Participation of Women in Sugarcane Farming System-A Case Study of Bijnor District (Western Uttar Pradesh)
Sugarcane is an annual crop engaging around 50 million farmers of which approximately half are women. Even though, women form the backbone of sugarcane cultivation, they still tend to exist as “the hidden farmers” with almost negligible access on land, resources, technologies, financial services, markets and even education. Despite their exclusive inputs in sugarcane farming operations like farmyard manure application, sett planting and treatments, hand weeding and detrashing, sugarcane bundling, disposal of trash and plant protection measures, the output of the land controlled by women is drastically lesser than the male counterparts. Against this backdrop the present paper is an attempt to examine the role of women in sugarcane farming in terms of their participation level, their decision making pattern in various activities, time utilization pattern, drudgeries involved and thereby implications. Hence, this study was conducted in Nehtaur Block of Bijnor District of Western Uttar Pradesh. Six villages from Nehtaur Block were selected for the purpose of the study. From these villages, 120 women who were engaged in sugarcane farming selected randomly and each was interviewed personally for the collection of data.
A Case Study on Socio-Economic Status of Farm Women in Faizabad District of Uttar-Pradesh
In our country, rural women - the wives of the heads of farming households - constitute about 80 per cent of the total women population. They are nearly 50 per cent of the total rural population and are thus, numerically capable of playing a pivotal role in the rural economy. However, it is disappointing to note that a demographic perspective of women in general and rural women in particular displays a picture of educational backwardness, poverty, deprivation, ill-health and lack of opportunities for economic, political and social development. The rural farm women have multifarious roles which demand more time and effort. The present study makes an attempt to analyze the demographic factors of farm women. The total sample of the study comprised of 100 farm women drawn purposively by proportionate random sampling method from four villages of Milkipur Block - a block is the unit of planning and development. It is an administrative means for taking the problems of rural people in a coordinated manner - of Faizabad District, Uttar Pradesh (INDIA). The demographic variables viz., age, education, caste, family type, family size, land holding, housing pattern, occupation, income and material possession were studied through a general information schedule. The profile analysis of farm women with respect to the demographic characteristics revealed that majority of farm women were old age, literate, belonged to backward caste, joint family, large family size, marginal(land holding), pacca house (made of bricks and cement), caste as main occupation and labour as subsidiary, medium income group and maximum belong to medium socio-economic-status.
Genetics of the phenotypic evolution in sheep: a molecular look at diversity-driving genes
Background After domestication, the evolution of phenotypically-varied sheep breeds has generated rich biodiversity. This wide phenotypic variation arises as a result of hidden genomic changes that range from a single nucleotide to several thousands of nucleotides. Thus, it is of interest and significance to reveal and understand the genomic changes underlying the phenotypic variation of sheep breeds in order to drive selection towards economically important traits. Review Various traits contribute to the emergence of variation in sheep phenotypic characteristics, including coat color, horns, tail, wool, ears, udder, vertebrae, among others. The genes that determine most of these phenotypic traits have been investigated, which has generated knowledge regarding the genetic determinism of several agriculturally-relevant traits in sheep. In this review, we discuss the genomic knowledge that has emerged in the past few decades regarding the phenotypic traits in sheep, and our ultimate aim is to encourage its practical application in sheep breeding. In addition, in order to expand the current understanding of the sheep genome, we shed light on research gaps that require further investigation. Conclusions Although significant research efforts have been conducted in the past few decades, several aspects of the sheep genome remain unexplored. For the full utilization of the current knowledge of the sheep genome, a wide practical application is still required in order to boost sheep productive performance and contribute to the generation of improved sheep breeds. The accumulated knowledge on the sheep genome will help advance and strengthen sheep breeding programs to face future challenges in the sector, such as climate change, global human population growth, and the increasing demand for products of animal origin.