WUNRN
NEPAL - ENHANCED TECHNOLOGY CAN
BENEFIT WOMEN FARMERS
The face of
Agriculture supports the livelihood of more than 60 percent of the rural
population, but most farmers, regardless of gender, stick to the manual
practices that have been common for centuries and seldom use mechanical
equipment.
Women have traditionally been involved in agriculture, but the scale and range
of their responsibilities has increased. “Feminization has been rapidly enhanced
in recent years due to the massive migration… from rural areas, mostly men,”
said Gauchan.
Around nine of every 10 people who have left the country, whether permanently
or temporarily, are men, according to the most recent
census in 2011.
A survey by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2010 revealed
that some 3 percent of households headed by women used mechanical equipment,
compared to 8 percent of those headed by men.
“The demands of women and men are different, we need to consider that in
agriculture research,” said Shreeram Neopane, executive director of local
initiatives at Biodiversity, Research and Development, an NGO based in Pokhara,
some 200km west of the capital,
The Institute for Integrated
Development Studies, a think-tank in
Such research should focus on inventing small equipment and machines that would
mechanize farming - from sowing to harvesting and post-harvest processing -
suggested Dhruva Joshy, former executive director of the NARC.
For example, the traditional way of husking of finger millet, a small staple
grain, by pestle and mortar is labour-intensive and time-consuming. A dehusking
machine could significantly ease the energy and time this takes, said Bhag Mal,
a consultant to the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research
Institutions in
Women are often concerned about different aspects of agricultural production,
which researchers need to keep in mind, said Neopane. In choosing rice varieties,
men care more about increasing yield and production, while women also consider
taste, smell and ease of threshing and cooking. Recognizing the needs of women
could result in a “higher rate of uptake of a technology, and more benefit from
the technology for the family.”
Although women would benefit most from a boost in agriculture research, Gauchan
pointed out that few of the country’s researchers are women - only 10 percent
of public agriculture researchers in 2009 were women. This is a mere 1 percent
increase from 2003, according to the US-based International Food Policy
Research Institute and NARC in 2011.
FAO found that 98
percent of
Despite contributing 35 percent to the national gross domestic product, investment
in agriculture accounted for just 2 percent of the government’s 2009
budget, with less than 0.2 percent going to research.
Rural women in
“Even if new technologies arrive, they do not reach many places. Only the
smarter women have access, but women living in rural corners do not,” said
Radha
“If the knowledge of women were enhanced - if manure, seed and pesticide were
made available, with the necessary tools - then women could do all the
agriculture work themselves.”