Krishi Vistar

National Gender Resource Centre in Agriculture (NGRCA)

      A National Gender Resource Centre in Agriculture (NGRCA) has been setup in the Department of Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, since 2005-06. The centre is located in Directorate of Extension, Krishi Vistar Sadan, Pusa, New Delhi.

• Aims & Objective

      The National Gender Resource Centre in Agriculture (NGRCA) is a focal point to converge all gender related activities & issues in agriculture & allied sectors, within and outside the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare; add gender dimension to agriculture policies & programmes; render advocacy / advisory services to the States/ UTs; undertaking and supporting training, research and advocacy to mainstream gender issues in agriculture and natural resource management, so as to internalize gender specific interventions and ensure that the policies and programmes in agriculture are fully engendered & reflect the National commitment to empowerment of women.

• Mandate

* Collect, analyze and document information (both from primary and secondary sources) on women in agriculture.

* Act as a comprehensive data base & a clearing house to women related policies/issues in agriculture and allied sectors including           NRM.

* Monitor and assess the Gender impact of various ongoing programmes of agriculture and allied sector including NRM of Deptt. of Agri.   Coopn., Ministry of Agriculture and make recommendation on appropriate improvements in their design/strategy.

* Assess the gender impact of agricultural technologies and Research Project on ‘women in agriculture’, identify/assess the agronomic     based drudgery prone activities of women and suggest ways to make these technologies/tools gender friendly.

* Identify & float macro/micro level studies to identify the needs, requirements, potential and constraints faced by women in agriculture     sector especially in the areas of technological development, access to inputs, credit and other productive resources, marketing             intervention etc.

* Review the existing laws and other Government decisions/measures relating to basic production resources such as land, water, forest   and to examine women’s access and control over these basic resources and recommend necessary changes to protect women             farmers’ right to livelihood.

* Document, scientifically validate and disseminate traditional/indigenous knowledge of women in agriculture and allied sector.

* Forge effective functional linkages with various departments, agencies and institutions including nongovernmental organizations and       farmwomen groups; document and disseminate lessons and experiences from ongoing initiatives taken by these agencies/institutions     in sustainable agriculture and NRM.

* Collaborate with Agri. Research institutions to identify technologies/crops/ processes in which women farmers have a comparative         advantage and develop a strategy for systematic capacity building on these issues.

* Undertake preparation of suitable training modules on gender issues in agriculture and NRM which include gender sensitization               modules for policy planners and development managers.

* iView the existing policies related to land, water, forests with respect to their impact on women farmers and suggest remedial                 measures to bring about structural changes, if required.

* Promote ‘action research’ on critical issues including women’s access to land, water, common property resources, impact of                 macroeconomic changes on women farmer and implications of legal and regulatory framework on vulnerable groups such as land less     farmers, tribal farm women & those affected by natural calamities.

* Organize national level interactions between policy makers/administrators and women farmers to share concern, issues and                   perspectives and evolve concrete policy recommendations.

* Bring out publications on gender related areas/issues in agriculture & allied sector focusing the experiences, efforts and the work from   on-going initiatives taken up by NGRCA/other related agencies/institutions.

• Mandate of National Gender Resource Centre in Agriculture (NGRCA):


* Collect, analyze and document information (both from primary and secondary sources) on women in agriculture.

* Act as a comprehensive data base & a clearing house to women related policies/issues in agriculture and allied sectors including NRM.

* Monitor and assess the Gender impact of various ongoing programmes of agriculture and allied sector including NRM of Deptt. of Agri.   Coopn., Ministry of Agriculture and make recommendation on appropriate improvements in their design/strategy.

* Assess the gender impact of agricultural technologies and Research Project on ‘women in agriculture’, identify/assess the agronomic     based drudgery prone activities of women and suggest ways to make these technologies/tools gender friendly.

* Identify & float macro/micro level studies to identify the needs, requirements, potential and constraints faced by women in agriculture     sector especially in the areas of technological development, access to inputs, credit and other productive resources, marketing             intervention etc.

* Review the existing laws and other Government decisions/measures relating to basic production resources such as land, water, forest   and to examine women’s access and control over these basic resources and recommend necessary changes to protect women             farmers’ right to livelihood.

* Document, scientifically validate and disseminate traditional/indigenous knowledge of women in agriculture and allied sector.

* Forge effective functional linkages with various departments, agencies and institutions including nongovernmental organizations and       farmwomen groups; document and disseminate lessons and experiences from ongoing initiatives taken by these agencies/institutions     in sustainable agriculture and NRM.

* Collaborate with Agri. Research institutions to identify technologies/crops/ processes in which women farmers have a comparative         advantage and develop a strategy for systematic capacity building on these issues.

* Undertake preparation of suitable training modules on gender issues in agriculture and NRM which include gender sensitization               modules for policy planners and development managers.

