hours is increased disproportionately to that of men. Women constitute almost half of the agricultural labour force and contribute more towards family income. Keeping this hypothesis in view, an attempt has been made to investigate the areas of training in which the farm women are interested. On the basis of observations and dealing with farm women in their participation in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) training programmes under SKUAST, Jammu and KVK Dhaula Kuan, Sirmaur, HPKV, Palampur the following, areas of trainings were recognized.
Crop Production: There are evidences that women employment has the potential to benefit not only household economic standard through increasing income but can bring over-all improvement in the household environment. For gainful employment and economic activities, the rural women can be imparted suitable trainings on farm technologies. They consist of selection and storing of seeds, techniques for preserving healthy seeds, seed treatment technique for nursery sowing, technique of transplanting for maintenance of space between plant to plant and row to row, importance of soil testing in fertilizers recommendations and methods of their application, safe application and storage of pesticides, use of biocides and cultural methods to check various diseases and insects, significance of organic farming to save the environment from being degraded. The above said training requirements of farm women can be designed so that their contribution to agriculture production can be enhanced. This would also add to their skilful involvement in the farming operation s which would ultimately increase their income.
Animal Rearing: In our country not only men but women are also engaged in rearing and managing of domestic animals. It is worthwhile to mention that domestication of animals is an older practice than agriculture. It is believed that about 25,000 year ago, the women first domesticated animals and thereafter an art of animal rearing was initiated. It is common observation in villages of all states in general and, hill states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and others, in particular where farm women take all the cares of bullocks, buffaloes cows, goats and sheep. It therefore becomes an imperative to impart training to our farm women on technical knowhow with regard to animal husbandry. In sorting out important areas of training in which farm women can be trained, are management of cross bred cows and buffaloes their feeding, milking and balanced use of feed for them. Apart from trainings on feeding, watering and milking of animals, other areas in which the women can be trained to make them good dairy managers, are sale of milk, cleaning of cattle and their sheds, and collection of cow dung for making manure and cow dung cake.
Besides the above areas of training the farm women can also be trained in processing of milk to prepare cheese, ghee and other milk products with minimum expenditure and maximum nutritive value. An area like managing and caring of poultry birds both for egg and table purpose, can entirely be entrusted to farm women who can devote their leisure in this gainful avocation of the society, who are in habit of rearing goats and sheep, can too be trained in keeping these animals more healthy, using latest technological knowhow.
Horticulture and Olericulture: Horticulture is another fertile area where farm women can be given training. The sub-areas of this disciplines mostly comprise of kitchen gardening, raising of vegetables, preservations of vegetables and fruits during their glut. As it is known that eating of fresh fruit, vegetables in plenty is essential to get nutrients, minerals and vitamins besides good health for a happy and healthy life. “Eat fresh fruits and leafy vegetables every day and keep the doctors away.”
While framing the training programmes in horticulture for Jammu region the cultivation of local fruits like ber, amla, galgal and guva must be given preferences especially in the Kandi belt. On the other hand growing of litchi, mango and citrus fruits like kinnow, orange and mausami, must be given top priority in the irrigated areas. In hilly terrain, wherever possible stone fruits should be grown as well as apple, pear etc.
Home Management: As the primary duty of women is to manage the home so about 70 to 80 per cent of their time is utilized in household work activities. However, majority of the rural women are unaware of the scientific way of management with available resources. By their traditional methods, most of the farm women neither bring out a closest ratio between input and output and nor get themselves released to take up other economic activities. Now our home science scientists have propounded certain low cost home making processes which can be profitably adopted by the farm women vis-a-vis housewives of urbanized areas. Such low cost home making processes may consist of training on nutrition, health covering diet, low cost nutritive recipes, method of cooking for preservation of nutrients, diet during pregnancy, lactation, infancy and illness and other phases of life. To impact training in such areas to the women would not only improve their skill but also keep them to have happy family.
In addition to the foregoing training programmes the training on cutting, designing, fashioning and tailoring have proved income generating units for drop out and widows.
Future Strategies
* There are prospects for the overall development of farm women, which is absolutely necessary to accelerate the growth of economy.
* If the rural women given importance to the beneficial influences of the training programmes, then there are lot of avenues for creating self-employment for them.
* The farm or rural women can collectively make use of the locally available fruits and vegetables to prepare squash, pickles and murabas (Preserves).
* They can establish their own cooperatives for production on large scale these products like Verka and Amul.
* They can also set up marketings on cooperative basis.
* Follow up action programmes should be arranged involving various Government and non-government organizations. This will maintain the linkage and create an awareness among the farm women for their all round development in the future.
* The officers working in Horticulture and allied sectors are required to explore new markets with all infrastructural facilities to promote state’s Horticulture produce.
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