Participation of rural women under house hold and farm activities

The study was conducted in the central part of India located at 23° 8’–26° 30’ latitude and 78° 11’–81° 30’E longitude in the Bundelkhand region bounded by the Yamuna in the north, escaped ranges of the Vindhyan plateau in the south, the Sindh in the north-west and Bhanrer ranges in the south-east. Women completed about 60% weeding work by spending 5–6 hr. every day in food - fodder and commercial vegetables production followed by land preparation (48% in 4–5 hr), seed sowing (43% in 3–10.0 hr.) and irrigation (31% in 2–3 hr.). However meager participation in manual ploughing (6.0%) of fields was recorded in Bulndelkhand region of central India. This shows that women are still engaged in manual activities rather than mechanical and chemical based operations. In other small and medium activities women collected fodder (70% in o5–2.0 hr.). The average working hours of farm women (8.75 hrs./day) were higher 85% in comparison to the male (i. e. 4.72 hrs/day).