Dr.Pushpa Singh, Associate Professor
Dr Pushpa Singh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science, Miranda House. She has done graduation, post-graduation, MPhil and PhD from University of Delhi, doctoral research being in the area of Gender and Agroecology. Her interest areas are Development Studies, Gender Studies, Political Theory and Comparative Politics
Q1) First question, would you mind introducing yourself to our gripping onlookers?
Ans. Yes, I am Dr. Pushpa Singh, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Miranda House.
Q2) Could you provide some insight into your academics and areas of specialization and share what inspired your pursuit of them?
Ans. My area of research stems from my doctoral studies in agro-ecology and gender. Despite belonging to the discipline of political science, I've been more conscious of the environment and ecological thinking, which fascinated me. While agro-ecology might not be typically considered a hardcore political science subject, it's interdisciplinary. Nevertheless, I chose this field and have published certain works. I'm currently collaborating on papers with other scholars.
Q3) How does gender inequality intersect with environmental issues, particularly in the context of agricultural practices and sustainability?
Ans. If we look at the entire structure of agrarian society, agricultural practices have largely been governed by patriarchal systems since time immemorial. These practices, not only in India but globally, are determined by gender roles and equations. For instance, in South Asia and many other parts of the Global South, a significant number of women are involved in agriculture.
Despite this, a notable gap exists in agriculture, as important farming components and decisions are predominantly made by men. Women, while performing crucial roles from seed selection to sowing, husking, grinding, and seed and grain storage, are often marginalized. Critical decisions like crop cultivation choices and seed selection predominantly fall under men's purview.
This is where agroecology becomes crucial. It emphasizes a different perspective on agriculture, not solely focused on mechanized, scientific, and technological aspects but also on traditional societal agricultural practices. Women traditionally possess specialized knowledge in seed curation, storage, and crop selection. These knowledge systems, passed down through generations, encompass not only seeds and crops but also local ecology, species compatibility, and survival.
However, the emergence of technocratic agriculture as a specialized knowledge area has marginalized women. Most women, primarily involved in ground-level farming, might lack expertise in scientific or technocratic farming practices due to their historical roles.
Development economist Bina Grewal highlights that the introduction of hybrid seeds displaced many women from their jobs in seed saving and procurement, reducing their roles in the agricultural sector.
The challenge lies in maintaining women's involvement in decision-making while balancing agricultural productivity. Retaining women in decision-making without compromising their inclusion in the agriculture sector's functioning is crucial.
Q4) In what ways can empowering women in agro-ecology positively impact environmental conservation and food security?
Ans. If we look at many societies within Uttarakhand or various parts of India, there are existing practices based on agro-ecology that significantly involve women. For instance, in my doctoral research, I studied different agro-ecological zones in India. One such zone is the Himalayan Foothills, specifically the Tehri-Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. In a village called Tehri-Garhwal, there’s a distinctive agro-ecological practice known as Bara Naja. This practice involves intercropping and mixed cropping of 12 compatible crops.I believe this approach could be among the best methods to ensure food security. As part of their local knowledge system, these farmers, particularly the women farmers actively engaged in this practice, simultaneously plant 12 crops. This method safeguards food availability for the population in scenarios such as droughts, floods, natural disasters, or other stresses, ensuring some crops remain in the fields.Therefore, I consider this approach one of the most effective means to ensure food security through sustainable farming practices, where small pieces of land are cultivated by the farmers themselves. These agroecological practices not only aid in biodiversity conservation but also in the conservation of water, flora, and fauna, as they are primarily based on conservation practices.
Q5) How does gender disparity influence access to resources and decision-making processes related to environmental management and agriculture?
Ans.I can begin by addressing a well-known fact in the public domain, which has also been emphasized by development economist Bina Grewel. She mentions that if we examine the issue from a feminist perspective within agriculture concerning gender disparities, we find that the majority of women engaged in agriculture in South Asia and the global South paradoxically lack land rights. Consequently, most women work on the land without possessing land entitlement, which means they are excluded from decision-making processes. This stands as one of the major drawbacks and challenges in the agricultural sector’s gender problem, where most women are deprived of their entitlement to agricultural land. Unfortunately, there is no policy adequately addressing this issue, prevalent in almost every part of the world. Scholar Sophia Heyer, who has extensively studied the gender gap, remarks on how this disparity in agriculture is more visible and apparent in the global South.
Q6) How does agroecology offer solutions for sustainable farming practices that benefit both the environment and local communities, particularly in relation to gender inequality?
Ans. Agroecology differs from conventional farming in that it doesn’t operate on a large scale; instead, it generally operates on a small scale. This creates conditions where farmers, whether male or female, can make decisions independently. It also liberates farmers from dependence on external entities like markets or banks for loans. Typically, farmers take loans to buy high-priced hybrid seeds, pesticides, weedicides, and agrochemicals. If the crop fails, they’re trapped in a cycle of loan repayment. Agroecology provides a remedy to this entrapment by granting space and emancipation to farmers, freeing them from reliance on companies, markets, or banks for loans. It empowers farmers to decide on crops, timing from sowing to harvest, and resource management.Agroecological practices involve generating in-farm manuals created from available farm resources. For weedicides or pesticides, these practices rely on organic solutions using neem leaves, cloves, garlic, and onion. Many farmers are already familiar with these practices. The misconception arises from glorification of scientific, technocratic agriculture from the Western world, which often disregards traditional methods as unscientific. This is not a simplistic argument; it involves understanding the politics of knowledge systems.The discourse of industrial agriculture, stemming from a Western, particularly American, context, doesn’t deny the significance of the Green Revolution, which helped India transition from food insecurity to food security. However, with changing times and contexts, continual evolution and reevaluation of our approach are crucial. In the current climate crisis, resources are depleting rapidly. Solutions cannot rely solely on conventional methods, employing more hybrids, or increasing fertilizer use. Even though some advocate for biotechnology and genetically modified seeds as a solution, we must scrutinize the politics behind these approaches.The reality is that there is no universal, one-size-fits-all solution for the entire country, world, or even a specific region. Solutions need to be contextual, localized, and dependent on content, time, and territory.
