Role of Social Workers vs. Farmers Training in the Context of Nepal

Rajesh Tamang, Som Nepali

Department of Social Work, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences, India

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Keywords

ABSTRACT

social worker, farmers, training, innovation, village, mobilization

Social work is widely considered one of the noblest professions which allow people to make significant changes to the society and is a worthy profession from humanitarian perspective. These individuals and groups have made significant impact across different areas but there are still many areas where social workers need to intervene in a more intensive as well as extensive way. Social service is one of the cornerstone and essential need of in the modern times to implement reforms, carry out utilitarian procedures and empower millions of marginalized groups and make them resourceful enough not just only manage their own lives but also to empower others and maintain the cycle of empowerment. Social workers can mediate in the agricultural process on two crucial levels- first it can familiarize the local people with the new technologies, available subsidies and facilities either by the state or by institutions and organizations, secondly, it can use the firsthand knowledge of the condition of the farmers to understand the need of the hour and convey the same to the policy makers. We have seen how many farmer’s agitations and movements have been successfully organized in our country on a large scale, but still two major lacunae in this whole process has limited the impact of these movements on a much greater scale- one, there is a dearth of larger social consciousness among the masses regarding the problem of farmers in general and these movements in specific. Social workers need to take this burden on their heads so as to ensure that not only the information is disseminated smoothly and effectively but also a larger audience can be built who not only can be aware of the condition of farmers but can also empathize with it, thus providing the base of mobilization of these groups for future causes.

INTRODUCTION

Social and economic development in Nepal, like other developing countries, is a complex challenge. As a country where the majority of the population still depends on agriculture, Nepal faces a variety of problems that affect the lives of its people, including high levels of poverty, lack of education, poor health, and social injustice.

In an effort to address these challenges, the role of social workers and farmer training is crucial. Social workers play a role in advocating for the social and economic rights of communities, as well as providing services and support to vulnerable groups. On the other hand, farmer training aims to improve agricultural skills, increase productivity, and reduce uncertainty in the agricultural sector.

In the Nepalese context, the role of social workers is very important in fighting for the social and economic rights of rural communities. They work in areas such as health, education, women's empowerment, and disaster recovery. Social workers help communities understand their rights, identify problems they face, and develop sustainable solutions. They also work with governments and non-governmental organizations to improve policies and programs that have a positive impact on society.

On the other hand, farmer training is key in addressing agricultural problems in Nepal. Although the majority of the population works in the agricultural sector, agricultural productivity is still low. Lack of knowledge and skills in modern agricultural techniques, climate change, and lack of access to profitable markets are factors affecting the performance of the agricultural sector. Farmer training aims to provide the knowledge and skills necessary to improve production and quality of agricultural output, as well as assist farmers in managing risks associated with climate change.

The purpose of this article is to explore the role of social workers and farmer training in improving social and economic conditions in Nepal. We will discuss the role of each of these groups in addressing the problems faced by Nepal's rural communities. In addition, we will also identify the challenges and opportunities faced by social workers and farmers in their efforts to achieve positive change.

By understanding the role of social workers and training farmers, it is hoped that this article can provide better insight into how Nepalese people can improve their quality of life through this collaborative effort. It is hoped that this article can also make conceptual and practical contributions to the development of policies and programs in the field of social work and agriculture.

METHODS

This study employed a descriptive survey design to investigate the satisfaction levels of cataloguers in 12 universities’ libraries, located across the South-South zone of Nigeria: 6 federal and 6 state. With stratified and total population sampling techniques, 109 total cataloguers were selected -- 57 from federal universities and 52 from state universities. Ft5 (SPCCJSQ) was used as the data collection tool. This self-structured instrument (SPCCJSQ) of four Likert scales of ‘Strongly Agree (SA)’, ‘Agree (A)’, ‘Disagree (D)’ and ‘Strongly Disagree (SD)’ had 10 items over two sections, which was reviewed by three experts for validation purposes (yielding an alpha reliability coefficient of 0.82). Mean and standard deviation were used to answer research questions, while a z-test was utilized to test hypotheses at .05 level of significance. 91.23% of respondents from federal universities’ libraries and 92.31% of those from state universities’ libraries completed their copies out of the 109 distributed, demonstrating a high level of return rates.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Social work is widely considered one of the noblest professions which allow people to make significant changes to the society and is a worthy profession from humanitarian perspective (Matthews et al., 2010; Tilahun & Levinson, 2011). These individuals and groups have made significant impact across different areas but there are still many areas where social workers need to intervene in a more intensive as well as extensive way (Pekkala & van Zoonen, 2021). Social service is one of the cornerstone and essential need of in the modern times to implement reforms, carry out utilitarian procedures and empower millions of marginalized groups and make them resourceful enough not just to be able to manage their own lives but also to empower others and maintain the cycle of empowerment (Boat et al., 2021; Sun et al., 2022).

