By Prof. Suveera Gill, Prof. Ramanjit K. Johal, and Malika Kukreja
Have you ever witnessed a woman ploughing a field using a tractor, and that too in a traditional patriarchal society? Can you also imagine that a woman alone can run an entire stall in a weekly male-dominated organic market located in a different and distant city? Would you be surprised to see a woman in the same setup appearing in several media interviews and being felicitated for her contribution to the field of agriculture supported by her husband and son? It is perfectly understandable if you don’t answer in affirmative to all these questions, especially if you are aware of the social and gender norms in most parts of rural India that restrict women to stereotypic chores.
Perception and Misperception
Who is a farmer – a man or a woman? The traditional gender roles, work cultures and ideologies that determine the social narratives associate male with farming. While, it’s a paradox that our Vedic and Puranic literature regard ‘Prithvi’ (earth) as mother and full of life-sustaining harvest (Dwivedi, 1997). Guru Nanak Devji referred to “mata dharat mahat” (Earth is the Great Mother) in Japji Sahib. However, evidence suggests women’s perceptibility is neither with land nor with agriculture. It is widely considered that women prefer to be around their hearth, looking after their loved ones, taking a back seat in family affairs, and adapting to others’ expectations and preferences. Further, women are regarded as inept to handle money, machines, and technology.
The agriculture sector employs 80 per cent of all economically active women in India (Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, 2021). However, in Punjab, it is a misperception that there is a concentration of women’s labour in agriculture, primarily self-employed farmers. The gendered control over productive resources, including property and inheritance, have undermined women’s autonomy. In fact, upon talking about their role with men, who are traditionally the ‘sons of the soil,’ one often hears, “Auratan da khet ch ki kamm hai” (“What is the role of women on the field?”). On the other hand, some answer very optimistically only to describe that the women prepare food for the family and sometimes even the hired farm labour or take care of livestock and allied work.
Deconstructing Women’s Farm Engagement
The green revolution led to the intensification of cultivation with mono-cropping and mechanisation of nearly all agricultural operations. As a result, the need for family and permanent labour reduced considerably. Consequently, women from the household have not been involved in farming and are seldom seen as cultivators. Instead, casual women labour has been hired on a need basis for specific farm manual operations in rural Punjab (Baruah and Singh, 2020). Consequently, these women are not gainfully engaged throughout the year and are deprived of a steady source of income.
The Farm Assessment Index (FAI) survey conducted in Patiala District reiterates these findings as only three women among 42 farmers interviewed in the field engage in family farming. These women have the land title in their names and are involved in farm and non-farm activities. Further, the maximum involvement of hired women labour is in post-harvesting and weeding activities. Thus, a vicious cycle exists with women’s low engagement in lower productive activities leading to lower wages. That is the reality of women’s marginalised status in rural Punjab.
Disrupting Gendered Status Quo
Interacting with the women active in various agricultural activities unfolds what motivated them to break down the gender challenge. Harjeet Kaur, a middle-aged woman, surprised us when she mentioned that she looks after each farm operation, from tilling the land to buying farm inputs and supervising the labour. She revealed that agriculture always interested her, and she was encouraged by her father to drive a tractor. After marriage, Harjeet pursued her interest and had the full backing of her husband. She has gone ahead to teach operating the tractor to village women and participated actively in the tractor rally during the farmers’ protests.
Another women agriculturist, Sandeep Kaur, is a processor, trainer, and shareholder in Green Focus Farmer Producer Company. She trains women in food packaging and labelling. Her organic products, including spices, mustard oil, jaggery sweets, wheat porridge, multigrain wheat flour, maize porridge, and pickles, have huge demand and are sold through Kisan Huts. When Gurpreet Kaur walked us through her kitchen, it seemed more like a food laboratory! Through processing and dairy operations, she engages in diverse agricultural activities. She sells her products under the label ‘K.S. Agro Products.’ Her organic milk and milk products, like ghee, are popular with customers.
We witnessed Navreet Kaur actively engaging with customers selling fresh organic vegetables and pulses besides homemade processed items during our visits to one of the weekly organic farmers’ markets in Patiala. She said that though she does not participate in field operations, food processing and value addition helps showcase her culinary skills. Navreet promptly added that pursuing such ventures involves investment, but it helps if you have a steady income to fall back on.
Conclusion
The emerging green shoots amidst challenges faced by women, especially in rural Punjab, signify changing aspirations. Upwardly mobile women are trying to get a toehold by venturing into agri-entrepreneurial businesses. But, unfortunately, all is not well for women on the margins, who neither have land nor continuous employment. Over the years, policy intervention for creating sustainable livelihoods for rural women has not had desired results. Nevertheless, preliminary evidence shows that women self-help groups are working towards transforming the lives of women and their families. As Aristotle said, similarity is a source of friendship, as “we love those who are like ourselves” (Nichomachean Ethics, 350 B.C.E).
Food for thought: Towards a Greener Revolution 
Excellent post!
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