Q7) How can agroecology contribute to breaking traditional gender roles in farming and promoting more equitable and sustainable agricultural systems?
Ans. Many questions overlap, and so do the answers, as the fundamental points remain the same, but they can be articulated differently. Agroecology can indeed contribute to achieving gender parity and addressing women’s roles in agriculture, making it more gender-just. This is because agroecological practices, at their core, rely on women’s central role in agriculture. They involve the use of native seeds, a realm where women excel as grain storers and holders of knowledge on seed saving and grain storage.Moreover, in agroecology, decisions about organic or natural pesticides and weedicides are primarily made by women. They determine the type of pesticides, seeds, and crops to be used, bringing women from the background to the forefront, which is a positive development. Agroecology also allows for more extensive decision-making regarding crops.As previously mentioned in the work of Karen Pioniti, through her surveys in various parts of India’s semi-arid plateau, women are increasingly making choices to grow more nutritious food. Rather than producing crops solely for market sale, they now focus on diversifying their family’s nutritional basket. Women play a crucial role in ensuring the best nourishment for their families and children. From another perspective, agroecology contributes to creating a healthier society by diversifying agricultural production. This way, India can become healthier by adopting agroecology, achieving multiple benefits simultaneously.With women gaining more decision-making space and higher acceptability due to their foregrounding in agroecology, they can also wield more influence in conservation efforts. Despite women managing most local resources, they remain absent from biodiversity conventions and global decision-making tables. In an article published by the National University of Singapore, I discussed whether the agroecological movement leads to the agency of women in farming. I argued that it’s more complex than it seems. While it might increase women’s decision-making power in agriculture and potentially within the domestic sphere, it may not bring about an overall transformation in society.A single change in one aspect of societal living may not yield a comprehensive result. However, despite these complexities, we must continue working toward more democratic, promising, and emancipatory models.
Q8) Apart from you being a radiant professor of Miranda House, have you done something radiant to protect the moment as well?
Ans.The initiative begins by recognizing the problem first. When we realize that there’s something wrong with how we live our lives, the way society is structured, how we manage our social, political, economic, and environmental aspects, it’s a positive beginning.The moment we recognize this, we become conscious, which marks the start of a change in our attitude toward our environment. It’s not just about the physical environment but also the ecological, social, political, physical, and psychological aspects of our surroundings.My research work itself transformed me because of my curiosity. This curiosity made me more conscious, and this consciousness made me a little more responsible. During my doctoral research, I carried out ethnographic research across Uttarakhand, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. While interacting with seed coordinators and farmers, I learned about various practices, such as the bhijunda, a seed-saving pot made differently in different regions due to diverse agro-geoclimatic conditions.I’ve always had an interest in farming and gardening, so much so that my family members became concerned that I might leave everything else behind. So, yes, I believe change can begin at a personal level. Even small things we do matter. Whether it’s small-scale balcony or terrace gardening or conserving native varieties of seeds or plants, these actions can create an in-situ bank.If many of us are inspired to take these small steps, it can lead to more consciousness, especially regarding native or locally grown produce. Local cultivation is tied to local geography and ecology, providing us with the best nutrition suited to our body’s needs.From small actions like balcony gardening to conscious purchase decisions, they all add up to make a difference. I’ve become very conscious, and in smaller ways, I try to bring up these topics even while teaching. I integrate these discussions into my classroom lectures, aiming to pass on this message to the next generation. This, I believe, would be a wonderful way to contribute to creating a better society
Q9) So, Ma’am, lastly, do you love plants, and if you were to build a garden of your own, what plants would you choose and why?
Ans. Yes, of course, I love plants and I love gardens. But plants in any form are good because earlier I was more inspired and friends with certain kinds of flowers and plants that were flower-bearing. But now, because I know the complexities and interdependence of species on each other I really admire all kinds of gardens. In fact, I have been to Orville, where an entire chunk of Orville is based on the concept of natural farming. I stayed there in Orville and I was all alone by myself. So, I have had time to actually think about these and I have loved that natural kind of gardening, which is like a pristine beauty where you don't really grow according to your sense of what is beautiful, what kind of flowers you like or what kind of ornamental plants you like. But just seeing crops, plants, and species of different trees growing together and thinking about why they flourished at that time.Maybe because of the kind of water that is available, maybe the kind of moisture that is available at that point in time. So, all of these together make the entire nature very beautiful. So, I would say that yes, I love all different kinds of flowers, whether it is rose, whether it is hibiscus, but yes, some of the flowers like hibiscus I like and almost every local flower which is, you know, present and like that. Because my name is also Pushpa, I have this inherent connection with the flowers and the plants. So, I think what is natural will always have an eternal beauty, and nothing man-made, nothing artificial can compete with that despite of how so ever technocratic society you create. But you always end up admiring something which is nature, that's the beauty of it.
Interviewed by :- Aditi Sharma (2nd year, B.Sc.Hons.Chemistry) and Tanu Dayal (2nd year, B.A.Programme)
Photo credit :- Tanuja (2nd year, B.Sc.Hons.Chemistry)
Recorded by :- Nikita Joshi (2nd Year, B.Sc.Hons.Chemistry)
Edited by :- Aditi Sharma, Tanuja, Nikita Joshi (2nd year, B.Sc.Hons.Chemistry), Tanu Dayal (2nd year, B.A.Programme) and Ekanshi Ojha (1st year, B.A.Hons.Political Science)
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