scholarly journals Rural China’s Invisible Women: A Feminist Political Economy Approach to Food Security

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lanyan Chen

From a feminist political economy perspective, this article examines two recent trends in agricultural production in china likely to exacerbate gender inequalities that have been growing since the 1980s economic reforms. First, rural women are looking after land contracted to the family to grow food for the family while men are engaging in trade, marketing agricultural products and/or employment in cities. Second, some men have found opportunities, opened up by the government’s land transfer policy, to create agricultural farms by contracting land from other villagers. Women work for these farms as wage laborers. These trends reinforce male-dominated systems of food provision and pose threats to “food security” in China’s countryside, meaning inadequate access to diverse, valued foods that promote good health. These threats are particularly acute as gender disparities in rural areas increase. I conclude that existing examples of agricultural workers' cooperatives are important prefigurative practices. Such cooperatives could serve as places where women cooperators’ voices are strengthened against patriarchal policies in the household and in communities. This has important implications for food security.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalowar Hossan

The aim of this study is to investigate the factors influencing the entrepreneurial success of rural women entrepreneurs in Bangladesh. Non-probability sampling specifically convenience sampling is used to draw the sample and data is collected using the self-administered survey. Regression analysis and descriptive statistics are used to analyze the data. The study discloses that motivational factors, government policy and financial support have significant influence on the rural women entrepreneurial success in Bangladesh. Due to lack of suitable training and proper development as well as ICT knowledge, the rural women of Bangladesh could not accomplish the achievement. Half of the total populations of Bangladesh are female and most of them live in rural areas. Therefore, the government and the policymakers in Bangladesh should develop the potential of rural women entrepreneurs by providing development facilities, proper training, and ICT knowledge.


Author(s):  
Kalaichelvi Sivaraman ◽  
Rengasamy Stalin

This research paper is the part of Research Project entitled “Impact of Elected Women Representatives in the Life and Livelihood of the Women in Rural Areas: With Special Reference to Tiruvannamalai District, Tamil Nadu” funded by University of Madras under UGC-UPE Scheme.The 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution of India were made by the government to strengthen the position of women and to create a local-level legal foundation for direct democracy for women in both rural and urban areas. The representation for women in local bodies through reservation policies amendment in Constitution of India has stimulated the political participation of women in rural areas. However, when it’s comes to the argument of whether the women reservation in Panchayati Raj helps or benefits to the life and livelihood development of women as a group? The answer is hypothetical because the studies related to the impact of women representatives of Panchayati Raj in the life and livelihood development of women was very less. Therefore, to fill the gap in existing literature, the present study was conducted among the rural women of Tiruvannamalai district to assess the impact of elected women representatives in the physical and financial and business development of the women in rural areas. The findings revealed that during the last five years because of the women representation in their village Panjayati Raj, the Physical Asset of the rural women were increased or developed moderately (55.8%) and Highly (23.4%) and the Financial and Business Asset of the rural women were increased or developed moderately (60.4%) and Highly (18.7%).


Author(s):  
Shankar Chatterjee

The self-help group (SHG) is a powerful instrument to empower economically backward women of rural India as the women members under the SHG not only can earn income but they feel empowered also. With the launching of Swarnajaynti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India from April 1999, subsequently rechristened as Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) self-help group approach (SHG) has been given utmost importance in India for the development of rural women mainly focusing on below poverty line households. SHG concept is popular in many rural areas of India as through economic development and subsequently empowering, rural women have got a solid platform. This research article has discussed the how rural women after forming SHGs in Ranga Reddy district (R.R. District) of Telangana were not only earning and contributing to the family but felt empowered also. The study was carried out at Gandipet village of Gandipet Mandal, Ranga Reddy (R.R.) district in September 2017. The some women members of 10 different SHGs were contacted and few individual cases are presented here.


