<p><b>Project Theme: </b>Economic Justice- Small Holder Agriculture</p>
<p><b>Project Period: </b>1st July 2014- 31st June 2015</p>
<p><b>Project Name: </b>Building people's movement for pro-women farmer policy and programmatic reforms</p>
<p><b>Project Location: </b>National level with special focus on Odisha, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh</p>
<p><b>Budget(Annual): </b>Rs.15 Lakh</p>

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Agriculture sector in India employs 80% of all economically active women; they comprise 33% of the agriculture labor force and 48% of the self employed farmers. According to National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) reports 18% farm families in India are headed by women. Despite playing extensive role in the Indian agriculture production system, women most often are not recognised as farmers both legally and socially. However, recently women farmers’ issues are getting recognised by the policy makers, academicians and sector experts. In March2012, APAARI (Asia Pacific Association of Agriculture Research Institute) organised Global Conference on Women in Agriculture (GCWA) in India. This was attended by President of India, Union Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing, and several national and international sector experts, academicians, INGOs. On 12th May 2012 eminent agriculture scientist and former Rajya Sabha member Prof. M.S Swaminathan proposed a private member bill called “Women Farmers‟ Entitlement Bill, 2011” to provide for the gender specific needs of women farmers. This led to an opportunity to push the agenda of women farmers’ entitlement to land and other rights and entitlements. However, this Bill was never debated and lapsed. There is a need to re-start the engagement process in order to build momentum over the reintroduction of the WFEB. <br>
Women Power Connect (WPC) with a membership base of 1000 NGOs and individuals in 28 states serves as the largest advocacy body for women in India. It works to ensure the effective implementation of gender friendly legislation and active participation of women in policy outcomes. The WPC works with a vision to create a world where women realise their full potential to live with dignity and freedom of choice. Oxfam India has the same vision for women farmers under its work on smallholder agriculture; hence, Oxfam India and WPC collaborate to increase women farmers’ access to land and other inputs; and to build their economic leadership.
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<p>
<b>About the Project:</b> The project <b>“Building people’s movement for pro-women farmer policy and programmatic efforts”</b> is aimed to address the deep-rooted problem of women farmers and women at large being denied equal land and property rights in India. The exclusion of majority of the women from access to and control of rural as well as urban land and property in India is also among the most challenging issues facing our country today. While women in India have the legal right to own land under the Hindu Succession Amendment Act 2005 and the Muslim Shariah Act 1937, but very few know this. For those women who do own land, ownership rarely translates into control of the land or of the assets flowing from the land. Without more legislation and policy pronouncements mostly in rural livelihood it seldom penetrates the surface and is ultimately ineffective against the established inherent power structures. The patriarchal power structure of urban and rural lives and institutions of local governance has proved far more influential and persistent than any law or policy. Interventions for change so women control land must be directed at interrelated political, legal, religious, and social institutions that continue to reflect and reaffirm the patriarchal ideology that dominates India's rural society.
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<h3>Expected Impact: </h3>
<p>The Project seeks to build an encouraging and enabling social and policy atmosphere for women farmers and women at large for increasing their access to land and property.</p>
<ul class="list-group">
<li>Mobilise and build capacity of youth and women leaders to bring in greater awareness on the issue of women property rights and women’s right over land. </li>
<li>Build a favorable social and legal atmosphere for women property rights and women land rights by working with different stakeholders- policy makers, civil society groups, academicians, media and farmers' groups.</li>
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<h3>Achievements:</h3>
<ol>
<li>A detailed research on judgment analysis of cases on HSAA 2005 has been carried out. </li>
<li>Awareness campaign on HSAA 2005 organised in colleges, universities, market places and corporate houses and around 4000 youth been sensitised. Campaign able to reach to 20,000 urban mass indirectly. Approximately 1600 people watched the performances completely. Around 500 people both young boys and girls, men Women and many old people participated in expressing their own opinion and speaking for the cause.</li>
<li>Twenty five participants from Civil society organizations have been participated to explore Policy and Programmatic Spaces for Increasing Women Farmers’ Access to and Control over Land”.</li>
</ol>