Dry Wells And Deserted Women

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Dry Wells And Deserted Women

• Gender, Ecology and Agency in Rural India

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Brinda Rao

• She received a master's degree in History from
  the University of Bombay, and both a M.A. and a
  Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of
  California at Santa Cruz
• Worked as a Research Fellow at the Center for
  Women and Religion at the Graduate Theological
  Union in Berkeley
• Taught at San Francisco State University and at
  the Department of Sociology at UC Berkeley.
• She did research at the intersections of feminism
  and environmental studies.
• She has been involved with women's health and
  environmental movements in India, leading several
  health related and eco-leadership workshops in
  rural areas and serving as a consultant to
  national conferences on women

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Dry Wells and Deserted Women Gender, Ecology and
Agency in Rural India

• she writes the consequences of global
  environmental degradation on rural women, while
  critically examining their changing modes of
  self-identification and participation in social
  and women's movements.

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Ecological Disaster Forest

• About 41 of forest cover of the country has
  already been degraded.
• At present 70 forests have no natural
  regeneration and 55 are prone to fire.
• In the year 2002, the Government of India set a
  goal of achieving 25 forest and tree cover by
  2007 and 33 forest and tree cover by 2012

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Women and Ecological crisis in India

• Poor rural and tribal women in particular, bear
  the burnt of scarcity of ecological resources
• Women in rural societies are primarily
  responsible for providing fuel, fodder, and water
  for their household, lack of access to these
  natural resources increases both of their heavy
  workloads, as well as their impoverishment.
• Walk more miles, get less nourishment endure more
  hardship, etc.

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Women, Environment and Development

• Due to repercussion of colonial and capitalist
  practices womens decreasing access to and
  control over natural resources
• Modernization of agriculture in all parts of
  the world has been detrimental to women.
• In post green revolution era is much harder for
  women to financially meet demands of agriculture
  like tube well irrigation, pesticides, hybrid
  seeds and chemicals
• The crops which women grow do not fetch much
  price in the competitive market women are left
  with little choice other than to give up the land
  and go into the cash economy as wage labourers.

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Women, Environment and Development

• Privatisation of water resources caused serious
  problem in day to day life of women
• Migration of their male counterparts due to
  Industrialisation left them with very little
  security to take care of their resources
• The recent politicization of ecology has brought
  a new face of women fighting for the ecological
  rights.
• Women have come together to take initiatives for
  making alternative arrangements

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Gender, Drought and State

• In Maharashtra sugarcane is the leading export
  crop which consumes 8-10 times the amount of
  water required for food crop such as bajra
  (Millets)
• It has created an intense groundwater famine
  while continuing to increase the world bank debt.
  
• Increased growth of cash crops like sugarcane and
  eucalyptus cultivation have impoverished small
  farmers, pushed them off land and forced to seek
  factory empl.
• The sale of manufactured goods destroyed the
  local cottage industry

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Gender, Drought and State

• Nationalisation of river banks
• Several riverbeds and wells have gone dry and the
  pipe water scheme is not able to supply adequate
  water esp. in summers
• Privatisation of water resources
• Water scarcity is not taken as seriously as crop
  failure

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Natural Resources vs Govt.

• Soon after the independence, the Indian govt.
  gave a free hand to the mushrooming industries at
  the cost of natural resources.
• Modern Indian industry is heavily dependent upon
  forests and water. Almost half of the industries
  are based on biomass production and exert
  enormous pressure on countrys ecology.
• State policies for use and management of water
  are anti poor and pro-industry.

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Natural Resources vs Govt.

• India has the dubious distinction of having the
  largest no. of dams in the world.
• Deforestation and soil erosion have increased.
  Soil erosion due to recurrent of flood.
• Ground water irrigation has also led to alarming
  drops in the water tables across the country.

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Women, Ecology and Agency

• Wood fuel crisis Time mgmt.
• Endangered basket weaving industries
• Disappearing herbs and medicinal plant species
• Water Problems
• SHGs
• All Women Organisations

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References

• Brinda Rao. , Dry wells and Deserted Women
• Patrick MuCully, 1998 Silenced Rivers The
  ecology and Politics of Large dams
• https//www.damsbooks.com/no14755.htm
• http//links.jstor.org/sici?sici0046-36632819922
  129183A13C1193ATGAEDL3E2.0.CO3B2-QsizeSMAL
  L
• http//www.haworthpress.com/store/E-Text/View_ETex
  t.asp?a3fnJ014v21n02_TOCi2sJ014v21

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• Thank You!!!!!!!!!!