European Journal of Business and Management www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1905 (Paper) ISSN 2222-2839 (Online) Vol 3, No.5, 2011 28 An Empirical Analysis of Women Participation in Farm Activities in Rural Kashmir Bhat Arshad Hussain Post Graduate Department of Economics, University of Kashmir. Email bhatarshad09@gmail.com Nengroo Aasif Hussain Post Graduate Department of Economics, University of Kashmir. Email asifnengroo.ku@gmail.com W. Mohammad Yaseen Post Graduate Department of Economics, University of Kashmir. Email mohdyaseen7@gmail.com Abstract The present paper analyses the participation of women in farm activities in Kashmir valley. Information has been collected from 200 households with the help of multi- stage sampling. Our analysis reveals that in Rice cultivation all the activities except weeding and ploughing is dominated by women in the sample area, likewise in maize all the activities are dominated by women. Only one activity in the sample area which is a joint venture is horticulture. It has been found that over load of work and extreme weather conditions affect the health of women workers as majority of them reported different types of ailments related to their work. Keywords: Women, Rice, Maize, Apple, Health, Farm activities. 1. Introduction Women are a vital part of any society. Over the years, there is a gradual realization of the key role of women in agricultural development and their contribution in the field of agriculture, food security horticulture, processing nutrition, sericulture, fisheries and other ailed sectors. Comprising the majority of agricultural laborers, women have been putting in labour not only in terms of physical output but also in terms of quality and efficiency. Despite, all these strenuous efforts made by women, they are still not given their share and position in the society. There are various issues relating to women inferiority and complexes in the society, which need to be addressed in a proper way. This paper is devoted to highlight the participation of women in farm activities in rural areas. The female participation rate in the agricultural labour force is highest in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Caribbean and lowest in Latin America. Some 70 percent of women living in rural areas of the third world countries work on the land. Brazil shows that between 1970 and 1980 that total number of men economically active in agriculture fell, but the number of women increased and the female proportion of farm labour force rose from 9.6 percent to 12.7 percent. Similarly in Peru, the proportion of female population which was economically active in rural areas grew from 14 percent to 21 percent between 1971 to 1981. (Maithili 1994) In Kenya, as much of Africa, women are the primary cultivators; managers are co-managers of farm operations. Women are responsible to later stages of land preparation; they also plant, weed and harvest crops. Men, on the other hand, are responsible for early stages of land preparation such as clearing or burning bush, for plowing, and for cattle care. Yet despite women’s extensive involvement in agriculture,