Farmers of the Future: Challenges of a Feminised Agriculture in India
Research summary
Neoliberal economic policies are fundamentally transforming the social landscapes of rural communities, leading to an unprecedented agrarian crisis. These changes accentuate the unequal consequences for poor women and men in relation to a) production (labour, tenure); b) livelihood and food security; c) access to and ownership of assets such as land and water and; d) access to agricultural innovations and institutions in all sectors of agriculture.
This multi-scalar ARC Discovery Project investigates the causes and consequences of the feminization of agriculture in India’s transitioning economy. The wider goal is to understand how gender roles and relations are being re-shaped in households in diverse socioeconomic and cultural contexts and agro-ecological areas in farming and fishing dependent communities.
Collaborators:
University of Sydney: Professor Bill Pritchard
James Cook University: Professor Stewart Lockie
In India: Professor Amita Shah (ex-Director, Gujarat Institute of Development research), Dr Itishree Pattnaik (Gujarat Institute of Development research), and Dr Raktima Mukhopadhyay (Director, IBRAD)
Outputs:
A forthcoming book, Becoming a Farmer, to be published by Orient Blackswan, India.
Online media:
Fished! Rice harvesting in Alampur Women at the water’s edge
