The School of Gender and Development Studies (SOGDS) and School of Agriculture (SOA), IGNOU launched a Programme Certificate in Gender, Agriculture and Sustainable Development in the academic year 2021. Women play a significant role in Indian agriculture from the sowing of seeds, harvesting crops and post-harvest value addition. Due to gender inequalities in society, women lack ownership, access and control over resources and lack decision making. Gender inequality is inbuilt in our society due to patriarchy, so in all spheres of our lives, including agriculture. Subordination of women has become a way of life. With the changing pattern of agricultural activities and the mechanization of agriculture, women's role in agriculture increased, especially among small and marginal farmers. Even though industrialization has changed agricultural activities, still women have more labour-intensive farm activities such as weeding and harvesting. Change in land ownership and gender-sensitive labour laws facilitated women to be involved in decision-making and reduced drudgery. But Indian agriculture has not yet addressed many issues confronted by women in agriculture. Feminization of agriculture, gender biases in agriculture and rural development are the global issues of concern. Women often lose control over resources such as land and are generally excluded from access to improved agricultural methods. Women and men are affected differently by economic change and development, and thus an active public policy is needed to intervene to close gender gaps. In this context, agriculture needs to look towards sustainability in its planning and policy process and the women's contribution to sustainable agricultural development. Changing the policy makers' mindset, government functionaries, extension workers, researchers, and students is a need of an hour. This ODL programme on 'Gender, Agriculture and Sustainable Development will address above mentioned issues to create awareness among all stakeholders.
Specific Programme Objectives
- To create awareness about gender roles and typology of issues in sustainable agriculture.
- To provide the knowledge on sustainable development in relation with gender and agriculture.
- To build capacities in gender research in agriculture.
The programme structure broadly covers areas like: gender, agriculture and sustainable development-Concepts and trends; gender roles and issues in agriculture and sustainable development; gender analysis and mainstreaming; policies and programmes; gender and sustainable development.
The programme aims at having potential learners from various groups like students, research professionals, scientists, extension workers, NGO personnel, human resource personnel and policy-makers. This would be an interdisciplinary programme to be offered to graduates from disciplines across the sciences and social sciences. The developed programme is a general programme and there will not be any age bar.
The medium of instruction will be English. The maximum duration for the Certificate programme is two years. According to the need assessment survey, this programme will provide job opportunities in NGOs, ICAR, KVKs, social institutions, agriculture clinics, rural banks and training institutions involved in agricultural extension activities.
Admission Cycle: Admissions for all students will be done on January and July cycle.
