| |
|
| |
Gender Issues in
Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods |
| |
|
| |
"Our
lives are no different from that of our bullocks"
Peasant Woman, Himachal Pradesh |
| |
|
| |
| Images
of rural India carry pictures of graceful women
balancing fuel wood on their heads, or bent over
double, weeding, transplanting, collecting forest
produce, often with a baby slung over her back.
But the reality is that of a backbreaking and
endless cycle of work, invisible, unheard, and
with no control over access to the means of production
or the fruits of her labour. |
|
| |
| The rural woman's lack of
access to and control over resources, an increase
in the daily vulnerabilities that arise from the
out migration of males into urban centres and
into other professions, endemic poverty and her
location in a deeply patriarchal society -all
increasingly demand gender - sensitive policies
in the agriculture sector. |
|
|
| |
|
| |
MS Swaminathan
Research Foundation and Kerala Agricultural University
present this unique course, the first of its kind, that
seeks to sensitize students to the issues of gender
in rural India. |
| |
|
| |
The aim is to first
to build awareness among those who study agriculture
at the
undergraduate level, and who will go on to be closely
allied with the agricultural sector, formulating policy,
and as researchers, extension workers, teachers and
activists. The course attempts to give students a sweep
of knowledge and skills with the final purpose of creating
recognition of the role women play in rural livelihoods
and bringing about an attitudinal change in those who
will be most closely allied with this sector.
|
| |
The course has the following
specific objectives: |
| |
|
| |
- To build perspective by providing
an overview of the social construction of gender
and gender inequality
- To create skills by identifying
gender roles, rights and responsibilities and their
bearing on gender relations
- To bring about attitudinal change,
creating gender sensitivity and helping students
internalize equity concerns as fundamental human
rights.
|
| |
Structure of the
Course |
| |
|
| |
The generic course framework
can be used by teachers as it is, or adapted to suit
the learning objectives in any university and to great
advantage for undergraduates of any discipline. |
| |
|
| |
The course consists
of two modules: |
| |
|
| |
The first module,
GENDER RELATIONS AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS, covers twelve
different topics: from policy approaches to livelihoods
in transition, gender and land rights to the role
of microfinance. These twelve form the core topics
and are compulsory.
|
| |
The second module,
GENDER ISSUES IN DIFFERENT AGRARIAN SECTORS, covers
four sectors: irrigation, forestry, fisheries and
livestock. Here the student/university can choose
to take up any or all the topics for a detailed study.
|
| |
Each of these 16 topics
is again structured into three sections: |
| |
|
| |
- A Unit Framework that provides an overview of
a topic and outlines. Concepts. Each Unit Framework
is packed with ideas, creating many strands through
which the teacher can choose to explore the subject.
- Readings are related articles from various books
and journals, providing a context within which the
subject may be explored. Each Unit Framework has
two or more reading extracts
- Practical Exercises are what students should undertake
at the end of every topic. There is space for short
surveys, to research information, and to explore
their own environment and understand the complexities
of gender in context.
|
| |
|
| |
TOPICS
MODULE 1: GENDER RELATIONS AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS |
| |
|
| |
- Poverty, Livelihoods and Sustainability
- Understanding Gender
- Policy Approaches to Women and Development: From
WID to GAD
- Gender and Agriculture: An Overview
- Understanding Gender Roles in Agricultural Systems
- Gender and Land Rights
- Technological Change and Gender Relations
- Promoting Access to Credit: The Role of Women's
SHGs
- Gender, Biodiversity and Food Security
- Empowering Rural Women: Participation and Governance
in PRIs
- Livelihoods in Transition: Disasters, Vulnerability
and Adaptive Capacity
- Gender and Organisational Change:Institutional
Practice in Extension, Training and Research
|
| |
MODULE 2:
GENDER ISSUES IN DIFFERENT AGRARIAN SECTORS
13. Gender and Irrigation: Negotiating Water Rights
14. Gender and Forestry: Managing Conflicts, Moving
Beyond JFM
15. Gender Issues in Fisheries Development: Fighting
for Recognition
16. Women and Livestock: Overcoming Gender Barriers
|
| |
|
| |
About the author |
| |
|
| |
Dr. Sara Ahmed has been
working on the politics of community participation in
natural resource management interventions in India since
1983. After completing her doctorate from the University
of Cambridge (1991) she joined the Institute of Rural
Management, Anand, Gujarat (IRMA), teaching courses
in rural development, gender policy and environmental
issues. She left IRMA in 2002 and was a Visiting Fellow
for 2003-04 at the Uttara Devi Resource Centre for Gender
and Development, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation,
Chennai. Sara is presently based in Ahmedabad, where
she works closely with a number of NGOs on gender inclusive,
rights-based approaches to livelihood security. In addition,
Sara is a member of the National Steering Committee
for the Global Environmental Facility Small Grants Programme
and a member of the Executive Committee of PRAVAH, a
civil society network on water and sanitation issues
in Gujarat. |
| |
|
| |
To download the proforma
please click here |
| |
|
| |
For more information,
email us at Uttara Devi Resource Centre in |
| |
|
| |
M. S. Swaminathan Research
Foundation
Uttara Devi Resource Centre for Gender and Development
3rd Cross Road, Taramani Institutional Area
Chennai - 600 113, INDIA Phone: +91-44-22541229/1698
Fax: +91-44-22541319 Email: gender@mssrf.res.in |
| |
|
