Strengthening the Role of Women in Agriculture, 2025

Introduction

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has recognized the vital but sometimes disregarded contribution of women in agriculture by designating 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
• Nearly half of the world’s food supply comes from women, who also make up 39% of South Asia’s agricultural work force and 60% to 80% of food production in poor nations.

What is the Status of Women in Agriculture? 

• High Participation Rate:
  • According to the 2011 Census, 3.6 crore women farmers and 6.15 crore agricultural laborers make up the 80% of rural women who work in agriculture.
  • Of self-employed farmers, they make up 48% and 33% of the agricultural labor force.
  • As a result of increased male migration, Indian agriculture is becoming more feminized as women take on more autonomous farm management responsibilities.
• Community Management: Information sharing, community-based natural resource management, and agricultural extension are all greatly aided by women.

What are the Challenges Faced by Women in Agriculture? 

• Gender Inequality in Land Ownership: According to NFHS-5, women own barely 14% of agricultural land, or 8.3%, although making up a sizable share of the agricultural labor. This significantly reduces their productivity and decision-making authority by limiting their access to institutional loans, subsidies, technology, and extension services.
• Barriers to Technology, Educational and Skill Adoption: Due to their restricted access to finance, financial services, and contemporary technology, women farmers are unable to make investments in more advanced farming methods.
• Overburdened & Unrecognised Workload: Physical strain and time poverty result from women managing children, home tasks, and farming duties all at once. Their efforts in food preparation, seed preservation, and animal care are sometimes unappreciated and underappreciated.
• Market Exclusion: Women are unable to access equitable marketplaces and competitive pricing due to limited mobility, a lack of transportation, and gender-based discrimination in public places. Their exclusion from value chains is further exacerbated by information asymmetry.
• Vulnerabilities Due to Climate Change: Due to the increased frequency and intensity of natural catastrophes like floods and droughts, climate change makes the difficulties already faced by women farmers more worse. Additionally, it increases their household duties, which further reduces their agricultural time and resources.

What are India’s Initiatives to Support Women in Agriculture? 

• Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) & Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation: Initiatives like MKSP and SMAM are aimed at improving the skills of female farmers and provide financial aid for the acquisition of agricultural equipment, which helps them increase output and decrease physical labor.
• National Food Security Mission (NFSM): The goal of NFSM’s 30% budget is to assist women farmers in different states and union territories in order to increase food security and encourage women’s involvement in agriculture.
• Innovative Projects and Initiatives
  • ENACT Project in Nagaon District: Through the use of technology, the ENACT initiative links women farmers with climate and agricultural specialists to deliver weekly warnings, increasing access to critical agricultural information and coping mechanisms for weather change.
  • Promotion of Flood-Resistant Crops and Market Linkages: Natural catastrophes can be lessened by taking steps like encouraging flood-resistant rice cultivars and diversifying sources of income. Furthermore, strengthening market connections guarantees that female farmers will have access to better markets for their goods.
• Other Initiatives: 
  • Microfinance and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) encourage women’s collective action and financial inclusion in rural areas.
  • For SHGs and rural women entrepreneurs, the Lakhpati Didi Scheme encourages financial inclusion, loan availability, and entrepreneurship.
  • The goal of the Namo Drone Didi Initiative (2024–26) is to provide drones to 15,000 women’s self-help groups so they may offer agricultural services.
  • With 30% of the funds designated for women and 50% for small and marginal farmers under Per Drop More Crop & Rainfed Area Development (RAD), the emphasis is on micro-irrigation and integrated farming.
  • SC women can use loans from the Mahila Kisan Yojana to work for themselves in the agricultural and related industries.
  • Every year on October 15, Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas is observed to honor and value the significant contribution that women farmers make to the agricultural industry.

What Steps Should be Taken to Empower Women in Agriculture? 

• Leverage the International Year of the Woman Farmer (2026): Make use of this international recognition to advance gender equality in agriculture, increase public awareness, and fortify laws and organizations that help female farmers.
• Design Gender-Focused Policies: Create agricultural strategies that successfully meet the unique demands and difficulties experienced by women in agriculture by using gender-disaggregated data.
• Enhance Access to Resources and Collective Action: To boost women’s involvement, bargaining power, and decision-making in agriculture, assist women-led self-help groups (SHGs) and expand their access to loans, technology, and information.

Conclusion

There is a chance of encouraging systemic changes in the agriculture industry by designating 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. In addition to being beneficiaries, women farmers are change agents who work to ensure climate resilience, rural prosperity, and food security. Rights-based, inclusive, and climate-resilient agriculture policies rooted in empowerment and fairness are necessary to realize their full potential.

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

Sources:

• https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/empowering-women-in-agriculture-for-food-security/article69675539.ece
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2115637
• https://www.fao.org/asiapacific/news/news-detail/fao-calls-for-action-on-gender-equality-in-agriculture-on-international-women-s-day-2025/en
• https://www.nafed-india.com/sites/default/files/2025-05/20250527110540.pdf
• https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IndFarm/article/view/163780
• https://www.cnbctv18.com/budget/budget-2025-india-agriculture-food-security-msmes-19551396.htm
• https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/12/leveraging-technology-for-india-s-women-farmers-in-maharashtra/