INDIGENOUS PEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES FOR EMPOWERMENT OF HILL WOMEN IN UTTARAKHAND Ms. Arpita Sharma Ph.

D Research Scholar, Dept. of Agricultural Communication, College of Agriculture, G. B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar 263145 (Uttarakhand),

It is widely accepted that the development processes in India in the last few years have contributed to the growth of poverty by promoting economic and gender inequalities and thus have degraded the environment. The fact that environmental degradation has affected women's lives in ways different from men is well established now. Women have been identified as main victims of overall ecological degradation by many environmentalists, and this has been mainly attributed to the fact that they are responsible for producing, processing and gathering food, fetching water and carrying fuelwood. But Krishna (1996) has questioned the emphasis of ecofeminists on the biology of women. Nevertheless, when we talk about managing and preserving traditional knowledge system, the pivotal role played by women cannot be ignored. It is true that women have much more pragmatic knowledge of the practices in which they are engaged, leading to a kind of specialisation; but whether the knowledge so produced is affected more by specialisation or by gender is not an easy question to answer (Gupta: 1996). Does gender make a difference to the nature of knowledge on the environment? It is a question on which research needs to be done. Venkateshwaran (1992) points out that their conservative approach is not something inherent, arising out of their being women, but because of their role and work tasks. The close association between women and natural resources exists because of their social and economic roles which have for generations required them to provide food, fuel, and fodder from the surroundings. Except ploughing, women carry out almost all crop production tasks to help their menfolk (Chandra: 1981). Womens role becomes all the more important in the traditional society of Kumaon Hills, located in the mountainous region of the Himalayas, where the livelihood of the people is still dependent on the sound management of its natural resources and their sustainable utilisation. Subsistence farming still remains peoples main source of livelihood, but it cannot be seen in isolation. Forest, grasslands, farms, livestock and water all were organically linked with each other and everybody respected this link. Farming was done at a subsistent level with forest provided a strong support base. They provided leaf-litter for manure to be used in agriculture and fodder for animals. In turn, the livestock manure enriched forests and farms. Good forest especially the broad-leaved forest, was essential for the preservation of water in springs, which was in turn necessary to irrigate the fields. Knowledge and practices in a traditional society, living in a close proximity with nature, functioned like a well-oiled system. Unlike the modern knowledge it is neither atomised nor isolated. Rather, it was a highly interdependent network of actors. The linkage between these sectors is well understood by women as they work between sectors and perform multiple tasks. Foreign travellers were invariably struck by the importance of women in rural economic life, unlike male-dominated European agriculture (Kennedy: 1886).Womens work and knowledge is thus central to bio-diversity conservation and

