Certificate in Gender, Agriculture and Sustainable Development (CGAS)

From planting seeds to harvesting crops and adding value after harvest, women are important in Indian agriculture. Women lack decision-making, ownership, access to, and control over resources as a result of gender inequality in society. Due to patriarchy, gender inequality is ingrained in our society and affects many aspects of our life, including agriculture. Women's subordination has become the norm. Women now play a larger part in agriculture than ever before, especially among small and marginal farmers, as a result of shifting agricultural activity patterns and mechanisation. Agriculture has evolved as a result of industrialisation, although women still perform more labour-intensive farm tasks like weeding and harvesting. Changes in land ownership and labour regulations that take into account gender increased women's participation in decision-making and decreased drudgery. But there are still a lot of challenges that women in agriculture in India face today. Concerning worldwide concerns include the feminization of agriculture, gender prejudice in agriculture, and rural development. Women frequently relinquish authority over resources like land, and they typically lack access to modern farming techniques. Economic growth and change effect men and women differently, therefore active public policy is required to intervene and close gender inequalities. In this context, agriculture must consider sustainability in its planning and policy-making processes, as well as the role that women play in the development of sustainable agriculture. The necessity of the hour is to shift the thinking of government officials, extension workers, researchers, and students. To raise awareness among all stakeholders, this ODL programme on "Gender, Agriculture, and Sustainable Development" will cover the aforementioned topics. This programme aims to raise awareness of gender roles and the types of challenges that pertain to sustainable agriculture. It also imparts knowledge on how gender and agriculture relate to sustainable development and builds skills for gender research in agriculture.