Changing Roles of Women in the Agriculture Sector in South Asia:

Challenges and Opportunities

Kamala Gurung, Ph.D.CSISA-Phase II

Objective-1 Preparation Meeting January 23 to 25, 2013

Population Structure in Asia, 1970-2050

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60-64

65-69

70-74

75-79

80+

20 15 10 5 0 5 10 15 20

Male Female

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

Male Female

15 10 5 0 5 10 15

Male Female

1970 2010 2050

Source: Bhandari, 2012

Indicators 1988 2000 2010

Age of HH head farmer (yr) 44 47 52

Age of farming population (yr) 38 42 46

Age of farm household in Bangladesh

Source: Panel data, VDSA-IRRI project

Rural out-migration, Bangladesh

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

0

5

10

15

20

25

30Pe

rson

per

100

0 po

pula

tion

Source: Panel data, VDSA-IRRI project, 2012

Implications on Gender

Gender Differences in Agricultural Labor, Bangladesh 1999 to 2006

Source: Labor Force Survey, 1999 to 2006

Lets reminisce a bit ........

Implication of Labor Saving Technology

Farm HHs classification Bangladesh India Nepal

Dinajpur Bihar Chitwan

Small 42.4 55.1 78.0

Medium 46.0 20.0 67.2

Large 47.0 11.1 65.0

Labor allocation: Person-days/acre used in rice cultivation

Source: Baseline survey, CSISA-Phase I

Bangladesh, Aman/wet season, 2008 (n=487)

Rice activityFamily Hired

TotalMale Female Male Female

Land preparation 7.4 0.1 5.7 0.1 13.3Crop establishment 5.6 0.4 18.8 2.5 27.3Crop care 13 1 15.8 7.6 37.4Harvesting 5.8 0.7 17.4 0.4 24.3Post-harvest 7.3 10.4 4.7 1.9 24.3

All Activities 39.1 12.6 62.4 12.5 126.6

Assam, India, Kharif season, 2008 (n=200)

Rice activityFamily Hired

TotalMale Female Male Female

Land preparation 8.4 0 5.5 0 13.9Crop establishment 0 9.3 0.1 6.8 16.2Crop care 10.1 0 0.3 0 10.4Harvesting 0.1 9.4 0 7.6 17.1Post-harvest 8.4 8.2 4.2 1.1 21.9

All Activities 27 26.9 10.1 15.5 79.5

Nepal, Wet season, 2008 (n=257)Family Hired

TotalMale Female Male FemaleLand preparation 12.7 4 12.1 2.3 31.1Crop establishment 6.6 15.4 4.7 13.7 40.4Crop care 17.7 23.2 7.3 15,0 63.2Harvesting 7.8 12.5 4.8 8.7 33.8Post-harvest 12.5 11.2 13.6 7.8 45.1

All Activities 57.3 66.3 42.5 32.5 213.6

Labor allocation for rice by

gender (days/ha)

Source: Data from SSD-IRRI , 2008

Future Outlook and Direction• Aging farmers and labor scarcity

• Increasing roles of women in agriculture sector

• Innovative approach to work and reach with the women farmers

• Labor saving technology demand: mechanization and other RCT technologies

• Mechanization and other RCT technologies must be women and smallholders friendly technologies

• Mechanization intervention and investment must address apart from present emphasis on mainly land preparation

Gender integration: An example from CSISA-BD project

Looking forward for your suggestions and advice!

Indicator : Involvement of men and women farmers in the on-farm research innovation process

Result based output: Gender and socio-economic analysis and integration almost silent and invisible

Improved cropping systemRice-legumes/oil seed-rice

Selective women headed HHs

Delivery of technologies and services

Research and innovation process (e.g. Adaptive research trials)

Indicator : Access to and benefit from the rice related intervention/activities (e.g. technologies, trainings, field days)

Result based output:

•Women participation is higher in farmer training than field days/cross visit, participatory demonstration

•Very minimal participation of women in Training/workshop for partner organizations (NGOs, Gos)

• 50 % women participated in post-harvest related interventions/activities

Planning and Management Unit (planning, M & E)

Indicator: Targeting number of women/men during the planning process

Status:

Developed “action planning format “ by targeting gender disaggregation

Indicator: Gender disaggregation in Monitoring and Evaluation framework

Status: “performance measurement format” by gender disaggregation (Monitoring system)

Result of Gender Integration in CSISA-BD

•Baseline survey•Planning format•Progress report format

•Register information sheet

• Common agro/socio-eco information sheet of three CG centers •Rapid performance survey/Exit survey (individual center)

Group approach initiativesIndividual: Infolady model