Pastoral women Alliance

In the history of pastoralists, women enjoyed relatively equal status in pastoralist communities. In contrast to a situation of strong patriarchy in the caste ridden, mainstream society of India, pastoral women have had a comparatively stronger position. They have had an independent and sustainable source of livelihood in milk, milk products and wool.

With growing privatization and rapidly shrinking Common Property Resources(CPRs), pastoralists are being forced to change their livelihood patterns and practices. As a result of these rapid socio-cultural and socio-economic changes, the roles of women, including their role as primary economic actors, is shifting, for the worse. Government policy has thus far failed to address this, and in many cases policies, which are not suited to the livelihood practices and patterns of pastoralists, have served to aggravate the situation.

Today, pastoralists are increasingly bound by inter- and intra-state national borders. Their mobility is restricted, making them dependent on farmers, forests and the government, pushing them out of pastoralism. Pastoralists have become dependent on others for their livelihoods. We note a growing trend of pastoralist women taking jobs as housemaids in cities and smaller towns.

Women have tremendous indigenous knowledge on livestock, milk management and veterinary practices, as also breeding practices. New upcoming methods and science have ignored pastoralist women’s role in livestock management and conservation due to which pastoralist women’s status and position in pastoralism has declined.

In 2010 MARAG organized the first Global Pastoralist women gathering where 110 pastoralist women from 32 countries participated. In 2014 MARAG initiated a process to organize and empower the pastoralist women socially, economically and culturally. Currently there are more than ten regional pastoralist women groups with total membership of 3000 women from villages across Gujarat. This alliance is called as MMA- Maldhari Mahila Ayog in Gujarati/ local language, or Pastoral Women’s Alliance –PWA.