But over the years it has been observed that most of the people working for the society are convent educated urban sophisticated individuals and groups who despite their earnest attempts and intent are not able to make structural changes in the society for the simple fact that they are separated from the heartland of the nation and are not exposed to the ground realities of our society (Evangelakaki et al., 2020; Haque et al., 2021; Mahendran et al., 2022; Nabuuma et al., 2021; Tan et al., 2021). Learning these nitty grittiest also includes acknowledging their own privileges and ability to adapt to the changing situation. Scholars have pointed out that one reason why agriculture and pastoralist economies are often comparatively disadvantaged as compared to the industrial economies is because the policy makers who are entrusted with the job of policy making on agriculture have no experience of thee field on an individual level thus making their work a secondary patronizing gaze from above without developing the requisite skill for tackling them as well as the experience for shouldering such responsibilities (Dankar et al., 2022). Thus, proposal needs to be advocated to allow social service to penetrate the agricultural arena in a more inclusive and intensive level. Through this endeavor we can aim for an amalgamation of experience with paper qualification (Thomas et al., 2020). This would also bring into the table practical skills required for carrying out the agricultural process as well as provide ample opportunity to the social worker to work within the confines of limited resources and socio-cultural hassles. In this case the role of social worker can be really influential in bridging the gap between the state and the farmers (dos Santos et al., 2020). Social workers can mediate in the agricultural process on two crucial levels- first it can familiarize the local people with the new technologies, available subsidies and facilities either by the state or by institutions and organizations, secondly, it can use the firsthand knowledge of the condition of the farmers to understand the need of the hour and convey the same to the policy makers (Istriningsih et al., 2022). We have seen how many farmer’s agitations and movements have been successfully organized in our country on a large scale, but still two major lacunae in this whole process has limited the impact of these movements on a much greater scale- one, there is a dearth of larger social consciousness among the masses regarding the problem of farmers in general and these movements in specific (Bathaiy et al., 2021). Social workers need to take this burden on their heads so as to ensure that not only the information is disseminated smoothly and effectively but also a larger audience can be built who not only can be aware of the condition of farmers but can also empathize with it, thus providing the base of mobilization of these groups for future causes (Unay-Gailhard & Bojnec, 2021).

The question that we need to ask is twofold- what is the role of a social worker in promoting agricultural innovation and training the farmers? And secondly, how is he supposed to do it? In many regions a sizeable population are directly dependent on agriculture, which though the backbone of Nepalese economy, is also quite vulnerable and uncertain in terms of its results. Thus, people need to be aware of- alternative and sustainable ways of irrigation, which for once lowers the dependence of farmers on agriculture. Secondly, it will allow the farmers to increase per area and per person productivity. Though the use of machinery has its own cons too- both in terms of loss of workforce who are replaced by machines, which also can lead to direct as well as disguised unemployment (Graddy-Lovelace, 2021). Social worker needs to be aware of the regional specifications to adapt and adopt a particular method of agriculture in tandem with agricultural scientists. In many regions like hilly areas of Nepal, the problem of migration is catastrophic. People here find no or negligible incentive in clinging to agriculture as there is hardly any scope of earning livelihood through agriculture (Riley & Robertson, 2021). Adding to the problem is the lack of infrastructure both in terms of farming technology as well as health and education and all the basic facilities essential for dignified existence. Social workers need to follow the neo- deterministic or halt and go approach wherein innovations and developments should take place within the restraints of any potential threat to the habitat or the socio-ecological space, which is to say without making any drastic development (which anyways is not something that can be a small number of social workers in a stipulated time period). We must note the importance of agriculture in the village life which can be better expressed as their way of life and which emanates out of a primacy of food (Nazari Nooghabi et al., 2021). What we find  here is that the agricultural process is not mere an economic act but cast its influence on all spheres of human existence as we find marriages being performed mostly in summers after the crops so that the agricultural work is never obstructed. Land is valued as a valuable asset and the headman of the village tries his level best to maintain his de facto control over the land. Actually, the economic relations particularly agriculture paved way for other spaces of interaction for example in many villages the dead bodies are buried in the ancestral land. Here the control over land becomes a status marker as well as economic prerogative because traditionally such land needs to be left vacuum for few years which for the proletariat is a great loss. The village community has an acquisitiveness associated with it and land is the medium of this acquisitiveness. Also, the land hunger which is a universal attribute of the village gives impeccable value to land (Marete et al., 2021). Gender relations also have deep impact over this land. Using classic Marxist paradigm land surplus is a major aspect of domination of upper caste upper class male over others.

