Gender in agriculture and development is recognized as crucial for attaining sustainability and ensuring way forward for equitable social system. Gender challenges during pandemic needs focus and looked into for sector wise discourses, discussions and analysis to sensitize policy makers, development agencies, public, media and academics. ICAR ATARI, Benguluru, Farmer FIRST centers of ICAR CPCRI, ICAR NIANP, ICAR IIHR and ICAR CIFT, organized Digital discourse series on ‘Gender and Pandemic: Challenges and opportunities’ during August 10 – 12, 2020.

Dr. A.K.Singh, Deputy Director General (Agrl. Extension) in his key note address highlighted the productive performances of agriculture during this pandemic period indicating the resilience of farming community and technologies. Mainstreaming the entire farming communities, including women farmers realizes the goal of ‘atmanirbhar krishi’ in the country. A total of 538 participants including academicians, researchers, social workers, development officials, NGOs, students registered for the discourse series from across the country. The panelists included experienced experts from ICAR, General Universities, IGNOU, and National and international NGOs and gender researchers representing various sectors. The panelists were Dr. Lipi Das, Dr. J C Jeeva, Dr. Sudha Mysuru, Dr. Sandhya Shenoy and Dr Chandre Gowda from ICAR, Ms Nalini Nayak, SEWA, Dr. Heena K Bijli, IGNOU, Dr Sahithi Divi, Impact Scientist, Dr. Indira Devi, KAU,Dr Dipa Sinha, Ambedkar University and Dr. Anita Ratnam, Samvada. The discourses were mainly on gender sensitization of technology development and transfer, vulnerability of farm women during pandemic period, consequences of reverse migration on income and nutrition, livelihood skill up-gradation, emotional and psychological stress and its effect on women, ICTs for empowering farm women, gender perspectives in Natural Resource Management, policy framework for strengthening farm women during and beyond pandemic and institutional mechanisms for supporting women in crisis management. The policy points evolved from the discourses warranted resilience and empowerment for socially inclusive, sustainable, gender neutral technologies, knowledge facilitation, emotional wellbeing, networking, access to health and leverage in equity of resources for gendered progress and contributions in science, ecology and growth. Dr. Anithakumari.P, Principal Scientist (Agrl. Extension), ICAR CPCRI, RS, Kayamkulam was one of the coordinators.