Lok Sabha Question No. 3533 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-10
Subject: Women Engaged in Agriculture
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Subrata Pathak, Manoj Kumar Tiwari, Sudheer Gupta, Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Ravi Kishan Shukla, Prataprao  Jadhav, Ravindra Kushawaha

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3533

TO BE ANSWERED ON 10 TH  AUGUST, 2021

## WOMEN ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURE

3533.  SHRI SUBRAT PATHAK: SHRI MANOJ TIWARI: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA: SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR SAHU: SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO: SHRI RAVI KISHAN : SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV: SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

Will  the  Minister  of  AGRICULTURE  &  FARMERS  WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कल् याण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  a  large  number  of  women  in  the  country  are  actively  participating  in agriculture;
- (b) if so, the details in this regard and the total number of women engaged in sowing, hoeing, weeding and harvesting in agriculture sector;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  set  up  any  institute  in  which  the  problems  and issues faced by the women in agriculture are to be examined and resolved;
- (d) if  so,  the  details  of  various  capacity  building  programmes  specially  meant  for women in farming; and
- (e) whether Krishi Vigyan  Kendras  also  impart  training  to  women  farmers  in agriculture and allied sectors and if so, the details in this regard?

## THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कल् याण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) & (b): As per the Census 2011 conducted by the Registrar General of India, the extent of women participation in agriculture as cultivators (main & marginal) is to the  tune  of  3.60  crore  (30.33%)  and  as  female  agricultural  labour  (main  & marginal) to the tune of 6.15 crore (42.67 %).

As per Agriculture Census (2015-16), the total number of operational holdings of women is estimated as 20.44 million in the country. The specific data on number of women engaged in sowing, hoeing, weeding and harvesting in agriculture is not maintained in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

(c  )  &  (d)  :  Government  of  India  has  established  Central  Institute  for  Women  in Agriculture (CIWA) at Bhuvneshwar, Odisha under Indian Council of Agricultural Research to address the problems and issues of the women in agriculture. The institute undertakes research on Women in Agriculture and for identifying gender issues  in agriculture and  allied fields, gender-equitable  agricultural  policies/ programmes and gender-sensitive agricultural-sector responses and coordinating research  on  farm  women  through  13  All  India  Coordinated  Research  Projects (AICRP) centres in 12 States, across the country.

A  total  366  number  of  capacity  building  programmes  for  farm  women  were conducted by CIWA and AICRP on Home Science covering 16264 farm women during the period from 2017 to 2020.

(e):  The Government has set up 725 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) in the country with mandate of technology assessment and demonstration for its application and capacity  development.  The  KVKs  impart  training  to  farmers  including  women farmers  on  various  aspects  of  agriculture  and  allied  sectors.  The  KVKs  also organize  women  farmer  specific  training  programmes  on  various  topics  like household food security by kitchen gardening and nutrition gardening; Design and development  of  low/minimum  cost  diet;  Designing  and  development  for  high nutrient efficiency diet; Minimization of nutrient loss in processing; Processing and cooking; Gender mainstreaming through Self Help Groups; Storage loss minimization techniques; Value addition; Women empowerment; Location specific drudgery reduction technologies ; Rural Crafts; and Women and child care.

During 2020-21, 5358 women specific trainings were organized by the KVKs with participation of 1.23 lakh women farmers. Besides, 3.17 lakh women farmers also participated in other 57757 training programmes along with male farmers.

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