What picture comes to one’s mind when he/she thinks of the word ‘farmer’? Predominantly that of  a male figure, working in a field or ploughing the land. The word ‘farmer’ has a very masculine connotation and most often associated with men. But surprisingly women farmers comprise a substantial proportion of the agricultural workforce in India.

Women comprise 60 percent of the agricultural workforce in India, with 79 percent rural women engaged in agricultural activities. A large proportion of women farmers are from the most marginalized and socially excluded sections; 81% are Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

They play an important role and contribute largely in the agricultural productions of the country.  They cannot be understated as they are important actors in agricultural and rural enterprises, fuelling local and global economies

Women farmers perform important work in production and post-harvest processing activities in national and global agriculture supply chains, therefore becoming important determinants of national and global food security, quantity and quality of yields, and future growth of the agriculture sector.

They generate a significant proportion of the household’s income, leading to improved quality of life, health and education indicators.

What is most concerning that they are living in plight. They face a lot of discrimination and their rights are violated.

Women in the agricultural workforce face a large gender wage gap, earning up to 50 to 70 percent of men’s wages; and are trapped in unpaid, underpaid or unskilled work. They lack land ownership and control, holding a meager 12.78 percent of all operational landholdings.

Institutional discrimination and gender biased loan allocations prevents women’s equal access to credit. They face inequality in access to inputs, seeds, fertilisers, and agricultural extension services as compared to their counterparts.

Women farmers lack access to networks that support their growth, expansion and access to profitable markets. They are underrepresented in decision-making and institutional spaces and forums, thereby diminishing their voice, agency, and bargaining power.

Moreover, the significant work performed by women farmers remains unacknowledged, invisible and informal.

It is high time that women farmers are taken seriously; and not being the ignored lot. The administration needs to properly define the term ‘women farmer’ and the laws and rights associated with it.

National Commission for Women (NCW), Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch (MAKAAM) and UN Women are some of the organizations that are working for the betterment women farmers in India; helping them to assert their rights.

Women farmers must be empowered as they hold an important stake in the agricultural sector.

[By intern Gaurav Anand]

  Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch (MAKAAM), women farmers