Generally, rural society is characterised by multi-layered heterogeneous and hierarchical social structures and unequal power structures. The success or failure of panchayats to promote local democracy cannot be evaluated properly without taking these factors in to account.
The cause of women empowerment hinges on political representation and economic advancement. By recognising the importance of women in involving them in developmental process, the Government of Odisha has redefined the role of women in governance.
It has been observed that women generally face discrimination in economic, social and political spheres. Further, the subordinate position of women becomes quite evident in terms of access to education, food and healthcare facilities. Women spend a lot of time in household chores. Even though they spend 95 per cent of their time in doing domestic chores, their contributions are not recognised as economically gainful activities. In order to rectify the structural constraints, women have been given political space, particularly at the local level so that their invisibility in the political decision-making process would be over to some extent.
The 73rd Constitutional amendment made provision for not less than one-third seats reserved for women. It was passed on April 24, 1993. In Odisha the agricultural sector, where more than 70 per cent of the rural households engage for their livelihood, they have been facing severe challenges posed by climate change. Climate change could lead to widespread loss of crops, decreased crop yield, food insecurity, water shortages, health disorders, and malnourishment.
Agriculture being an important sector for income as well as employment generation, the people dependent on it will face challenges by the impacts of climate change. Moreover, climate change has a highly gendered impact. Women are the most affected by the impacts of climate change and hence, they will have a greater gain when adaptation and mitigation measures are conceived with a gender perspective. The key objectives are to sensitise the women elected representatives to the differential impacts of climate change on agriculture, build awareness of women elected representatives on the concept and practices of sustainable and climate resilient agriculture, provide a platform for the participants to discuss current agricultural practices, share experiences and local knowledge and gain external knowledge on adapting their agriculture practices.
In this context, in Odisha, local Governments and women elected representatives have a vital role in encouraging and integrating sustainable and climate resilient agricultural practices into their planning and implementation process.
Therefore, women Self Help Groups (SHG) can propose to introduce co operative farming in villages under the patronage and supervision of the panchayat. For this, there should be a cooperative farming society in the village duly registered under the Cooperative Society's Act. Inputs like fertilizers and pesticides etc will be procured by the panchayats. The surplus produce will be sold to the FCI of India. The profits can be distributed to the women SHG cooperative farming under the leadership of women, which will be able to protect the rights of women, management of natural resources for rural development, generate employment and provide many other facilities to the women.
The role of women in the maintenance of agriculture practices has not been acknowledged by most players in the fields of agriculture, research institutions and NGOs. The knowledge of women farmers on selection, preservation and storing methods has not got due attention. Efforts should be made to establish “Mahila Krusaka Samaj Patrika” where efforts should be made to put methods of agriculture practices in local language and local dialect. The practice that enhances the diversification of agriculture production one way or the other contributes to lessening the impact of climate change. Technology transfer needs to be made through effective interactive groups, like SHG of women and farmer clubs should be promoted by the Government.
They should become tool of dissemination of information about various Government schemes and liaise with various Governments departments for developmental activities. Panchayat should become technology transfer centres for the women farmers, while IT tools like internet and mobile phones should be extensively used to impart knowledge on new developments, improved methods of cultivations and technologies at panchayat level for women.
The Government of Odisha should upgrade agriculture extension services with women empowerment as well as capacity development for user orientation, vocationalisation and promotion of excellence should get attention.
Therefore, the Government of Odisha should provide all logistic supports for strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related hazards and natural disasters on agriculture and educate people on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
(The writer, living in New Delhi, is a consultant)