Women have historically been the most important consumers of horticultural commodities, not only in India but also in other parts of the world. But many people are oblivious to the reality that the horticulture and agriculture industry in India is dominated by prominent women who hold positions such as business leaders and owners, growers, marketers, and researchers. A very recent announcement made by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) revealed that economist Jayati Ghosh was chosen as the recipient of the 2023 Global Agricultural Economics Award (AAEA).
Families control the vast majority of businesses in the horticulture sector in India. The woman of the house typically occupies the matriarchal position in these businesses; this position may be hereditary or acquired through training, experience, and expertise. However, there are not nearly as many of them, and there is still a gender disparity between the men and women who hold positions of authority within the sector.
The horti-culture needs a cultural shock
As women farmers become more educated participants in a supply chain that is more effective, transparent, and enabled by technology, there is a rapidly expanding opportunity for innovative technologies and solutions that can assist farmers in increasing their crop yields and incomes.
As women become more proficient with digital technology and as aggregator services enter the farm, they (women) are empowering themselves by arming themselves with knowledge and training on the adoption of sustainable practises, expanding access to technology-enabled solutions, improvising farming and marketing plans, and gaining access to institutional support and financing, which is creating a multiplier effect on their income and position. It is getting easier for farm hands to claim managerial and decision-making status in the organisation as they gain more autonomy as a result of their work.
Startups are creating a women
A place where we can see substantive women participation is in the Agritech startups. Many of these are owned and led by women technocrats. They provide technology and services to the fruit farms to modernize, adopt sustainable practices and generate profitability along the value chain. Recognizing women’s roles in agriculture and working to expand their contributions should be a primary focus of the agricultural industry as a whole. It is imperative to rethink the approach that is taken towards female farmers in general in order to cater to their requirements.
It is essential, in order to achieve sustainable livelihoods, to advance the cause of empowering women farmers through community institutions.This would allow them to improve their quality of life, as well as increase their participation and productivity, which would all be improved as a result. Investing in the development of one’s capabilities, skills, and knowledge is the means by which this can be accomplished.
The Ministry of Agriculture has acquired “Innovation and Agri-Entrepreneurship Development” under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY-RAFTAAR) to encourage innovation and Agri-entrepreneurship among women by offering monetary aid and promoting an incubation ecosphere. Via the National Agricultural Innovation Fund (NAIF), the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has also provided assistance to agribusinesses (NAIF).
The Ministry has authorized certain RKVY-RAFTAAR Agribusiness Incubators (R-ABIs) and Knowledge Partners (KPs) as Centres of Excellence to carry out the program’s implementation. Furthermore, Agri-Business Incubation Centers (ABICs) have been set up and are functional within the ICAR network as part of the NAIF plan. Many research opportunities are also cropping up in the field of horticulture and agriculture within the IITs. Areas like precision agriculture, climate.
Parting perception
The Horti industry in India should give serious thought to how to address the female predicaments, as increasing the number of women working in business, science, technology, engineering, and allied fields is essential to building a prosperous and sustainable global economy and stimulating economic growth.
The leading horticulture hubs and brands in India like some of the leading fresh fruit importers have understood quite early the vast potential of women’s power for our growth. Some of them have an all-women production line in their blueberry farms and the venture, as expected, is profitable. It has reinforced the belief that “women can do almost everything men do, and they can do it even better.”
