Ms. Pratima Yadav will present her MTP2 as per the details:

Date: 30th June 2026

Time: 0930 - 1030 hrs.

Venue: C-TARA Conference Room No.1

Topic: Assessment of technology adoption, women's drudgery and technology needs in minor millet production systems of central India

Guide: Prof. G. N. Hariharan

Examiners: Prof. Parmeshwar D. Udmale, Prof. Jaideep Joshi

Abstract:

Minor millets are important climate resilient crops that contribute to food security, nutritional security, and livelihood enhancement in tribal regions of India.  They are nutritious, drought-tolerant, and well-suited to rainfed farming conditions. Despite many advantages, millet production systems still face several challenges, including low yields, limited adoption of improved technologies, labor-intensive processing methods, and low productivity. Women play an important role in millet cultivation and processing operations. However, their contribution often remains unrecognised due to the continued use of traditional practices and limited access to women-friendly technologies, which often cause a high level of physical workload and drudgery.

The present study was conducted to assess technology adoption, women's drudgery, and technology needs in minor millet production systems of Central India. The study focused on millet-growing tribal regions in the Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh and the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh. Primary data were collected from 45 minor millet-growing households using household surveys, field observations, and stakeholder interactions. The study used three analytical tools: the Adoption Index (AI) to assess the level of technology utilisation, the Human Physical Drudgery Index (HPDI) to measure women's workload in production and post-harvest activities, and the Garrett Ranking Technique to identify important technology needs of minor millet-growing farmers.

The study examined the adoption status of production and post-harvest technologies, the gender division of labour, the drudgery experienced by women, and the technological interventions needed to improve productivity and reduce the labour burden. Special attention was given to women’s participation in post-harvest activities such as threshing, cleaning, milling and storage, which are often characterised by high physical effort and low mechanisation.

The study findings are expected to provide insights into existing technological gaps, labour constraints and priority technology needs in minor millet systems.  By bringing together technology adoption, women’s drudgery and farmer preferences into a single framework, the study contributes to a better understanding of gender-responsive agricultural development. The findings can help policy-makers, extension agencies, and researchers design appropriate interventions to promote technology adoption, reduce women's drudgery, increase productivity, and improve the livelihoods of minor millet-growing tribal communities.