A Study of Empowerment Level of Tribal Dairy Farm Women in J&K State

Though tribal women play a significant role in livestock management and production, their control over livestock and its products is negligible. To improve the profitability of dairy husbandry especially in tribal communities, cultivation of fodder shrubs and tree on wastelands, developing degraded lands are some of the major steps advocated and implemented but the knowledge and perceptual empowerment have rarely been focused with tailored programmes. The present study conducted in Kathua district of J&K state on 120 tribal dairy farm women selected randomly to analyze the level of knowledge regarding dairy husbandry practices and perceived empowerment level. The results showed that family education and family income had significant prediction values for empowerment whereas mass media exposure and trainings attended contributed significantly to knowledge level. Low to medium level of socio political, educational and decision making empowerment was perceived. Only upto fifty percent of the knowledge was found for the subjects animal breeding, animal healthcare and milk products. Economic, socio-psychological, marketing and technical constraints dominated the scenario. Formation of tribal dairy farm women committee in the form of cooperatives, strengthening the livestock extension service by recruiting sufficient number of women dairy extension personnel and liberal arrangement of credit facilities have been advocated as the damage control measures.