Role of women in sustainable agriculture and biodiversity conservation

Authors Details :
Shobha Rani K

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Women, who constitute the largest group of farmers and who have conserved and improved ago-biodiversity, often have no property rights to land. They also tend to be bypassed by development schemes related to biodiversity. Women’s universities, home science colleges and other educational institutions catering to women’s needs rarely include biodiversity as a field of study. Women can ensure sustainable development and biodiversity conservation/enhancement. Structural obstacles to the advancement of indigenous women need to be addressed, by facilitating and redefining of gender roles and relations in the family and society. Increased involvement of women in decision making structures can contribute to biodiversity: If women are left out of the planning and implementation of local initiatives, valuable input is lost. As well, there tends to be very unequal participation among women and men in official biodiversity initiatives. Given educational biases, cultural obstacles and gender stereotypes, women often find it difficult to enter into relevant professional fields and gain specific expertise. The challenge sustainable agriculture is the safeguarding of agro-biodiversity by paying greater attention to diverse and integrated agricultural systems, especially those managed by women that provide food and livelihood security