Girls in Agriculture – 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. Additionally it is a chance to share and study finest practices amongst the States Rural Livelihoods Missions and listen to voices from SRLM cadres and SHG girls. Two such occasions have been held earlier on 16 April 2021 and 2nd July 2021. The third Gender Samvaad occasion was organized to spotlight points round meals & vitamin safety and initiatives undertaken by the State Rural Livelihoods Missions and SHG members for a similar. The United Nations standing committee on vitamin defines meals and vitamin safety as:

“Meals and vitamin 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 surroundings of sufficient sanitation, well being companies and care, permitting for a wholesome and lively life.” Meals Safety has 4 dimensions: Availability, Entry, Utilization and Stability of meals whereas Diet Safety consists of 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 general enchancment in well being and vitamin of the group. Provision of meals and vitamin safety is a vital 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 vitamin backyard and residential consumption of produce of vitamin gardens by SHG households (2) improve in entry of SHG households to Take House 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 could be achieved by means of 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 by means of a gender lens: In India, an effort for well being and vitamin can’t attain fruition if sure essential points are usually not addressed. Proof demonstrates that, equitable distribution of meals throughout the household isn’t achieved with out addressing the GENDER NORMS. The widespread observe of ladies consuming final, least and leftovers inhibits girls from reaching their optimum dietary potential, even when there’s availability of sufficient meals within the house. Selections on procurement of meals merchandise and their distribution throughout the household are additionally usually taken by the pinnacle of the family who’re largely males, preserving members like girls, younger youngsters and aged on the fringes throughout the house.  With this in thoughts, DAY-NRLM incorporates a gender lens whereas designing interventions round all points of social improvement. This gender intentional strategy is being utilized in efforts for meals and vitamin safety as effectively.

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 vitamin gardens by SHG households: The Ministry of Rural Improvement has been endeavor a number of steps to reinforce promotion of vitamin gardens at family, group, Anganwadi and panchayat land throughout the nation by means of DAY-NRLM and MGNREGA. An in depth Advisory was shared with SRLMs by the Farm Livelihoods (FL) vertical of DAY-NRLM to determine vitamin gardens, in Could 2019. This was additional supplemented by together with work carried out for creating vitamin backyard below the ambit of MGNREGA by means of a DO letter in August 2020. Further thrust was given to this effort in the course of 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 vitamin 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 vitamin backyard at house doesn’t translate into equitable gender norms for improved dietary variety. There’s a hole between accessing meals and truly consuming it. Therefore, along-side rising meals, households additionally should be recommended to incorporate the produce of vitamin backyard of their each day weight-reduction plan. Beneath FNHW part of DAY-NRLM, consciousness classes on weight-reduction plan variety have been initiated by means of month-to-month dialogue in SHG conferences and counseling the households by means of community-based occasions, house visits, village occasions and so forth. Some SRLMs have progressed on this regard, and Gender Samvaad might be an applicable discussion board to share their expertise with different SRLMs. Additionally the message of mixing vitamin backyard institution with Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) to emphasise the significance of planting vitamin gardens and supplementing it with counseling for habits change so that every household consumes the produce of the backyard, thereby bettering variety of their weight-reduction plan and shifting a step additional in direction of reaching a state of Dietary safety could be reiterated. Such dialogue will 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 girls to Take House Rations (THR) and different companies: The Ministry of Girls and Baby Improvement (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 House Rations (THR) and recent cooked meals for pregnant and lactating girls, youngsters beneath 6 years of age and adolescent women (below the SAG scheme). Beneath DAY-NRLM, SHG household with pregnant and lactating girls, youngsters beneath 6 years and adolescent women are inspired to avail the THR companies from the native Anganwadi Heart. A couple of SRLMs have collaborated with DoWCD for partaking SHGs producing and offering THR to Anganwadi Heart.

iii) Selling convergence between M/oRD and Ministry of Agriculture: Agricultural practices/cropping patterns additionally play a big position within the entry to meals for a group, which impacts their dietary sample. Regardless of producing massive portions of nutrient-rich crops akin to Rice, Pulses, Millets and so forth, India harbours one-third of the world’s stunted youngsters. Proof suggests {that a} transfer in direction of cultivation of nutrient-rich indigenous meals crops akin to Jowar, Bajra and different millets and diversification of crops can profit the vitamin standing of the local people. Girls empowerment by means of Agricultural initiatives additionally has an necessary position to play in bettering general 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 a vital position in decreasing meals insecurity by appearing as a security web by distributing necessities at a backed price. With a community of greater than 400,000 Honest Worth Retailers (FPS), the Public Distribution System (PDS) in India is probably the most important distribution equipment of its kind on this planet reaching 80 crore individuals within the FY 2020-21. Beneath DAY-NRLM, linking of SHG members with entitlements and companies 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 vitamin backyard in supplementing availability of various meals teams at family degree;
2. To strengthen the importance of gender delicate approaches whereas conveying vitamin messages to advertise fairness amongst women and men in consumption of meals at house;
3. Expertise sharing between SRLMs on numerous studying and challenges confronted in the course of the implementation.

AGENDA