LAW REVIEW ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sangita Laha

Women have been struggling for self-respect and autonomy. Although women constitute one half of the population, they continue to be subjugated, unequal in socioeconomic and political status.There have been several attempts to improve the position of women since India got independence in 1947. Since mid-1980 owing to questioning by women themselves about their oppressed status and plight through varied women’s movements, the issue of ‘women empowerment’ came into focus. The Government of India declared the year 2001 as year for the ‘Empowerment of Women’, but the struggle to reach this stage has been long and arduous. . It has also resulted in the entry of a large number of women in decision-making bodies in rural areas, who were otherwise homemakers. Political participation and grassroots democracy have been strengthened considerably by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment that has created new democratic institutions for local governance yet t women are facing the various problem in the functioning of panchayats. After getting the reservation in the panchayats, they are still depending on their husband or other male members of their family. So for knowing the status of women in the all level of panchayats in India, this paper is based on the secondary data and deals with the political participation and representation of the rural women in the panchayats in India. The theoretical perspective of the evolution of the panchayati raj system in India and the journey of the women in the local governance has also been explained in the study.Several factors which responsible for women’s low participation have been dealt with.In this context, the paper tries to analyse the government initiative for women’s empowerment in the Panchyats, an opportunity to come forward through reservation and highlighting the factors which overtly or covertly tend to prevent women members from performing their roles. Some necessary steps for empowering the women have been suggested.


Author(s):  
Kofi Quan-Baffour

The rapid population increase has consequences on food security in Africa. The policies of the colonialists protected European markets and discouraged the growth of indigenous agro- industries in Africa. In Ghana much food is produced during the harvest seasons but greater part of it gets rotten due to lack of preservation or storage facilities. Despite the negative attitude of the colonialists towards local products indigenous food preservation continued unabated although limited to the aging population in the rural areas. The purpose of this chapter is to share the Akan heritage of indigenous food preservation as a strategy to manage postharvest losses and ensure food security and sustainable livelihoods. The chapter which emanated from an ethnographic study used interviews and observations for data collection. The study found that the Akan communities without agro-industries use their indigenous knowledge and skills to preserve food and create jobs. The chapter concluded that in this era of Africa's rebirth its people should utilize indigenous food processing skills to reduce postharvest losses and ensure food security. It was recommended that the government of Ghana should provide financial support to make indigenous agro-industries sustainable.


Author(s):  
Teguh Endaryono

Entrepreneurship is an alternative to improve the ability of the local economy. Development in rural areas,which are dominated by agronomic activities and the roles of men as the bread winner of the family income.In order to respond the increasing needs of life, women had the opportunity to engage in business that can increase the family income. Based on the expectancy theory (Vroom, 1964), this case study examining how the women entrepreneurs in rural respond to the presence of students whom follow the activityof community development as a builder. The aims of this study is to find out the expectancy, instrumentality and valence according to the rural women entrepreneurs. This study uses a case study with the informant are the women entrepreneurs who become as business partners of the community development activities the student of STIE Prasetya Mulya. The specific finding in this research distinguished between individual and social aspect. In terms of individuals, they want to increase income, skill in basic accounting, anticipate the scarcity of rawmaterials and capital stimulus. In terms of social, they are not economically dependent on their parents, flexible hour, have a production house, and add to the family assets.


Subject New unemployment data methodology. Significance China’s urban unemployment rate averaged just under 5% during the first half of 2018, according to new official statistics. The government claims that a new methodology adopted to produce them gauges the level of joblessness better than the previous, largely useless, figures. However, the new data still do not reveal the whole picture: they exclude workers in rural areas (nearly half the workforce) and mask instability in the urban job market. Impacts The growing number of workers in the gig economy will stage strikes and protests in order to improve their pay and working conditions. Rural women, the elderly, disabled and poorly educated workers in particular will struggle to find secure employment. Imbalances in the employment market will remain a serious challenge for the Chinese government for many years to come.