Thus, women are relegated to the position of kitchen as a nurturer and dispenser of household chores. But even here, the concessions that women received within this patriarchal structural has a deep-rooted economic importance firstly because women acquires acquisition over land not in her natal home but in her husband's home. Secondly women economic sphere of interaction is mitigated by their economic duty of selling paddy for household object. Thirdly women acquire resources and control over these resources as she acquires age. Thus, in social stratums, while getting influenced by wife is an unmanly behavior, at the same time, mother has great influence in the society (Paparrizos et al., 2021). Similarly, the teleological purpose of land and plants make them sacred and thus we find how cutting tree becomes an inauspicious and unethical wastage of resources (Caffaro et al., 2021). Thus, training the farmers is also a caste, class and gender conscious activity. Men and women traditionally play differential roles in the agricultural process, which the social worker needs to take cognizance of. For the past one-year group of undergraduate students have been working in the region of Gandaki province, Nepal to maintain the agricultural balance of the region and at the same time encourage people to return to their land by making basic arrangements in terms of social and built infrastructure. Similar work has been carried out by committed individuals as well as organizations.

CONCLUSION

Finally, the social workers need to overcome the logistical and administrative hurdles in overcoming the institutional problems in achieving the requisite results (Graskemper et al., 2022). While Nepal is known to be a predominantly agrarian country the province of development in terms of innovations and new research is hardly something to feel proud of. There are many administrative and logistical hurdle in their case first being their inability to function as an autonomous body beyond the confines of Nepal government, secondly new research is in crippled stage in these institutions lacking the means, budget and quality of faculty in such institutions. Rampant corruption and nepotism has narrowed down the chances of upsurge and despite food production techniques, food preferences of the consumer and production structure of the nation, they are still not up to date with the recent developments in this area and inherent bias of these institutions towards food production at the cost of neglect of animal husbandry is very much evident here. To save the future of these institutions it is necessary to make these. Also a larger part of the GDP needs to be allocated for their development. Technological innovations and administrative efficiency are both required to maintain the quality and relevance of these institutions and to fulfill the needs of the ever growing state. These developments coupled with the efforts of social workers can work wonder in the emancipation of farmers and the overall progress of Indian agricultural economy. To achieve this end, it’s not just important to initiate training programs but also there need to educate and inform people and raise awareness on this issue. For this purpose, widespread nationwide campaigns needs to be initiated, in which not only common men but participation of certain influential people of the society needs to be included to increase its “face value”. All in all social worker’s job is not an act or event but a gradual process which requires investment of time, effort, intent and commitment on their part.

REFERENCES

Bathaiy, S. S., Chizari, M., Sadighi, H., & Alambeigi, A. (2021). Social media and farmer’s resilience to drought as an environmental disaster: A moderation effect. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 59. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJDRR.2021.102209

Boat, A. A., Syvertsen, A. K., & Scales, P. C. (2021). The role of social capital in promoting work readiness among opportunity youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 131. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHILDYOUTH.2021.106270

Caffaro, F., Roccato, M., de Paolis, G., Micheletti Cremasco, M., & Cavallo, E. (2021). Promoting farming sustainability: The effects of age, training, history of accidents and social-psychological variables on the adoption of on-farm safety behaviors. Journal of Safety Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JSR.2021.12.018

Dankar, I., Hassan, H., & Serhan, M. (2022). Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of dairy farmers regarding antibiotic use: Lessons from a developing country. Journal of Dairy Science, 105(2), 1519–1532. https://doi.org/10.3168/JDS.2021-20951

dos Santos, L. P., Schmidt, C. M., & Mithöfer, D. (2020). Impact of Collective Action Membership on the Economic, Social and Environmental Performance of Fruit and Vegetable Farmers in Toledo, Brazil. Journal of Co-Operative Organization and Management, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCOM.2020.100107

