Poster presentation at the 4th International Rice Congress (2014) Title: Gender Issues in the Introduction of Mechanical Weeding with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Insights from Village Studies in Odisha, India Presenter: Sabarmatee Venue: BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand Dates: October 27-31, 2014

1. Gender Issues in the Introduction of Mechanical Weeding
with the System of Rice Intensification (SRI):
Insights from Village Studies in Odisha, India
(P525)
Do gender and labouring bodies matter?
'Rice grows on women's backs' as women contribute 30 to 80% of the labour to grow rice. Women perform two crucial on-field tasks like transplanting and
weeding in wet conditions for long hours in bending positions besides non-negotiable household and other responsibilities. Despite crucial contribution of
women, discussions on labour in rice-growing have largely bypassed issues like gender and the impact of technologies on labouring bodies. We are drawing
attention to these important dimensions taking the case of weeding in SRI.
As an agro-ecological innovation, SRI recommends planting of young and single seedling, widely spaced, in non-inundated field condition. Besides aeration and
incorporation of weeds in soil, frequent mechanical weeding to control potentially increased weed infestation impacts labouring bodies and leads to diverse
gender ramifications.
We explored
- How introduction of weeders and weeding schedules with SRI practice affect gender-wise work participation and labourer's bodies across geographies?
- How bodily experiences shape weeding tools and schedules?
How we learnt
Three villages were selected for study (in 2011-12 wet season) in costal Ganjam, hilly Kandhamal and
mountainous Koraput districts in Odisha, India with diverse social and agro-ecological characteristics, rice-growing
practices, and SRI histories. Twenty farm households practicing SRI were randomly selected from
Odisha
India
each village for intensive study (n=60, cultivated rice in 545 plots). Tools like Focus Group Discussions,
individual interviews, story-telling, participant observation, Rapid Comparative Pain Assessment, some
ergonomic measurements and other work-related measurements were employed for data collection.
What we found
- Both men and women were found participating in mechanical weeding though manual weeding continued to be women's job as before.
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Figure 1: Percent of men and women engaged
in all weedings across villages
Men Women Men Women Men Women
s
e r
labo u r
o f
cen t
P e r
Gender and village
Mechnical
Manual
n= 645 labourers engaged in weeding
Source: Field observation and individual interviews, 2012
SUNDARGARH
DEOGARH
ANGUL
BALASORE
MAYURBHANJ
KEONJHAR
BHADRAK
KENDRAPARA
DHENKANAL
JHARSUGUDA
SAMBALPUR
BARGARH
SONEPUR
BOLANGIR
NUAPARA
KALAHANDI
NABARANGPUR
MALKANGIRI
RAYAGADA
BOUDH
KANDHAMAL
GAJAPATI
GANJAM
NAYAGARH
CUTTACK
KHURDHA
PURI
JAJPUR
JAGATSINGHPUR
KORAPUT
Research Sites
Odisha
- Degree of participation of men and women in mechanical weeding and pursuit of weeding schedules are dynamic and found to be different in 2011 and 12.
Following factors shape gender-wise participation in mechanical weeding.
· Environmental dynamics: Weed type and growth, water regime, soil type
· Household and social dynamics: Negotiation among household members, customary gender roles in weeding, institutional membership, livelihood
strategy of men and women
· Extension dynamics: Availability, adequacy, accessibility, ownership and management of weeders, clientele of trainings, clientele of incentives
· Engineering dynamics: Design of weeders and ergonomics
- Changing gender roles however, could not :
· Influence deep-rooted gender-specific wage asymmetries although both do equal work and
· Ensure men's participation in manual weeding during transitional period.
- Not only users, women's groups emerged as managers of common resources like weeders where they are involved in decision making, training,
management of weeders.
- Reduction in work time, change in posture and participation of men reduced drudgery of women, but increased men's drudgery.
Physical Experiences (Energy Use) of Women Using
Mechanical Weeders
Variables
• Manual handling of materials differ and is less –
handling weeder, not grasses in mechanical weeding, no
change in manual weeding
• Work time per unit of land is less, speed is more
(16-25 hrs / ac), (30-50 mtrs x 18-20 cms/ minute) - in SRI
at one time
(Up to 150 hrs / ac), (1 sq mtr max / minute)- in conv.
• Work environment is better and time remaining in that
environment is less
• Some men participate in weeding
• Posture changes with use of weeder (model -specific)
Gender-wise Cross-technology Pain Experience of
Particulars Gender,
Sample size , gender 15 , Women
Method of sample selection Random
Period of test August 2013
Range of age 18-40
Range of weight 38-72
Range of height 4.8 -5.5
Type of tool Mandva weeder
Type of measuring instrument
Oxymeter
used
No. of reading taken (per person
at a gap of 3 mnts)
4
Findings Manual
weeding
Mechanical weeding
Range of SpO2 (Oxygen Saturation Level) 93 - 99 92-100
Average SpO2 96 96
Range of Prbpm (Pulse rate per minute ) 75-160 76-184
Average PRbpm 117.5 130
Method of
cultivation
Labourers Engaged in Weeding
Conventional SRI
Men
Manual No participation- no
pain
Normally No participation- No
pain, Sometimes when
participate get pain in back, legs,
knees
Use of
weeder
Not used - no pain Back, Shoulders, Hand, Palm
New – injury by weeders
Women
Manual Knee, Thighs, Back
Shoulder ,
Feet, Area under
bangles, Area between
fingers of hands and
legs, Abrasion in skin
- Severe
Knee, Thighs, Back, Shoulder,
Feet, Abrasion in skin - Less
(Weeder use reduced amount of
work)
Use of
weeder
Not used - no pain Shoulder, Chest, Hands, Legs,
Back
New – injury by weeders
BUT
Recommendations could not be followed by all farmers
due to various reasons
Hence gender-wise bodily (physical) experiences vary
4
- However, Work –rest rhythms, postures, work environment, span of work time differ which have synergetic impact on body than short period energy use
expressed in SpO2 and PRbpm .
- Introduction of specific models of weeders (like Mandva model that solves the purpose and cause less pain to users) enabled both genders to undertake
mechanical weeding, mainly in family farms.
DIFFERENT WEEDER MODELS FOUND IN VILLAGES MANDVA WEEDER CONO WEEDER
- Bodily experiences play a determining role in use/rejection/acceptance of models of weeders. (Cono model rejected causing more pain to users' bodies,
but Mandva model was accepted)
To wrap up
Gender-wise work participation and bodies are affected differently by agricultural technologies in their social-material context which affect technologies in turn.
The study suggests for:
- integrating gender and physical issues with interdisciplinary approach in agricultural technology evaluation,
- involving men and women in choice, design/ development and application of gender-sensitive technologies,
- steering innovative extension and scaling-up strategies, incentive structures for better organisation of labour to use the benefits of technology like SRI.
Acknowledgement:
We are thankful to Dutch Organisation for Global Development Programme (NWO -WOTRO), Netherlands for financial support for the study (Grant no. W
01.65.328.00, 2010-2014) and all others who supported our effort during the journey.
Please visit our team’s work:
Oral Presentation:(IRC14-0694, C03-2, Wednesday 14:30, Room GH 203), Oral Presentation: (IRC14-0668 C06-1, Friday 11:10, Room MR 222)
Posters: P582/ IRC14-0614, P564/ IRC14-1041
1.Sabarmatee, PhD student, Knowledge, Technology and Innovation Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands; E Mail: sabarmatee@gmail.com
C. Shambu Prasad, Professor, Rural Management and Development, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar -751013, Odisha, India; E Mail: shambu@ximb.ac.in