The Feminisation of Agriculture in India

Introduction

Women constitute approximately 63% of the agricultural labor force in India. Despite their significant participation, they lack access to fundamental resources such as land ownership, financial services, and advanced agricultural technologies.

Female Workforce Participation Rate

• The female workforce participation rate peaked at 40.8% in 2004-05 but has been declining since then.
• There is a rising trend in the female labor force participation rate (FLPR) post-2017, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The rural FLPR increased from 41.5% in 2022-23 to 47.6% in 2023-24, while the urban FLPR rose from 25.4% to 28% in the same period.
• The increase in FLPR is largely due to economic recovery and increased self-employment in agriculture.

Defining the Feminisation of Agriculture

The feminisation of agriculture can be understood in two main ways:

• Increased involvement of women in farm-related work as cultivators or agricultural laborers.
• Women's control, ownership, and participation in agricultural resources and decision-making processes.

Factors Contributing to Feminisation

Several factors contribute to the feminisation of agriculture:

• Structural transformation leading to a shift from agriculture to the service sector.
• Rural distress forcing men to migrate for better opportunities.
• Other factors include declining agricultural productivity, high input costs, climate change, and limited non-farm job opportunities.

Gender Disparity in Land Ownership

• Women undertake about 80% of farm work, contributing over 42% to the agricultural workforce.
• Despite their contributions, women manage only 11.72% of the total operated area (Agriculture Census 2015-16).
• Women face challenges in acquiring land due to financial constraints and social norms.
• Case: The 2017 Uttar Pradesh land distribution program highlighted the low percentage of land titles assigned to single women (7%).

Towards Gender Equity in Agriculture

Women's participation in agriculture does not necessarily equate to empowerment due to several challenges:

• Women face a "double burden" of balancing paid work and unpaid domestic responsibilities.
• Unequal land distribution and lack of ownership restrict access to credit and government schemes.
• Women are less likely to receive support from schemes like the Kisan Credit Card and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana.

For achieving gender equity in agriculture, measures such as:

• Ensuring equal distribution of land and resources.
• Providing access to mechanization and gender-responsive climate policies.
• Changing societal perceptions to recognize female farmers.