dry wells and deserted women
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Dry Wells And Deserted WomenGender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India
Brinda Rao
• She received a master's degree in History from the University of Bombay,
and both a M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California
at Santa Cruz
• Worked as a Research Fellow at the Center for Women and Religion at the
Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley
• Taught at San Francisco State University and at the Department of
Sociology at UC Berkeley.
• She did research at the intersections of feminism and environmental
studies.
• She has been involved with women's health and environmental movements
in India, leading several health related and eco-leadership workshops in
rural areas and serving as a consultant to national conferences on women
Dry Wells and Deserted Women Gender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India
• she writes the consequences of global
environmental degradation on rural women, while
critically examining their changing modes of self-
identification and participation in social and
women's movements.
Ecological Disaster : Forest
• About 41% of forest cover of the country has
already been degraded.
• At present 70% forests have no natural
regeneration and 55% are prone to fire.
• In the year 2002, the Government of India set a
goal of achieving 25% forest and tree cover by
2007 and 33% forest and tree cover by 2012
Women and Ecological crisis in India
• Poor rural and tribal women in particular, bear the burnt of
scarcity of ecological resources
• Women in rural societies are primarily responsible for
providing fuel, fodder, and water for their household, lack of
access to these natural resources increases both of their
heavy workloads, as well as their impoverishment.
• Walk more miles, get less nourishment endure more hardship,
etc.
Women, Environment and Development
• Due to repercussion of colonial and capitalist practices women’s decreasing
access to and control over natural resources
• “Modernization” of agriculture in all parts of the world has been detrimental to
women.
• In post green revolution era is much harder for women to financially meet
demands of agriculture like tube well irrigation, pesticides, hybrid seeds and
chemicals
• The crops which women grow do not fetch much price in the competitive
market; women are left with little choice other than to give up the land and go
into the cash economy as wage labourers.
Women, Environment and Development
• Privatisation of water resources caused serious problem in day to day
life of women
• Migration of their male counterparts due to Industrialisation left them
with very little security to take care of their resources
• The recent politicization of ecology has brought a new face of women
fighting for the ecological rights.
• Women have come together to take initiatives for making alternative
arrangements
Gender, Drought and State
• In Maharashtra sugarcane is the leading export crop which consumes
8-10 times the amount of water required for food crop such as bajra
(Millets)
• It has created an intense groundwater famine while continuing to
increase the world bank debt.
• Increased growth of cash crops like sugarcane and eucalyptus
cultivation have impoverished small farmers, pushed them off land
and forced to seek factory empl.
• The sale of manufactured goods destroyed the local cottage industry
Gender, Drought and State
• Nationalisation of river banks
• Several riverbeds and wells have gone dry and the pipe
water scheme is not able to supply adequate water esp. in
summers
• Privatisation of water resources
• Water scarcity is not taken as seriously as crop failure
Natural Resources vs Govt.
• Soon after the independence, the Indian govt. gave a free hand
to the mushrooming industries at the cost of natural resources.
• Modern Indian industry is heavily dependent upon forests and
water. Almost half of the industries are based on biomass
production and exert enormous pressure on country’s ecology.
• State policies for use and management of water are anti poor
and pro-industry.
Natural Resources vs Govt.
• India has the dubious distinction of having the
largest no. of dams in the world.
• Deforestation and soil erosion have increased.
Soil erosion due to recurrent of flood.
• Ground water irrigation has also led to alarming
drops in the water tables across the country.
Women, Ecology and Agency
• Wood fuel crisis & Time mgmt.
• Endangered basket weaving industries
• Disappearing herbs and medicinal plant species
• Water Problems
• SHGs
• All Women Organisations
References• Brinda Rao. , Dry wells and Deserted Women• Patrick MuCully, 1998 Silenced Rivers: The
ecology and Politics of Large dams• https://www.damsbooks.com/no14755.htm• http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0046-
3663%28199221%2918%3A1%3C119%3ATGAEDL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q&size=SMALL
• http://www.haworthpress.com/store/E-Text/View_EText.asp?a=3&fn=J014v21n02_TOC&i=2&s=J014&v=21
Thank You!!!!!!!!!!
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