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Time of India
09-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Demand to include landless women tillers in farmers' registry
Pune: Over 500 and representatives from 17 states have criticised govt for excluding landless cultivators from the . A resolution passed on the final day of the three-day National Convention of Women Farmers in Pune, organised by Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch ( ) and Savitribai Phule Pune University's Women and Gender Studies Department challenges the landowner-only definition of 'farmer'.Dwaraka Waghmare, Sadhana Waghmare and Surekha Ovhal from Beed said that they migrate for six months each year to work as sugar cane cutters in Kolhapur in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They joined Makaam four years ago when activists visited their village. "We had no idea about our rights, nor did talk about them. We worked 18 hours a day for little pay and didn't realise it."Since joining Makaam, they have learned about sustainable farming, better seeds, and improved food practices. "It took us two years just to convince other women to speak up and organise. In the first year, only three of us were involved. Today, 45 women in our village practice sustainable farming."Their collective bargaining has already had an impact. "Earlier, the contractor paid us Rs 229. After we organised and demanded better wages, we now get Rs 366."Seema Kulkarni, National Facilitation Team member of Makaam said that the organisation was formed in 2014, but the first national summit was held in 2016. "This is the second summit to celebrate 10 years of Makaam's formation. The theme of the conference was identity, resilience, and transformation because ten years later, we're still fighting for identity — and organising around it remains just as vital," Kulkarni Raut from Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh said, "I now train other women. We discuss gender-based violence, sexuality, and everyday biases that women face. We are also promoting organic farming and encouraging women to start small group enterprises to build economic independence." Shubhada Deshmukh, a member of the national facilitation team, highlighted how and the forest-based economy are overlooked. "For Adivasi women and other forest dwellers, the jungle is not just a livelihood — it is life itself," she said. It's not only about legal rights over forest land; the forest is deeply interwoven with culture, identity, and survival. She emphasised that any conversation on forest rights must be rooted in the lived realities of those who depend on it. "We need to focus both on improving their access to rights and on raising awareness — not just among forest communities, but also in the mainstream — about how intimately their lives are connected to the jungle. "Right time to fix systemic wrongs The 2007 National Policy for Farmers recognises women cultivators, agricultural workers, fishers, forest produce gatherers, and livestock rearers as farmers regardless of land ownershipTwo decades later, the new registry ignores these categoriesIt will deny thousands of women vital entitlements such as disaster compensation, scheme benefits, and minimum wage protectionsSejal Dand from MAKAAM said with AI entering the space, faulty, exclusionary datasets will become the new baseline and will be used to automate entitlement denial
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Second national convention of women farmers: Over 500 women farmers gather in Pune to demand land rights, fair wages
More than 500 women farmers from across 17 Indian states gathered in Pune from May 7 to 9 for the second national convention of women farmers, organised by the Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM), in partnership with the Women and Gender Studies Department of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). The convention focused on the critical issues faced by women in agriculture—land rights, recognition as farmers, fair wages, access to government schemes, and protection from systemic violence. The three-day event provided a platform for women farmers, agricultural workers, forest dwellers, and activists to share their struggles and call for action. Seema Kulkarni, a core member of MAKAAM, said the theme of the gathering was 'Organizing to realise the rights of women farmers.' 'Over the years, women's collectives and movements have worked hard to claim what is rightfully ours—land, access to government support, fair wages, and recognition,' Kulkarni said. 'We have achieved some wins, but large gaps remain in laws and policies that hold us back. Women in agriculture face deep-rooted violence—not just in their homes, but also from the system. Caste, class, and gender discrimination are all interconnected.' 'Many of us are landless and unrecognized, and our work is seen as free labour. We are tired of empty praise. We want action—equal wages, land rights, access to schemes, and protection from violence,' added Kulkarni. She also highlighted the role women play in forest protection and sustainable farming. 'Women have always played a central role in protecting forests and managing common lands. We believe in seed sovereignty, sustainable water use, and cooperation over competition. It's time the government recognizes that farmers are not just landowners, but also the women working the fields with their bare hands.' Dr. Vaishali Patil, also a core member of MAKAAM, said, 'We demand that all women farmers—whether they own land or not—must be included in the government's Farmers' Registry under AgriStack. This should happen through gram sabhas, not from the top,' she said. 'We assert our right to land because it is essential for our livelihood and food security. If land is taken for public use, it must be compensated with land—not money.' Patil also called for awareness campaigns and incentives to register land in women's names. She said proper implementation of existing laws is needed, especially for women agricultural workers. 'Most agricultural workers are women and many are migrants. They need identity cards, safe workplaces, and access to healthcare, education, and social security,' she said. She also demanded an increase in the number of workdays under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to 200 days per year. The convention ended with a collective demand for policy change and better implementation of rights for women in agriculture.
