Are wheat-based farming systems in South Asia feminizing?

Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

Sustainable Food Systems

Preeti Bharati¹  Siddiqur Rahman²  Tahseen Jafry³  Cathy Rozel Farnworth⁴  Patti Petesch⁵  Hom N. Gartaula⁶  Lone B. Badstue⁷  Lara Roeven⁷ 

[1] Consultant, Madhya Pradesh, India;Department of Anthropology, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh;Department of Engineering and Environmental Management, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom;Independent Researcher, Münster, Germany;Independent Researcher, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands;International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), New Delhi, India;Research Consultant, Amsterdam, Netherlands;

关键词: feminization of agriculture;    wheat-based systems;    Bangladesh;    India;    Nepal;    Pakistan;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fsufs.2023.1174280

 received in 2023-02-26, accepted in 2023-09-07,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

This article pulls together the state of knowledge on the degree to which wheat-based systems in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, are feminizing. It is not yet possible to make definitive statements. However, it is clear that wheat-based systems are undergoing far-reaching changes in relation to “who does what” and “who decides.” There are some commonalities across all four countries. Intersectionalities shape women’s identities and abilities to exert their agency. Purdah is a cultural norm in many locations. Nevertheless, each country displays different meta-trends. In Nepal managerial feminization is increasing unlike in Pakistan. Women in Bangladesh spend the least time in field work whereas in other countries they are often strongly engaged. There are strong local variations within countries as well which we explore. Establishing the extent of feminization is challenging because studies ask different questions, operate at different levels, and are rarely longitudinal. Researchers often construct men as primary farmers, leading to a failure to find out what men and women really do and decide. This diminishes the value of many studies. Cultural perceptions of honor can make men respondents reluctant to report on women’s agency and women can be reluctant to claim agency openly. We provide suggestions for better research, and urge support to women as workers and decision-makers.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Farnworth, Gartaula, Badstue, Roeven, Bharati, Rahman, Petesch and Jafry.