{"id":55636,"date":"2025-09-30T20:57:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:27:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=55636"},"modified":"2025-10-01T12:19:56","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T06:49:56","slug":"women-potential-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/30-09-2025\/women-potential-agriculture","title":{"rendered":"Women Potential Remains Under-leveraged in Agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Women-led development has been<strong> recognised as a structural game-changer for advancing India\u2019s economic ambitions,<\/strong> yet its full potential remains under-leveraged.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Current Scenario<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Agriculture:<\/strong> It is a backbone of India\u2019s economy &amp; largest employer of women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Workforce shift:<\/strong> Rural men are moving to non-farm jobs leading to women replacing them in agriculture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rise in women\u2019s participation:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Employment in agriculture surged by 135% in a decade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Women now account for 42% of the agricultural workforce.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 in 3 working women are engaged in agriculture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Impact: <\/strong>Women\u2019s greater participation has not translated into higher income for the economy, as agriculture\u2019s share of the national GVA fell from 15.3% in 2017-18 to 14.4% in 2024-25.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"b9bdc7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"882\" height=\"463\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-Potential-Remains-Under-leveraged-in-Agriculture.webp\" alt=\"Women Potential Remains Under-leveraged in Agriculture\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-55638\" style=\"--dominant-color: #b9bdc7; width:508px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-Potential-Remains-Under-leveraged-in-Agriculture.webp 882w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-Potential-Remains-Under-leveraged-in-Agriculture-300x157.webp 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Women-Potential-Remains-Under-leveraged-in-Agriculture-768x403.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Faced by Women in Agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Unpaid Labour: <\/strong>Nearly half of the women in agriculture are unpaid family workers, with their numbers jumping 2.5 times from 23.6 million to 59.1 million in just eight years.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In States such as Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, more than 80% of women workers are in agriculture, and over half of them receive no wages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Systemic Inequities:<\/strong> Women as farmers, own only 13-14% of land holdings, and earn 20-30% less than men for equivalent work.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Asset ownership, decision-making power, and access to credit and government support remain male-dominated, trapping women in low-value activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Digital Divide: <\/strong>Barriers in digital literacy, language, affordability of devices limits the participation in modern agri-markets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Emerging Opportunities<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global Trade: <\/strong>The India-U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is projected to boost Indian agricultural exports by <strong>20% within three years,<\/strong> granting duty-free access to over <strong>95% of agricultural<\/strong> and processed food products.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many of these export-oriented value chains employ a significant share of women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If FTA-embedded provisions for women, such as training, credit access, and market linkages, are catalysed, it could <strong>enable women\u2019s transition from farm labourers to income-generating entrepreneurs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High-Value Segments: <\/strong>With global demand rising for organic products and superfoods, India\u2019s value chains for tea, spices, millets and certified organic produce are poised for expansion \u2014 sectors where women are already strongly represented.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Geographical Indications, branding initiatives, and support for meeting export standards can help women producers shift from subsistence farming toward premium, value-added product markets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives for Women in Agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP):<\/strong> Under National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), supports women farmers in sustainable agriculture, livestock, and NTFP (non-timber forest produce).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Joint Land Titles:<\/strong> States encouraged to issue land pattas in joint names of husband and wife.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Priority Sector Lending (PSL):<\/strong> Mandates credit flow to women farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rural women SHGs &amp; FPOs: <\/strong>Supported through NABARD and DAY-NRLM.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agri-Clinics &amp; Agri-Business Centres (ACABC):<\/strong> Special provisions for women agri-entrepreneurs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maternity Benefits &amp; Health Schemes:<\/strong> Support women farmers\u2019 welfare indirectly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Support for Women FPOs:<\/strong> Encouraged under the 10,000 FPOs Scheme (2020) with special provision for women-led groups.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>GI Tags, Branding, and Export Facilitation: <\/strong>Helps women producers in spices, tea, millets, organic produce.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Without targeted measures, women risk being excluded from the export-led opportunities emerging in Indian agriculture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>To transform women\u2019s role in agriculture<strong>, land and labour reforms are equally vital.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Policies<strong> must recognise women as independent farmers<\/strong> by promoting joint or individual land ownership, which in turn strengthens their eligibility for credit, insurance, and institutional support.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/ccidist-ws\/th\/th_international\/issues\/150336\/OPS\/GUHEUB75C.1+GLOEVFNT3.1.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Women-led development has been recognised as a structural game-changer for advancing India\u2019s economic ambitions, yet its full potential remains under-leveraged.\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Current Scenario<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Agriculture: It is a backbone of India\u2019s economy &#038; largest employer of women.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Workforce shift: Rural men are moving to non-farm jobs leading to women replacing them in agriculture.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/30-09-2025\/women-potential-agriculture\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":55680,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/women-potential-agriculture.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55636"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55659,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55636\/revisions\/55659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}