* iView the existing policies related to land, water, forests with respect to their impact on women farmers and suggest remedial                 measures to bring about structural changes, if required.

* Promote ‘action research’ on critical issues including women’s access to land, water, common property resources, impact of                 macroeconomic changes on women farmer and implications of legal and regulatory framework on vulnerable groups such as land less     farmers, tribal farm women & those affected by natural calamities.

* Organize national level interactions between policy makers/administrators and women farmers to share concern, issues and                   perspectives and evolve concrete policy recommendations.

* Bring out publications on gender related areas/issues in agriculture & allied sector focusing the experiences, efforts and the work from   on-going initiatives taken up by NGRCA/other related agencies/institutions.

• Gender Budgeting Cell of DAC&FW

A Gender Budgeting Cell (GBC) of DAC&FW has also been constituted in the NGRCA for looking into the budgetary commitments of various schemes of DAC; bringing gender concerns on to the centre stage in all aspects of public expenditure and policy and ensuring a proportionate flow of the public expenditure benefiting women farmers. Nodal officers/ Gender Coordinators in various Divisions have been sensitized about the concept of gender budgeting. Formats of all the beneficiary oriented schemes of the Ministry have been revised to generate gender disaggregated data.

• Current/Ongoing Initiatives of NGRCA

• Macro-Micro Level & Action Research Studies:
• Adoption of Gender Friendly Tools by Women Farmers and its impact on their lives.
• Schemes for Improving Women Farmers’ Access to Extension Services & Gender Mainstreaming in Agriculture.
• “Kisan Credit Card & Issues Related to Credit Availability to Women: Role of Financial Institutions in Empowering Women Farmers.
• Gender Based Impact Analysis of ATMA Programme.
•Publication:
       Published:
                     Compendium on Gender Friendly Tools/Equipments(Bi-lingual).(Link)
                     Farm Women Friendly Handbook (Hindi)(Link)
                     Farm Women Friendly Handbook (Englsih) (Link)
       Compendium on Women Agri-preneurs
                     Success story of Women Farmers/ Agripreneur of Western Region(Link)
                     Success story of Women Farmers/ Agripreneur of North Eastern Region(Link)
                     Inspiring Success cases of Rural Women of Southern India(Link)
                     Success story of Women Farmers/ Agripreneur of North Region(Link)
       Initiated:
                     51 Success Stories of women farmers
•Preparation of separate chapter on Gender Prescriptive in Agriculture for the Annual Report and Gender Related Write-up for the Outcome Budget of DAC&FW, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. (Link)
 Delivery of Gender Sensitization Module to the Extension functionaries at all levels viz. Senior, Middle & Cutting edge level, Delivery of Capsule Module on Gender Learning & Maintenance of Gender Disaggregated Data. -(Link)
 Advisory issued to the States for preparation of specific guidelines for wasteland development and its distribution to land less farm-women/women farmers, Women SHG for cultivating/livelihood purpose on long-term lease basis.
 Preparation of Collaborative Project with the ICAR Institutes for empowerment of women in agriculture & allied sectors.
 Collation of special provisions and package of assistance available for women under various on-going scheme/missions/sub-missions of DAC&FW, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and even those of other Ministries/Departments.
 Reviewed Reporting format of various on-going schemes of DAC&FW viz. NFSM, SMPP, SMAM, SMSP, MIDH & NMOOP from gender lens.
 Coordination with various divisions of Ministry from time to time to collate gender disaggregated data on flow of benefits (physical as well as financial) to women farmers, SC/ST farm women under various schemes and strategies being adopted by the divisions for empowerment of women.
 Joint Circular under the signatures of Secretary (AC&FW) & Secretary (RD) has been developed and issued on Convergence of NRLM, MORD and the Schemes/Programmes/Missions of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, MOA&FW. -(Link)
 Being a Nodal agency for Women in Agriculture of DAC&FW, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, the following activities have been taken up:
• Examining draft Cabinet Notes for various new schemes proposed by Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Women and Child Development from perspective of women in agriculture.
• Coordination with Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE), Bhopal, Directorate of Research on Women in Agriculture (DRWA), Bhubaneshwar and State Agricultural University for documenting Gender Friendly Tools/Technology for wider circulation and collecting information on popularization and adoption among women.
• Coordination with Ministry of Women & Child Development for inter-sectoral convergence for coordinated efforts for women’s welfare and socio economic development.
• Facilitating Project Approval Committee for approval and Sanctioning of Project under Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) and Special Project under Swaranjyanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana(SGSY) skill development.


• Gender Perspective in Agriculture
• Gender Specific Interventions- Earlier/Experiences
• Publication

 Farm Women Friendly Handbook-English
 Farm Women Friendly Handbook-Hindi


• Gallery