Gender Issues and livelihood in drought prone rice farming households in Odisha

DIPTIMAYEE JENADEBDUTT BEHURAOrissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT)BHUBANESWAR, ODISHA

Presented at the National Workshop on Gender-Just Food and Nutrition Security in India, 29th August 2016, IFPRI, New Delhi

AGROCLIMATIC ZONES OF ODISHA WITH THE SELECTED DISTRICTS

Selection of sample respondentsDistrict Block Village Number of

Households

Sample Numbers

Balangir Muribahal Dagarpada 27 54

Jamuna 23 46

Nayagarh Ranapur Kiapala 33 66

Kusapala 17 34

Demographic Profile of the respondent farmersDescriptors

Average age (in years)

Principal male 45

Principal female 39

Average years in school (in years)

Principal male 3

Principal female 1

Average years in farming (in years)

Principal male 22

Principal female 17

Caste(%)

Backward class 15

Scheduled caste 19

Tribal 66

Average household size (No.) 5

Land profile of Rice farming Households

Descriptors Area in ha

Average land area 2.60

Rainfed area 2.48

Irrigated area 0.12

Partially irrigated area .

During Kharif season Normal Year (in ha)

Total rice area cultivated 0.66

Owned rice farmland 0.54

Leased in rice farm land 0.12

During Kharif season drought Year (in ha)

Total rice area cultivated 0.62

Owned rice farmland 0.52

Leased in rice farm land 0.10

During Rabi season Normal Year (in ha)

Total rice area cultivated 0.04

Owned rice farmland 0.04

During Rabi season drought Year (in ha)

Total rice area cultivated 0.03

Owned rice farmland 0.03

Characterization of drought situation at the selected sites

Items Events

Recent major drought year 2011

Frequency Once in 2–3 years, increased over 30%

during the recent years

Duration 30–45 days

Timing June-July (early),

Sept.-Oct. (terminal)

Stage of crop growth(rice) Planting, tillering, maturity

% Yield loss in case of rice during

drought year

69 %

Availability of rice during normal years 6-9 months

Availability of rice during drought years 2-3 months

Percentage share of average annual income

during normal and drought yearSource of income Normal Year Drought Year

Crop production

Sales from rice 4 1

Sales from 2nd important crop 11 6

Sales from vegetables 4 2

Sales from other crops 3 2

Livestock production

Sales from large animals 0 9

Sales from small animals/poultry 4 6

Sales from animal by-products 5 5

Off-farm income

Wages from off-farm income 8 4

Non-farm income

Remittances 11 13

Wage labour 13 14

Private job/service 14 14

Trade and business 16 14

Pension 4 5

Products from forest 3 4

Impact of Drought

Crop loss Scarcity of

drinking water

Threats of

sustainable

livelihood

Decrease food production Decrease of

financial resource

Unemployment Migration of malemembers

More workload of women & children

food & nutrition insecurity

Leads to distresssale of assets

Increase rate of IMR & MMR

Decline in crop area under cultivation

Impact of drought on crop productionCrop name Normal year Drought year

Wet seasonDry season

Wet seasonDry season

Area (ha)

Production

(kg)

Area

(ha)

Production

(kg)

Area

(ha) Production (kg)

Area

(ha)

Production

(kg)

Rice 0.66 1588.25 0.04 136.00 0.62 459.70 0.03 94.50

Blackgram 0.17 76.11 0.00 0.00 0.16 22.89 0.00 0.00

Cashew 0.14 52.19 0.00 0.00 0.14 39.38 0.00 0.00

Cotton 0.51 929.41 0.00 0.00 0.51 541.18 0.00 0.00

Gram 0.00 0.00 0.10 40.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

Greengram 0.17 82.50 0.08 25.00 0.17 16.25 0.08 12.50

Horsegram 0.25 92.50 0.00 0.00 0.17 18.38 0.00 0.00

Pigeon pea 0.61 250.00 0.00 0.00 0.61 62.50 0.00 0.00

Vegetables 0.09 1071.05 0.00 26.32 0.09 600.00 0.00 26.32

Gender’s observed changes on various social and agricultural key components due to severe drought(%)

