Mechanisation of agriculture may exclude women farmers if not equipped with right tools: CIMMYT

Mechanisation of agriculture may end up excluding women farmers involved in agri-food systems globally if they are not equipped with the right tools to access larger markets and adequate finances, according to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT).

In an interaction with The Tribune, Maureen Miruka, Director, Gender Equity, CIMMYT noted that bridging the digital divide is a global challenge, especially in the context of the agriculture sector, where technological advancements can end up further alienating women farmers.

"There is renewed thrust worldwide on bringing in more technology in agriculture to make it a profitable business. But according to a recent study we did in Bangladesh, people presume that if we mechanize agriculture, it automatically becomes a man's job. The society perceives women to be adept at only doing manual chores in farming," she said.

Nevertheless, she said, there is a marked difference in the way women are picking up technology and producing surplus, especially in India, where women's collectives are doing a great job.

CIMMYT has partnered with India for over five decades to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability. It works with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on climate-smart farming, heat-tolerant wheat, and high-yielding maize to improve food security.

Miruka also highlighted a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which emphasised opening child care centres in the agriculture sector for better productivity of women farmers.

"Women involved in the agri-food business face the burden of 'reproductive, productive and community' roles. FAO had in its report highlighted how the global community is lagging in building day care centres for women farmers," she noted.

She also underlined the need to have more data on the unpaid labour by women farmers.

"In India and even my country, Kenya, 50 percent of women make a living out of agriculture, most of it is unpaid labour. But there is no concrete data available about it, so we are unable to effectively diagnose the problem. Data is transformed into information, which then takes the form of policies," she said.

Dr Bram Govaerts, Director General, CIMMYT, called for creating a conducive ecosystem to make farming more gender-sensitive.

"CIMMYT aims at a larger scale of inclusion, participation, and transformation of women farmers. We provide training to women agri-entrepreneurs to scale up their produce and reach maximum markets," he said.