sustainable utilisation of resources in hill agriculture. But despite this, as farmers, they remain invisible (Shiva: 1993). WOMEN IN KUMAON HILL FARMING SYSTEMS Traditional knowledge was the cornerstone of the society and its survival in the Kumaon hills. It provides locally manageable, sustainable and cost effective survival strategies for local community, especially to the poor. Women's knowledge has been the mainstay of crop production, animal husbandry, dairy and forestry. They have excellent knowledge about collection, storage and use of seeds as shown by a study done by Sahayog, an NGO based at Almora (Sahayog: 1995) and Das (1995). Despite all this, their immense contribution to subsistence based rural societies remained veiled. Very few efforts have been made to analyse their contribution to, rural economy, traditional hill agriculture, continuance of traditional knowledge etc. (Gulati: 1975, Agrawal: 1985). Gurang (1990) also makes an attempt to understand how women can be considered "invisible" actors in agriculture and natural resource management in the hills. Condition of women: In Kumaon hills, the condition of women is somewhat different from their counterparts elsewhere. Some development indicators pertaining to women are very favourable compared to the elsewhere in the State of Uttar Pradesh (Uttaranchal State was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in November 2000). For example, the sex ratio is comparatively better with a couple of districts even reporting a reverse sex ratio. Literacy rates and age at marriage is also higher. The practice of 'purdah' (veil) is more or less absent and the mobility of women is greater. But despite these advantages women remain the 'second sex ' in this traditional hill society. The most important feature of a woman's life in Kumaon Hills is her workload. Women are expected right from girlhood to do all the household chores and contribute substantially to agriculture. The 1991 Census has recorded high female workforce participation rate in the hill districts. While it is quite low in the U.P plains (12%), in the hills the rates are comparatively higher with highest in Almora district: 49.6% (Bose: 2000). They are responsible for gathering fuel, fodder, leaf-litter and for caring of animals. They often work up to 14 hours a day. Still, , women do not have much right to either domestic or personal decision-making, thanks to the patriarchal nature of the hill society. Even the education of girls has not led to any significant changes in their socio-economic status: the educated daughter-in law is expected to be working as hard in fields and forest, and is as much under the prohibitive taboos as any other woman. The economy: The economy of Kumaon Hills is largely depended on natural resources. Over the years, the region has suffered a major loss of its pristine natural resources. And the ever shrinking forest and water resources have hit women in Kumaon hills real hard. For one, they spend longer hours gathering fuelwood, fodder and fetching water. Then, the loss of forest cover and proliferation of chir pine has made agricultural activities more cumbersome. Women have directly borne the brunt and their workload has multiplied. The problem has compounded in the wake of most able-bodied men migrating to the plains and leaving the task of running the households squarely on the shoulders of women. This economy was largely based on traditional knowledge system that is in disarray today. With the forest cover gone, the organic linkage between cropping and forest was lost, resulting in the reduction of transfer of biomass. The so called scientific knowledge system has been thrust upon the people which has threatened the very survival base of the hill society

because people are fast losing natural sources and traditional knowledge to utilise them whilst the modern system remains inadequate and inaccessible to most people. Moreover these imported scientific solutions have proven to be inappropriate, ineffective and irrelevant. Government interventions, market forces, cash economy are some of the reasons amongst several others, are responsible for the downfall of traditional knowledge. Market forces and government interventions have also focussed on crops for the market. Therefore very little improvisation has been made in the technology which mainly concerns women such as processing food, cooking, fetching firewood, carrying water. Besides, external forces have completely marginalised women from the control and management of natural resources. These have not just added to womens workload but have also made a dent in their status and power and made them loose control over their labour and knowledge. Her role as a carrier of traditional knowledge remains largely ignored by researchers REFERENCES Aashish, B., (2002) "Missing Men and Lonely women: Demography of Himalayan Villages"-Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. XXXV, No.27. Agrawal R. Small farms, women and traditional knowledge- experiences from kumaon hills. Farming systems knowledge and information systems. Agarwal, B., (1985) "Women and Technological Change in Agriculture: The Asian and African Experiences" in Technology and Rural Women: Conceptual and empirical issues, George Allen and Unwin, London. Chandra, R., (1981) "Sex Role Arrangements To Achieve Economic Security In North West Himalayas" in Haimendorf C. Von Furer (ed), Asian Highland Societies In Anthropological Perspective, New Delhi. Chopra, R. and Pasi, S. (2002): Where are The Empty Thalis in Uttarakhand?: District Level Food Insecurity Analysis of Uttarakhand, (PSI: Dehra Dun). Gulati, L. (1975) Female Work Participation: A Study of Inter State Difference, In Economic & Political Weekly, Vol. 10, No. 1 and 2, Jan 11. Gurung, J., (1990) Invisible Farmers?: Hill and Mountain Women of the Himalaya, ICIMOD. Nepal. Kennedy J., (1884) Life And Work In Benares And Kumaon (1839-1877), London. Krishna, Sumi, (1996) Politics of Environment, Sage Publications: New Delhi. Singh,V., (1989) "Pahad", People's Association for Himalayas Area Research, Nainital. Venkateshwaran, S., (1992) Living on the Edge, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. New Delhi.