Evangelakaki, G., Karelakis, C., & Galanopoulos, K. (2020). Farmers’ health and social insurance perceptions – A case study from a remote rural region in Greece. Journal of Rural Studies, 80, 337–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRURSTUD.2020.10.009

Graddy-Lovelace, G. (2021). Farmer and non-farmer responsibility to each other: Negotiating the social contracts and public good of agriculture. Journal of Rural Studies, 82, 531–541. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRURSTUD.2020.08.044

Graskemper, V., Yu, X., & Feil, J. H. (2022). Values of farmers – Evidence from Germany. Journal of Rural Studies, 89, 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRURSTUD.2021.11.005

Haque, M. M., Alam, M. M., Hoque, M. S., Hasan, N. A., Nielsen, M., Hossain, M. I., & Frederiksen, M. (2021). Can Bangladeshi pangasius farmers comply with the requirements of aquaculture certification? Aquaculture Reports, 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AQREP.2021.100811

Istriningsih, Dewi, Y. A., Yulianti, A., Hanifah, V. W., Jamal, E., Dadang, Sarwani, M., Mardiharini, M., Anugrah, I. S., Darwis, V., Suib, E., Herteddy, D., Sutriadi, M. T., Kurnia, A., & Harsanti, E. S. (2022). Farmers’ knowledge and practice regarding good agricultural practices (GAP) on safe pesticide usage in Indonesia. Heliyon, 8(1), e08708. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HELIYON.2021.E08708

Mahendran, S. A., Wathes, D. C., Booth, R. E., & Blackie, N. (2022). A survey of calf management practices and farmer perceptions of calf housing in UK dairy herds. Journal of Dairy Science, 105(1), 409–423. https://doi.org/10.3168/JDS.2021-20638

Marete, G. M., Lalah, J. O., Mputhia, J., & Wekesa, V. W. (2021). Pesticide usage practices as sources of occupational exposure and health impacts on horticultural farmers in Meru County, Kenya. Heliyon, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HELIYON.2021.E06118

Matthews, R. A., Bulger, C. A., & Barnes-Farrell, J. L. (2010). Work social supports, role stressors, and work-family conflict: The moderating effect of age. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76(1), 78–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2009.06.011

Nabuuma, D., Ekesa, B., Faber, M., & Mbhenyane, X. (2021). Community perspectives on food security and dietary diversity among rural smallholder farmers: A qualitative study in central Uganda. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, 5. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JAFR.2021.100183

Nazari Nooghabi, S., Azadi, H., Fleskens, L., Janečková, K., Sklenička, P., & Witlox, F. (2021). Social, economic and environmental vulnerability: The case of wheat farmers in Northeast Iran. Science of The Total Environment, 151519. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2021.151519

Paparrizos, S., Kumar, U., Amjath-Babu, T. S., & Ludwig, F. (2021). Are farmers willing to pay for participatory climate information services? Insights from a case study in peri-urban Khulna, Bangladesh. Climate Services, 23. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CLISER.2021.100241

Pekkala, K., & van Zoonen, W. (2021). Work-related social media use: The mediating role of social media communication self-efficacy. European Management Journal. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.EMJ.2021.03.004

Riley, M., & Robertson, B. (2021). #farming365 – Exploring farmers’ social media use and the (re)presentation of farming lives. Journal of Rural Studies, 87, 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRURSTUD.2021.08.028

Sun, Y., Wu, L., & Jeyaraj, A. (2022). Moderating role of enterprise social media use in work engagement. Information Processing and Management, 59(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IPM.2021.102793

Tan, S., Zhong, Y., Yang, F., & Gong, X. (2021). The impact of Nanshan National Park concession policy on farmers’ income in China. Global Ecology and Conservation, 31. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GECCO.2021.E01804

Thomas, E., Riley, M., & Spees, J. (2020). Knowledge flows: Farmers’ social relations and knowledge sharing practices in ‘Catchment Sensitive Farming.’ Land Use Policy, 90. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LANDUSEPOL.2019.104254

Tilahun, N., & Levinson, D. (2011). Work and home location: Possible role of social networks. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 45(4), 323–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.TRA.2011.01.004

Unay-Gailhard, İ., & Bojnec, Š. (2021). Gender and the environmental concerns of young farmers: Do young women farmers make a difference on family farms? Journal of Rural Studies, 88, 71–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRURSTUD.2021.09.027