1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
George P. Cernada ◽  
A. K. Ubaidur Rob

In spite of three decades of national family planning programmes, Pakistan's contraceptive prevalence rate was only 12 percent in 1991. Furthermore, the government family planning service delivery systems, primarily the family welfare center (FWC), cover less than 10 percent of the people in rural areas. Although there are cultural and religious constraints to social change, it can be argued effectively from recent surveys that there is a considerable need for family planning that has yet to be met. Certain barriers to, and options for, meeting this need are reviewed, particularly in terms of strengthening information, communication and education (TEC) at the community level.


Author(s):  
Xia Xiao ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Xiaoxiao Song ◽  
Qinghua Xu ◽  
Siwei Yang ◽  
...  

Prenatal exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is the most modifiable risk factor associated with adverse child-health outcomes. However, few longitudinal studies are implemented to compare the rates of discrepancy between self-reported (SR) and urinary cotinine (UC)-verified ETS exposure during the three trimesters of pregnancy, especially in rural areas. The objectives of this study were to assess the discrepancy between SR and UC-verified ETS exposure among rural women employing three measures throughout pregnancy, and to explore predictors related to these differences. This study used a prospective prenatal cohort consisting of 420 pregnant women whose ETS exposure was entirely evaluated by both SR and UC verification across three trimesters of pregnancy. Environmental tobacco exposure was assessed via SR verification, and was validated using the limit of detection for UC. The discrepancy rates were determined for each trimester. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the predictors associated with these differences. The discrepancy rates between SR and UC verification were 25.2%, 17.1%, and 20.5% (first, second, and third trimester, respectively). The highest inconsistency occurred in the first trimester. After adjusting for confounding factors, the following variables were found to have statistically significant associations with the discrepancy rate between SR and UC-verified ETS exposure: the number of smokers in the family and household income for all three trimesters, township site for the second and third trimester, and gravidity for the last trimester. The SR rate of ETS exposure among rural pregnant women is underreported, while the UC-verified rate is higher. More smokers in the family and gravidity may increase the risk of ETS exposure for pregnant women. Biochemical validation is warranted throughout pregnancy for the adoption of home-smoking bans and the promotion of community-based smoke-free programs.


Author(s):  
Yunindyawati ◽  
Titik Sumarti ◽  
Soeryo Adiwibowo ◽  
Aida Vitayala S. Hubbeis ◽  
Hardinsyah

Tulisan ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji diskursus ketahanan pangan antaraktor dan pembentukan kuasa pengetahuan perempuan pada keluarga petani sawah lebak di Kecamatan Pemulutan Selatan kabupaten Ogan Ilir Sumatera Selatan. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode kualitatif dengan menggunakan paradigma konstruktivistik. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa terdapat tiga aktor utama dalam diskursus ketahanan pangan yakni pemerintah, komunitas dan pelaku usaha. Masing-masing aktor berupaya mempraktikkan diskursusnya pada keluarga petani. Pada saat mempraktikkan diskursus terjadi interaksi diskursus antaraktor yang bersifat sinergis. Namun diskursus yang paling dominan dipraktikkan oleh keluarga adalah diskursus komunitas, sementara diskursus pemerintah sebagai pelengkap dan diskursus pelaku usaha sebagai pendorong. Pembentukan kuasa pengetahuan perempuan oleh para aktor bersifat elastis dan terdapat perbedaan akses dalam pembentukan kuasa pengetahuan perempuan berdasarkan perbedaan kelas sosial.This study was to examine food security discourse between actors in the farmers family and the formation of the power of womens knowledge. The method used was a qualitative method using constructivism paradigm. Research findings indicate that there were three main actors in the discourse of food security namely the government, community and business. Each attempt to practice their discourse on family farmers. It turns out that in practice this discourse, there were interaction between actors in synergy. But the most dominant discourse was discourse of community that practiced by the family while the government discourse as a supplement and entrepreneurs discourse as a spur. Formation of the power of womens knowledge by actors were flexibles/elastics and there were differences acces of formation in power of womens knowledge between women in different social classes


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