Thread by @BehanBox

#Thread How are women farmers impacted by the new #FarmBills

Parliament passed 3 new Farm Bills
-The Farmers Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill
- Farming Produce, Trade, Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill
- Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill

1/10

'Contract farming' rules with agri businesses w/o the intervention of middlemen hampers women farmers’ collective bargaining power at local mandis to ensure fair prices.
2/10

Cutting out middlemen who also act as 'informal bankers' dries up an important source of credit for women farmers who have limited access to institutional credit. An Oxfam study in UP observed less than 4% women have institutional credit access.
3/10

The assumption that farmers will be able to sell their produce without spatial restrictions of APMCs, overlooks the barriers of mobility faced by women farmers. Small women farmers might not be able to afford transportation.
4/10

Emphasis on e mandi system: The Bill proposes an excessive use of technology without addressing a gaping gendered digital divide. With an increased reliance on technology, women might be dependent on men to take key financial decisions.
5/10

Instead of focusing on creating more safe and accessible women operated mandis that can collectivize and challenge exploitative male run ones ,a complete de-regulation of the mandi system proves that the erases the existence of women as farmers.
6/10

The silence on MSPs is deeply concerning for farmers who rely on it during drought months. In 2018, The Millet Sisters, a group of women farmers from 12 states pushed for an active recognition of women's knowledge on millet ecology by provision of MSP to support them.
7/10

Women members of producer organizations i.e FPOs will also be affected as they can no longer stock produce at their will. They will now be expected to compete with big corporates w/o a level playing field.
8/10

ECA aims to increase the availability of buyers for farmers to be able to trade freely without any license or stock limit. Marginal women farmers do not have equal networking to secure buyers or current price information 9/10

The Farm Bills reaffirm that the state is oblivious to women as farmers. Women in agriculture continue to be affected by issues of recognition, absence of land rights, unequal access to resources and assets, farm widows & tenant farmers are left bereft of entitlements.
10/10