Bhubaneswar: The ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture, Bhubaneswar on Friday organized an awareness Programme on Nutri Sensitive Agriculture for sensitizing the stakeholders on the importance of nutritional interventions in improving family food and nutritional security.
Attending the programme as the Chief Guest, Smt Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, NCW, appraised the participants that Government of India is dedicated for the cause of well being of women and taking timely measures to formulate and implement both women inclusive and women exclusive policies and programmes.
She hoped that women will be aware of the land rights and make efforts in giving this to their daughters for building a better tomorrow. She suggested that ICAR-CIWA should take initiative in packaging, shelf life improvement, marketing of locally prepared foods and battery operated women friendly tools for entrepreneurship development among women.
Dr Minati Behera, Chairperson, State Commission for Women, Odisha attended the event as Guest of Honour and emphasized on suitable interventions for rural women by different stakeholders in a coordinated manner to improve their health, nutrition and livelihood. She stressed upon mapping their risk, vulnerability and preparedness to ensure that agriculture production could harness their nutritional outcomes.
Dr Daisy Thakur, Chairperson, State Commission for Women, Himachal Pradesh also attended the event and appreciated the initiatives taken by ICAR-CIWA under Nutri Smart Village Programme in promoting local nutritious food. She advised that women should take care of their own health and nutrition and avail the facilities of Women Commission in getting justice whenever needed.
Dr Anil Kumar, Director, ICAR-CIWA in his address highlighted the seven priority areas identified in the National Policy for Women by NCW covering the areas of Health including food security and nutrition, education, economy, decision making, environment and climate change etc, which largely affects the health, nutrition and wellbeing of farmwomen.
He emphasized on the development and refinement of more women friendly technologies to ease the drudgery of farm women in managing home and farm. He made special mention of Nutri Sensitive Agriculture to combat increasing malnutrition among women and children in rural areas.
About 300 farmwomen participants from 13 villages from different districts of Odisha including staff of ICAR-CIWA attended the programme today. On this occasion, a farmer-scientist interface was also organized in which scientists from ICAR-CIWA interacted with the farm women and other participants and discussed new technologies and constraints faced by them.
