Developments in Feminine Labour and Workforce Participation – Tamil Nadu – IWWAGE-Institute for What Works to Advance Gender Equality

Background: Gender Samvaad is a nationwide digital platform of DAY-NRLM used to generate higher consciousness on DAY-NRLM’s interventions throughout the nation. It’s also a possibility to share and be taught greatest practices amongst the States Rural Livelihoods Missions and listen to voices from SRLM cadres and SHG ladies. Two such occasions have been held earlier on 16 April 2021 and 2nd July 2021. The third Gender Samvaad occasion was organized to focus on points round meals & diet safety and initiatives undertaken by the State Rural Livelihoods Missions and SHG members for a similar. The United Nations standing committee on diet defines meals and diet safety as:

“Meals and diet safety exists when all folks always have bodily, social and financial entry to meals, which is consumed in ample amount and high quality to fulfill their dietary wants and meals preferences, and is supported by an atmosphere of enough sanitation, well being providers and care, permitting for a wholesome and energetic life.” Meals Safety has 4 dimensions: Availability, Entry, Utilization and Stability of meals whereas Diet Safety contains the extra dimensions of Care and feeding practices and Well being and Sanitation.

Integrating FNHW inside DAY-NRLM: In 2019, the DAY-NRLM adopted a ‘Dashasutra’ technique for SRLMs, below which Meals Safety, Diet, Well being and WASH (FNHW) and Gender are included as important elements wanted to result in social improvement. This inclusion of FNHW demonstrates the dedication of DAY-NRLM to contribute to total enchancment in well being and diet of the neighborhood. Provision of meals and diet safety is an important a part of the FNHW technique. To make sure the 4 dimensions of meals safety, i.e. Availability, Entry, Utilization and Stability of meals, DAY-NRLM envisages the next approaches, (1) institution of diet backyard and residential consumption of produce of diet gardens by SHG households (2) enhance in entry of SHG households to Take Residence Rations (THR) below ICDS (3) Promotion of nutrition-sensitive agriculture, (4) Improved protection of SHG households below Public Distribution System (PDS) and (5) Addressing gender points associated to consumption of meals. The efficient operationalization of those approaches might be achieved via inter-departmental convergence between DAY-NRLM and M/oWCD, Ministry of Agriculture and Meals and Public Distribution and intra-departmental convergence between FNHW and Farm Livelihoods verticals.

FNHW via a gender lens: In India, an effort for well being and diet can not attain fruition if sure essential points are usually not addressed. Proof demonstrates that, equitable distribution of meals throughout the household is just not achieved with out addressing the GENDER NORMS. The widespread observe of ladies consuming final, least and leftovers inhibits ladies from reaching their optimum dietary potential, even when there’s availability of enough meals within the residence. Choices on procurement of meals merchandise and their distribution throughout the household are additionally usually taken by the top of the family who’re principally males, holding members like ladies, younger kids and aged on the fringes throughout the residence.  With this in thoughts, DAY-NRLM incorporates a gender lens whereas designing interventions round all features of social improvement. This gender intentional method is being utilized in efforts for meals and diet safety as nicely.

Institutional partnerships to strengthen FNHW interventions for higher gender outcomes 

i) Selling convergence between Farm Livelihood and FNHW of DAY-NRLM, MoRD for institution and utilization of diet gardens by SHG households: The Ministry of Rural Growth has been endeavor a number of steps to reinforce promotion of diet gardens at family, neighborhood, Anganwadi and panchayat land throughout the nation via DAY-NRLM and MGNREGA. An in depth Advisory was shared with SRLMs by the Farm Livelihoods (FL) vertical of DAY-NRLM to determine diet gardens, in Might 2019. This was additional supplemented by together with work carried out for growing diet backyard below the ambit of MGNREGA via a DO letter in August 2020. Further thrust was given to this effort throughout the Poshan Maah, 2020, when the MoPR, MoRD and MoWCD issued a Joint Directive to all State Chief Secretaries to conduct a month-long drive to plant diet backyard to reinforce Meals Safety. Because of these concerted efforts, 77.89 lakh Agri-Diet Gardens have been promoted throughout the SRLMs until December, 2021.

Proof means that the mere presence of a diet backyard at residence doesn’t translate into equitable gender norms for improved dietary variety. There’s a hole between accessing meals and really consuming it. Therefore, along-side rising meals, households additionally have to be endorsed to incorporate the produce of diet backyard of their day by day food regimen. Underneath FNHW part of DAY-NRLM, consciousness periods on food regimen variety have been initiated via month-to-month dialogue in SHG conferences and counseling the households via community-based occasions, residence visits, village occasions and so on. Some SRLMs have progressed on this regard, and Gender Samvaad may very well be an applicable discussion board to share their expertise with different SRLMs. Additionally the message of mixing diet backyard institution with Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) to emphasise the significance of planting diet gardens and supplementing it with counseling for habits change so that every household consumes the produce of the backyard, thereby enhancing variety of their food regimen and transferring a step additional in direction of reaching a state of Dietary safety might be reiterated. Such dialogue may even improve the chance of convergence inside DAY-NRLM verticals and anxious departments.

ii) Selling convergence between MoRD and MoWCD to enhance entry of SHG ladies to Take Residence Rations (THR) and different providers: The Ministry of Ladies and Baby Growth (MoWCD) launched the ICDS program on 2nd Oct 1975 and it stays one of many essential pillars for provision of meals within the type of Take Residence Rations (THR) and recent cooked meals for pregnant and lactating ladies, kids beneath 6 years of age and adolescent ladies (below the SAG scheme). Underneath DAY-NRLM, SHG household with pregnant and lactating ladies, kids beneath 6 years and adolescent ladies are inspired to avail the THR providers from the native Anganwadi Middle. A couple of SRLMs have collaborated with DoWCD for partaking SHGs producing and offering THR to Anganwadi Middle.

iii) Selling convergence between M/oRD and Ministry of Agriculture: Agricultural practices/cropping patterns additionally play a major function within the entry to meals for a neighborhood, which impacts their dietary sample. Regardless of producing massive portions of nutrient-rich crops reminiscent of Rice, Pulses, Millets and so on, India harbours one-third of the world’s stunted kids. Proof suggests {that a} transfer in direction of cultivation of nutrient-rich indigenous meals crops reminiscent of Jowar, Bajra and different millets and diversification of crops can profit the diet standing of the local people. Ladies empowerment via Agricultural initiatives additionally has an vital function to play in enhancing total dietary standing.

iv) Convergence between MoRD and Division of Meals and Civil Provides for improved protection of SHG households below Public Distribution System (PDS): Equally, the Public Distribution System (PDS) performs an important function in decreasing meals insecurity by performing as a security internet by distributing necessities at a backed charge. With a community of greater than 400,000 Truthful Worth Retailers (FPS), the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is probably the biggest distribution equipment of its sort on the planet reaching 80 crore individuals within the FY 2020-21. Underneath DAY-NRLM, linking of SHG members with entitlements and providers are inspired together with entry to backed meals and different family supplies below the PDS.

Targets of threerd Gender Samvaad: 

1. To tell individuals about the advantages of nutrition-sensitive agriculture and diet backyard in supplementing availability of numerous meals teams at family stage;
2. To bolster the importance of gender delicate approaches whereas conveying diet messages to advertise fairness amongst women and men in consumption of meals at residence;
3. Expertise sharing between SRLMs on varied studying and challenges confronted throughout the implementation.

AGENDA