Component Men Women

No change Increase Decrease No change Increase Decrease

Changes in the

amount of meat 46 13 41 39 18 43

Changes in the

amount of milk 58 6 36 66 6 28

Changes in the

amount of fodder 15 0 85 14 0 86

Change in fish

consumption 56 10 34 59 8 33

Availability of

irrigation water 32 0 68 30 0 70

Food availability 53 0 47 55 0 45

Drinking water 82 0 18 74 0 26

Quality of drinking

water 80 0 20 75 0 25

Quality of food 100 0 0 10 0 90

Human health 14 0 86 13 0 87

Loan acquisition 16 84 0 20 80 0

Changes in rice farming activities among men and women due to changing climate in drought-prone areas

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Increased

Decreased

No change

Changes in livestock management practices among men and women due to changing climate in drought-prone areas

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Increased

Decreased

No change

Changes in off and non farm activities among men and women due to changing climate in drought-prone areas

Activities % of respondents

Increased Decreased No change

Off-farm activity

Worked as agricultural labor 24 59 17

Non-farm activity

Construction 91 0 9

Shops 67 0 33

Sale of fuel wood 44 40 16

Transport labourer 60 0 40

Crusher unit labourer 50 0 50

Coping strategy of men and women during extreme climatic variability during drought

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Ch

ange

in r

ice

vari

ety/

ies

Ch

ange

in C

E m

eth

od

fro

m T

PR

to

…

Sow

ing/

pla

nti

ng

dat

e

See

din

g ra

te

Sto

rin

g se

ed

s

Ch

ange

in c

rop

pin

g p

atte

rn

Shif

t fr

om

cro

ps

to li

vest

ock

Gro

w m

ore

cas

h c

rop

s

Gro

w m

ore

kin

ds

of

cro

ps

Gro

w in

pu

t-sa

vin

g cr

op

s

Ad

just

pla

nti

ng

acti

viti

es

Cu

ltiv

ate

sm

alle

r ar

ea t

han

usu

al

Res

ow

wh

en c

rop

s d

amag

ed

Rep

lan

t w

he

n c

rop

s d

amag

ed

Bu

ild h

igh

er d

ikes

aro

un

d t

he

ric

e…

Leav

e a

s fa

llow

Mig

rati

ng

Loo

k fo

r w

age

lab

or

Acq

uir

e lo

an

Take

su

pp

ort

fro

m r

elat

ive

s/fr

ien

ds

Mo

rtga

ge la

nd

Sell

asse

ts

Spe

nd

less

Sick

ass

ista

nce

fro

m t

he

…

Sto

re f

oo

d a

nd

oth

er

bas

ic…

Acq

uir

e c

rop

insu

ran

ce

Sale

of

fue

l wo

od

Co

llect

ion

an

d s

elli

ng

of

NTF

P

Never

Very seldom

Seldom

Often

Very often

Constraints among women in responding to severe drought

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Highly affected

Slightly affected

Neither unaffectednor affected

Slightly unaffected

Highly unaffected

Gender involvement in Rice farming

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Nayagarh

Balangir

Overall

Gender involvement in Vegetable cultivation

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Nayagarh

Balangir

Overall

Gender involvement in Livestock Management

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Nayagarh

Balangir

Overall

Conclusion• Drought is a recurring event in the rainfed rice-growing areas of Odisha.• Farmers use various coping mechanisms to deal with the consequences

of drought. These coping mechanisms are, however, inadequate toprevent a reduction in income and consumption, especially of the poorand vulnerable groups.

• Impact of drought on livelihood resulted in food insecurity, moreworkload, increased health problems, loss of off farm wages, and morehardship of getting livelihood options. Women suffer more difficultiesthan men as they have to fulfil their multiple roles as farmers, farmermanagers, income earners, etc. On gender perspective, drought imprintslivelihood insecurity, nutritional insecurity thus malnutrition, healthhazards, shift in responsibilities, shift in activity, hardship in farmactivities-high drudgery because of incidence of weed and pests,occupational hazards, increased hardship for arranging food, drinkingwater, fodder etc, increased anxieties and stress and overall increasedindebtedness.

Policy options

• Farmers will continue to grow rice despite the frequentrisks because of drought to ensure family food security. Inthe recent years, several ‘climate-ready’ varieties tolerantto submergence, drought and salinity have been released.Thus government and agricultural research institutionsshould provide men and women farmers equal access to‘climate-ready’ technologies. Agricultural extensionprograms should also involve women in agriculture-related training programs and agri-based incomegenerating activities and be more resilient to the negativeeffects of climate change. There is also a need to providewomen with drudgery-reducing technologies to easewomen’s burden and improve their health and nutritionstatus.

• THANK YOU