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 & Farmers Welfare (DA&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 & 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

• 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.

* Monitor and assess the Gender impact of various ongoing programmes of agriculture and allied sector Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of     Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and make recommendations on appropriate improvements in their design/strategy.

* Assess the gender impact of agricultural technologies and identify/ assess ergonomically the 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.

* Collaborate with Agricultural 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 which include gender sensitization modules for policy planners and     development managers.

* View 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 the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW)

A Gender Budgeting Cell (GBC) of DA&FW has been constituted in the National Gender Resource Centre in Agriculture (NGRCA) for looking into the budgetary commitments of various schemes/programmes of DA&FW; 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 are being revised to generate gender disaggregated data.

• Initiatives of NGRCA

•Macro-Micro Level & Action Research Studies:
1. Review and analysis of existing schemes/programmes of DOAC, Ministry of Agriculture with regard to incidence of benefits and cost of delivery of services for     women in agriculture sector’
2. Development of participatory material production and documentation of success stories of women farmers.
3. Evaluation and impact assessment of CSS of Women in Agriculture.
4. Development of Gender Sensitization Modules (GSM) for programme implementers at district, sub-division and cutting edge level and organization of Model Sensitization Workshops for the sensitization and capacity building of programme implementers in selected States
5. Analytical study on existing State policies, programmes, interventions, processes and their impact on women’s access to land.
6. Mainstreaming Gender concerns in agriculture.
7. Agri Clinic and Agri Business Ventures by women Agricultural Graduates
8. Adoption of Gender Friendly Tools by Women Farmers and its impact on their life.
9. Gender Based Impact Analysis of ATMA Programme.
10. Kisan Credit Card and Issues related to Credit Availability to Women: Role of Financial Institutions in Empowering Farmers.

•Publication:
       Published:
                     Compendium on Gender Friendly Tools/Equipments(Bi-lingual).(Link)
                     Farm Women Friendly Handbook (Hindi)(Link)
                     Farm Women Friendly Handbook (Englsih) (Link)
                     Inspiring Stories of Progressive Women Farmers(Link)
                     Success Stories of Progressive Women Farmers and Agripreneurs (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(Link)
 Preparation of separate chapter on Gender Prescriptive in Agriculture for the Annual Report and Gender Related Write-up for the Outcome Budget of DA&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 DA&FW, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and even those of other Ministries/Departments.
 Reviewed Reporting format of various on-going schemes of DA&FW 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, 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 and Farmers Welfare, MOA&FW.-(Link)


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

Compendium on Gender Friendly Tools/Equipments(Bi-lingual).(Link)
Farm Women Friendly Handbook (Hindi)(Link)
Farm Women Friendly Handbook (Englsih) (Link)
Inspiring Stories of Progressive Women Farmers(Link)
Success Stories of Progressive Women Farmers and Agripreneurs (Link)


• Gallery