{"id":83698,"date":"2026-09-02T18:09:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T12:39:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=83698"},"modified":"2026-09-02T18:09:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T12:39:35","slug":"feminisation-of-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/02-09-2026\/feminisation-of-agriculture","title":{"rendered":"Feminisation of Agriculture\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Women now constitute a major portion of India\u2019s agricultural workforce, mainly because men are shifting to non-farm jobs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Feminization of agriculture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It refers to the increasing participation and leadership of women in the agriculture sector.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In India, women have always played a significant role in agriculture, whether as cultivators or laborers.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Present Status and Trends&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Agriculture employs nearly <strong>46 per cent of the country\u2019s workforce<\/strong> but contributes barely<strong> 17 to 18 per cent of its GDP.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Today, women make up almost <strong>60% of India\u2019s agricultural labour<\/strong>, a shift caused by more and more males transferring to non-farm jobs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This has resulted to the <strong>feminisation of agriculture<\/strong> with more farming responsibilities for women, but little control over land and resources.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Across Asia, male migration and industrialisation have also boosted the importance of women in agriculture<\/strong> in Nepal and China, while land ownership is often concentrated in the hands of men.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Reasons&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Male Migration:<\/strong> Rural misery, declining farm land sizes, and variability in agricultural revenue have pushed male family members to relocate to metropolitan centers to seek non-farm jobs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Women are left to oversee the family farm and household chores.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mechanisation and Menial Tasks:<\/strong> Men are primarily responsible for heavy machinery (e.g., tractors, harvesters), and female labourers are still relegated to manual and repetitive field work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic compulsion<\/strong>: Due to the economic distress of their families, women often become wage labourers on surrounding farms to augment household income.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Benefits&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Economic Empowerment:<\/strong> Women in rural regions can become financially independent and manage household expenses through farming and SHG participation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Better Family Well-Being<\/strong>: Evidence demonstrates that women\u2019s income is more likely to be used for children\u2019s education, family healthcare and nutrition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sustainable farming:<\/strong> Women have preserved the traditional knowledge of the ecology that promotes natural farming, seed preservation, crop diversity and integrated animal management.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Faced by Women Farmers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No land title rights and Credit issues:<\/strong> Cultural and structural restrictions prevent women from obtaining land titles.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Agricultural loans from financial institutions are secured against land, and women are forced to borrow from informal moneylenders at exorbitant rates of interest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lack of Market Linkages:<\/strong> Social conventions limit women\u2019s mobility, preventing their direct negotiation at Mandis (APMCs) or fair market pricing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Triple Burden of Work:<\/strong> Women are caught in a \u201ctriple burden\u201d of work &#8211; farm operations, home care duties and child-rearing &#8211; resulting in significant time poverty and health pressure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Wage Inequality:<\/strong> Daily salaries of female agricultural labourers are always less than those of male agricultural labourers for the same number of hours of fieldwork.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Various Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The government has launched a number of projects to extend financing to women farmers, horticulture, pulses, and direct financial support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under the <strong>Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS)<\/strong>, short-term Kisan lending Card loans of up to \u20b93 lakh are provided at 7% interest.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The collateral-free lending limit has been increased to \u20b92 lakh from January 2025 with initiatives to increase women\u2019s access.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) <\/strong>helps farmers (particularly women) in horticulture production and post-harvest infrastructure.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Dalhan Aatmanirbharta Mission<\/strong>, with an outlay of \u20b911,440 crore for 2025\u201326 to 2030\u201331, supports climate-resilient pulses, storage and assured procurement, including at least 20% of financing for women farmers.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>PM-KISAN <\/strong>also provides annual payment of \u20b96,000 through DBT to qualifying landholding farmer households, where women beneficiaries account for over 25% of the total benefits, thus improving the financial security of women.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)<\/strong> is intended to boost agricultural infrastructure.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It focuses on post-harvest facilities including storage and logistics, helping farmers reduce losses, store product and get higher pricing.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Special emphasis has also been given to women farmers under the initiative\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure (AMI) scheme,<\/strong> is a part of the Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing (ISAM), helps to develop and upgrade rural godowns and warehouses.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Women farmers, SC\/ST promoters, FPOs and beneficiaries in North-Eastern and hilly areas get 33.33% subsidy, whereas farmers in plain areas are given 25% subsidy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Namo Drone Didi Scheme<\/strong> intends to supply 15,000 drones to women SHGs in 2023-24 to 2025-26, with an outlay of \u20b91,261 crore. 80% financial help (up to \u20b98 lakh) and training of farmers and drone pilots\/assistants to offer agricultural drone services by women and generate new employment prospects.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation (SMAM) <\/strong>also facilitates women\u2019s access to farm technology through support to Custom Hiring Centers besides 50% help up to \u20b95 lakh for purchase of drones by qualifying women farmers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)<\/strong> supports scientific beekeeping via training, skill development and capacity building, allowing women to obtain additional income and employment from honey and other bee products.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana\u2013National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM):<\/strong> DAY-NRLM works toward women&#8217;s economic empowerment through SHGs, access to formal financing, self-employment and diverse agricultural livelihoods.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The feminisation of agriculture reflects a<strong> major transformation in India\u2019s rural economy<\/strong>, with women increasingly serving as the backbone of agricultural production while remaining disadvantaged in terms of land ownership, income, institutional recognition and decision-making power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The challenge is to<strong> transform women from merely agricultural labourers into independent farmers, resource owners and decision-makers<\/strong> through joint land titling, accessible and collateral-free credit, gender-sensitive extension services, entrepreneurship support, women-friendly and drudgery-reducing machinery, collective institutions and social protection.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Such measures can turn <strong>feminisation from a symptom of rural distress into an opportunity for women\u2019s empowerment<\/strong>, inclusive agricultural growth, food security and sustainable rural development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source : <a href=\"https:\/\/www.downtoearth.org.in\/agriculture\/indias-women-farmers-are-finally-being-recognised-will-they-ever-own-the-land\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DTE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><br \/>\nIn News<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\nWomen now constitute a major portion of India\u2019s agricultural workforce, mainly because men are shifting to non-farm jobs.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<p>Feminization of agriculture<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"\t>\n<p>It refers to the increasing participation and leadership of women in the agriculture sector.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>In India, women have always played a significant role in agriculture, whether as cultivators or laborers.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/02-09-2026\/feminisation-of-agriculture \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83698","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=83698"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83701,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83698\/revisions\/83701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}