Empowering women farmers: From land ownership to market access
Posted on March 13, 2024
Today women are present and succeeding in every aspect of life. Whether it be the IT sector, space agencies, or even mechanical engineering, women are playing a crucial role. Hence, it would be safer to say that women play a critical role in the global agricultural sector. They are contributing significantly to food production, security, and even rural development.
However, despite their immense contributions, they often face significant challenges. And these challenges hinder their full potential. And one of these challenges is gender inequality in land ownership. Also, there’s limited access to markets. Hence, addressing these issues is crucial for achieving agricultural development and promoting gender equality in rural communities.
Issues in women farming opportunities
Unequal Land Ownership:
Land ownership plays a significant role in agriculture. It defines how much the worker and owner get from farming. It also determines the raw materials for skilled labor. But the land is unequally distributed, especially in the case of women. Hence, one of the most significant barriers to women’s empowerment in agriculture is unequal land ownership.
You see that globally, women own less than 20% of agricultural land. Despite often being the primary caregivers for families and contributing significantly to farm labor, This lack of land ownership directly limits their access to resources, credit, and decision-making power. Thus hindering their ability to invest in their farms. They are unable to improve productivity and secure their livelihoods.
Closing the Market Access Gap:
Even when women manage to cultivate crops, they often face challenges reaching the markets. After successful cultivation and harvest, the market is where farmers get their actual money. And thus, limited market access restricts their bargaining power and reduces their potential income. This can be due to several factors, including:
Lack of transportation and infrastructure:
Women farmers may have difficulty physically transporting their produce to markets. There’s clearly a lack of transportation to get the cultivation into the market. Also, the infrastructure does not support successful and smooth transportation. Thus, it limits their reach and increases post-harvest losses.
Limited access to information:
Often, women are considered unworthy of such intricate accounting knowledge. And due to this, they might lack information about market prices. Thus leading to lower bargaining power and exploitation by middlemen.
Gender biases:
The root cause of the negligence is primarily due to gender bias. Prevalent societal norms and biases can sometimes limit women’s abilities. They are unable to participate in market activities and decision-making.
Strategies for Empowering Women Farmers:
Hence, now that we know about the underlying challenges faced by women farmers, it’s time to address the issues. And addressing these challenges and empowering women in agriculture requires a multi-faceted approach:
Land tenure reform:
To bring about reform in society, the root needs to be tackled. Hence, enacting policies and legal frameworks needs to be done. These frameworks have to be such that guaranteeing women’s equal rights to land ownership and inheritance is crucial for building their long-term stake in agriculture.
Financial inclusion:
It’s important to get women financially involved. This can be done by providing women farmers with access to credit, loans, and financial services. This will empower them to invest in their farms, improve productivity, and access market opportunities.
Infrastructure development:
After the cultivation, the major problem lies in the infrastructure to store and transport the harvest seamlessly. Thus, investing in rural infrastructure, such as roads and storage facilities, can improve women’s access to markets. and not to forget that it will reduce post-harvest losses.
Capacity building:
Now that we have suggested strategies for materialistic challenges, there’s still an ethical or moral aspect left. We need to equip women farmers with knowledge and skills. This can be done through training programs in areas like sustainable farming practices, market access strategies, and financial literacy. These activities will empower them to make informed decisions and participate more effectively in agricultural value chains.
Investing in the future:
In conclusion, we would state that empowering women farmers is not just about gender equality. It’s about investing in the future of agriculture and food security. By addressing the challenges they face and unlocking their full potential, we can create a more equitable and sustainable agricultural system that benefits everyone. Imagine how good it would be that the incarnation of Annapurna would truly participate in food production. Also, by developing this facet of the agriculture sector, more and more people will be involved in the sector. This will not only ensure food security for growing populations but also create a more prosperous and inclusive rural development landscape.