Tank Irrigation and Agricultural Practices in Tribal Communities: A Gender Perspectives

Abstract

An examination of agricultural practices in tribal communities through tank irrigation with the phenomenon of gender inequality in labour force participation and resource management literature demonstrates the unequal effects on men and women, with female marginal worker and landless labour bearing the major brunt. Applying both quantitative and the narrative method of subjective inquiry the community perspectives of role of women in labour force participation and income generation in the rain-fed agriculture in Mayurbhanj District of Odisha. The findings suggest that tank irrigation supports women’s participation in the intensive and extensive agriculture though they lack control over accumulated benefit of production and income, decision making to prioritize their need, differential access to the information and communication technology in countering the resilience and adaptation of the adverse impacts of climate shocks. This paper emphasized that vulnerability-sensitive interventions and policies must ensure male and female need and priorities to end the gender inequality in water resource livelihood outcomes. MSC 2010: 62DXX, 03B48. Keywords: Agriculture, Tank Irrigation, Gender participation, Tribal Community, Mayurbhanj