Gender Considerations of Technological Interventions in Agriculture,Sustainable Management and Development in Indian Central Himalaya

Abstract

Agriculture in the Indian Central Himalaya as an integrated resource system, being mainly dependent on forests and livestock, is also absolutely dependent on the input of women. The article shows that women have greater access to the major primary productive resources in the region and shoulder the responsibility of rationally managing and conserving these resources. Food production, cattle care and other routine household activities demand that women often work more than 15 hours per day. This onerous shouldering of various responsibilities by women, to some extent an outcome of geo-cultural specificities that impact on gender division of labour, creates much drudgery. The article discusses the critical role of women in the use and conservation of forests, livestock and agriculture generally, identifying technologies and strategies to be adopted to conserve and improve these resources and their productivity, while simultaneously ameliorating the quality of life for women in this mountainous ecosystem.