The Problems

Despite the very significant role in agriculture, women farmer's contribution has never been acknowledged, recognised and rewarded. They are largely considered to be a non-contributory community. They are deprived from the basic rights, and most importantly, they even do not have the basic identity as a 'farmer'. It is a matter of great concern that women cultivators and women agriculture labourers in the country performing about 70 per cent of all the agricultural activities, their valuable contribution has been largely ignored. They are poorest, extremely marginalised, deprived and unlike to their male counterparts not even have the basic identity as a 'farmer'.

Some of the basic problems being faced women farmers in India and especially in Uttar Pradesh are:

• Women farmers do not have the basic identity as 'farmer'. Due to prevalent negative mindset in a patriarchal society, they are largely considered to be a 'helping hand' of men and supposed to play supportive roles and hence deprived from decision making and control over agricultural production processes.
• Women farmers are deprived from their legal rights including ownership over the land. Even where they hold title, their rights are de jure and not de facto.
• Women farmers are out of mainstream of the agriculture development. Agriculture extension programmes do not address the needs of women farmers rather they are discouraged. There has been no sincere attention in helping women farmers in reducing their work loads and drudgery.
• Due to typical nature of certain conditions imposed by the banks and other lending institutions, women farmers are virtually 'debarred' from availing these facilities.
• Women farmers are also non existent in almost all the agriculture related policies and programmes such as minimum support price (MSP) policy, minimum wages policy, Kisan Credit Card schemes, insurance policy, etc. Wage discrimination can even be found in government controlled institutions.

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