An Economic Study Of The Role Of The Agriculture Sector In Women’s Empowerment With Special Reference To Dehradun District.

Abstract

Although agriculture is a significant source of livelihood among the rural women in Dehradun district, its role in empowering the women is dependent on the degree to which the women will gain economic control, institutional access, and decision-making authority. The article discussed how agricultural and allied activities contribute to the economic empowerment of women with special reference to the Dehradun district. The article was based on secondary analysis of selected studies and reports related to Uttarakhand and Dehradun, and focused on the participation of women in farming, access to land, education, awareness of policy, use of technology, dependence on irrigation, market participation and control of agriculture decisions. The results revealed that women were so much engaged in agricultural activities, yet they were not empowered due to poor land tenure, low literacy, poor agricultural policy awareness, poor access to technology, and reliance on male relatives in the family to provide market networking. Dehradun evidence revealed that despite the fact women played a key role in the farming sector, only a small percentage of them operated market networks on their own. The findings indicated that agricultural participation per se was inadequate to empower women unless accompanied by access to credit, training, SHG involvement, market connections, adoption of technology and recognition of women as farmers. Agriculture can only be a significant tool of women empowerment when women are given control over income, assets, markets and farm related decisions...