Women farmers discriminated against

Any mention of farmers gives the impression of an all-male community engaged in cultivation. The seed of discrimination against women farmers lies here. Women farmers are discriminated against no matter if they contribute to farming either in developed or developing countries. The fact is their contributions to the agriculture sector around the world go mostly unrecognised.

But why? To have an authentic answer, there is a need for analysing the issue from historical, traditional and cultural perspectives. Women in Switzerland, a country highly educated and developed, obtained their voting rights in national elections as late as 1971. In countries like Canada where agriculture is highly developed and mechanised, women hold key positions in farm and food-related industries and businesses. But still their contributions are yet to be recognised as much as it is done in case of their male counterparts. So far as higher studies in agriculture are concerned, women there now outnumber men. They even own large agro companies. Then why do they lag behind?

The fact is women's entry into the territory may not be very late but it has not been on even terms with men either. Evidently, women in such societies are on the verge of breaking the barrier created over a long period of time. Contrary to developed societies, developing countries like Bangladesh considered women's participation in on-field cultivation a taboo. But the situation has undergone a phenomenal transformation in recent times. Food production in Bangladesh is now considered a success story for genuine reasons.

And one key component of this success story is women's active participation in agricultural activities. Studies have found that impoverished societies capable of bringing their women out of homes on to agriculture fields in defiance of societal views have successfully raised farm output. And when agricultural productivity is thus raised, their economy also grows. Bangladesh has been a sterling example of this.

However, women who had always been deeply involved with the process of agricultural production were never given the credit they deserved. Nor are they credited for their extra on-field contribution of today. Land ownership is limited mostly to men and women have hardly any access to decision-making concerning agriculture. Thus agriculture input and credit are also mostly off-limit to women farmers. This is why women fail to provide the leadership notwithstanding their potential for the same.

Yet there is no doubt that given equal opportunities, women can perform on a par with their male counterparts. Small-scale agro-businesses solely organised and run by women have been doing quite well. Nurseries and flower cultivation by women have proved that they can work wonder. If women entrepreneurs in agro-businesses are provided with credit, more of them will excel in their ventures.

In fact the problem lies in the attitude of male chauvinism.  Women are still the 'other half' in developed countries' farm sector and businesses. In countries like Bangladesh their recognition as equal partner is likely to suffer more because of the underdevelopment and lack of education. Entitlement to land inhibits women's entrepreneurial energy and spirit. The freedom to earn provides one a sense of self-confidence. Women lack it. But once they control their own income and invest it further, entire society gets its benefit.

Economic freedom enables women to focus on children's health, nutrition and education. This is the key to taking society several notches up the social ladder. Agricultural production benefits from women's participation but society enjoys all-round well-being when women are given their due share of income and recognition.