UP women farmers demand equitable land ownership

Uttar Pradesh women farmers on Tuesday demanded equitable ownership of agricultural land and easy access to crop loan. According to a study, only about 6.5 per cent of women have legal rights to land in the state, compared with 87.6 per cent men land owners in the rural areas. A study commissioned by the Uttar Pradesh planning department had highlighted that only 2.6 per cent women (both in rural and urban areas) owned property in their own name. Participating in a workshop titled ‘Elevating women farmers’ rights issue in UP’ here, women farmers from across the state narrated their personal tales of hardship in matters of land rights and succession. The event was jointly organised by social group Landesa and Oxfam India. Contrary to popular perception, 69 per cent of all women workers in India are engaged in agriculture, against 58 per cent men, since men also migrate to distant places in search of livelihood. Land rights for women would not only enhance their own worth within family but also positively impact her family’s nutrition and food intake and allows children to access education, Landesa India Country Director Sanjoy Patnaik said. Oxfam regional manager North India Nand Kishor said, “Women farmers contribute 60-70 per cent of the total crop production, but less than two per cent of them have access to credit and agricultural training programmes. Women farmers face these challenges because they are not recognised as farmers." In the state, women’s land rights are subject to Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950.