Women’s access and control over farm resources: Determinants of decision-making power in climate smart agriculture

Abstract

CSA is essential for economic development, food security, environmental sustainability, and conservation of ecosystems in developing countries. CSA has three main attributes: enhanced agricultural productivity and income; improved farm resilience against climate change, and decreased GHG emissions from agriculture. CSA refers to several practices and technologies intended to enhance this “triple win”. Different practices like crop rotation, covers crops, intercropping, new seed varieties, agroforestry, conservation tillage, livestock manure, and water conservation, commonly adopted CSA strategies at the farm level. In the changing climate scenario, women’s decision-making dynamics in agriculture are very complex and influenced by various critical factors in CSA adaptation. Women play a crucial role in agriculture worldwide contributing significantly to food production, food and nutritional security and household income. The study investigated the level of women’s access and control over farm resources influences their decision-making power regarding Climate Smart Agriculture adaptation in Cooch Beher district of West Bengal. The study employed a multistage purposive cum random sampling design for selecting appropriate number of women farmer respondents. Total 232 sample size enumerated based on Krejcje and Morgan (1970) formula. Data were collected using a structured interview schedule. The date was processed into various statistical tools like mean, frequency, percentage, standard deviation, correlation and regression. The relational analysis implies that the variables age, educational qualification, farming experience, land holding, annual household income, mass media exposure, extension contact, economic motivation, scientific orientation, risk orientation, information seeking behavior and management orientation had the strong positive bearing upon the dependent variable the level of women’s access and control over farm resources influences their decision-making power regarding Climate Smart Agriculture adaptation.