Assessment of awaremenss and use about drudgery reducing improve farm tools and implements by farm women of Uttar Pradesh.

Abstract

Agriculture is a primarily unorganized sector in which farm women perform the majority of drudgery prone works. The women farmers do the agricultural task with the age old traditional tools which are unsafe, hazardous, unhealthy and long hours of work which often accelerate health related problems among them. The gender friendly appropriate tools may be either not available or inadequate beside the unawareness about improved farm tools among the women farmers. The present study was done to know existing practices of using the farm tools by the farm women of Deoria district of Uttar Pradesh and also to ascertain their level of awareness about the same. Out of sixteen blocks, two blocks i.e. Salempur and Bhatpar Rani were selected purposively on account of lesser mechanization of agriculture therein. From each block, two villages were randomly selected and from each village, 30 farm women were sampled again randomly. Thus data was gathered from 120 farm women using a well structured questionnaire, focused group discussion and personal interview method. Findings revealed that women farmers use traditional tools and implements since a long time but most of them felt immense drudgery in their use. It was also found that most of the farm women were unaware of improved farm tools and implement which may reduce drudgery. The results also suggested that respondents were willing to accept the information and subsequent use the improved tools and implements. This study provide scope for promotion of technology in gender perspective towards the challenges of farm women would help in reducing drudgery and occupational health hazards of women workers in agriculture.