Socio-cultural norms and practices further exacerbate the challenges faced by women farmers. In many rural areas, women are often restricted from interacting with men outside their immediate family, making it difficult for them to negotiate wages, seek information, or advocate for their rights.

By Dr Rashmi Sinha and Alok Sinha

Agriculture is about food. While we may believe and think differently, a woman in the field never forgets this truth. She labours tirelessly, thinking of a hungry family waiting for her at home. Holding on to flickers of hope, toiling in the field even when the men in her family flee to cities for alternate livelihood, fail, or in extreme despair of debt burden resort to suicide as an escape. She endures.

Thus, compelled by her social and economic circumstances she forms the backbone of the agriculture sector, labouring to sustain her family’s survival fighting against food insecurity and basic scarcity. Despite their most enduring role and contribution, women farmers face invisibility and inequalities that hinder the acknowledgment of their sufferings, fair compensation for their labour, and adaptation of agricultural policies to lessen their gendered drudgery and imbalances.

According to the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (2021-2022), about 78 per cent of India’s employed women work in agriculture. The sector accounts for the highest estimated female labour force participation at 62.9 per cent with 38.1 males. Yet, despite their significant contribution, women own only about 13.9 per cent of the agricultural land in India despite the legal guarantee of equal land rights for women (Agriculture Survey 2015-16). This stark disparity highlights the systemic and cultural inequalities that exist within the sector.

Lack of land ownership and decision-making power is one of the primary challenges women farmers face in India. The activities that are labour-intensive, and repetitive, are generally done by women. They have no say in the money transactions. Even when women do own land, they often have negligible decision-making authority regarding cropping patterns, sales, credit, and purchases. This exclusion from crucial agricultural decisions further marginalizes them from the mainstream.

Gender biases

Socio-cultural norms and practices further exacerbate the challenges faced by women farmers. In many rural areas, women are often restricted from interacting with men outside their immediate family, making it difficult for them to negotiate wages, seek information, or advocate for their rights.

A rural widow recounted her experience, stating, “In the village, it is suddenly very difficult to take a man’s role…you have never come out in the open to talk to any men except your father, brother, or husband, and that too occasionally, how can you suddenly lift your eyes and start discussing anything with a man?” This quote from Martha Alter Chen’s book ‘Perpetual Mourning’ encapsulates the deeply ingrained gender biases that women face daily.

Digital divide

The technological and digital divide is another significant challenge for women farmers. In rural India, men are nearly twice as likely as women to have used the internet (49 per cent vs. 25 per cent), according to NFHS-5. National Family Health Survey (2019-21) data shows that only one in three women in India (33 per cent) have ever used the internet, compared to more than half (57 per cent) of men. This digital gender gap prevents women from accessing vital information and resources that could enhance their reach to new farming technology and practices.

Intra-household discrimination also plays a significant role in widening the gender divide. Women often experience restrictions on their use of technological and digital devices, with male relatives governing the use of machines and online activities. Families may prioritize limited resources for boys over girls, further limiting women’s access to technology and skill development. Early marriage and restricted mobility also limit their opportunities.

Gendered roles

Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive acknowledgment of their contribution and a strategy that focuses on enhancing women’s access to land, technology, and education while challenging socio-cultural norms and creating a space for a new role.

The success of the milk revolution led by Verghese Kurien, which heavily involved women in cooperative societies, demonstrated the transformative potential of involving women’s leadership in key agricultural initiatives. The film Manthan by Shyam Benegal so vividly shows how local village women led by feisty young woman Bindu (Smitha Patil) leads the cooperative movement despite all odds. Who can forget the title song, Mero Gaam Katha Parey, Jaha Dhoodh ki Nadiyan Bahe… As women embrace new economic roles, traditional gendered roles and conflicts naturally start to diminish, fostering a more progressive rural economy. There is a need to create fresh spaces for women’s roles in the village economy, a few of these spaces could be crop diversification, preventing climate change, and solar power generation.

Nuanced knowledge

Women possess extensive inherited nuanced knowledge of crop management, combined with modern technology it can be pivotal in the transformation of the rural landscape. Women can be technologically empowered to integrate digitization to lead crop management and diversification.

This shift would redefine gender roles, allowing women to play a significant part in agricultural leadership.

According to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Agriculture Technology Application Research Institute (ICAR-ATARI) there is a gap between design engineers and farm planners, and women often lack the opportunity to express their needs. As a result, women farmers are frequently forced to use outdated hand tools or their hands for various field operations. It is essential to promote and popularize gender-friendly tools and technology on a large scale to better support women in agriculture. In this case, the goal of technological advancement should be to reduce expenditure and drudgery, improve income, and opportunities for better livelihood.

To tackle the digital gender divide, efforts must be made to enhance the affordability and accessibility of digital technologies for women. This includes reducing the costs of devices and services, improving network coverage, and providing digital literacy training. The socio-cultural norms that restrict women’s access to technology must be challenged by promoting STEM education among girls and women and facilitating women’s participation in public spaces.

Rights to inherit land

Creating a safe and secure digital environment is crucial for women’s participation in the digital world. Access to vital health-related information and support services, safety apps, and real-time emergency helplines can improve women’s safety and reach. Efforts must be made to manage online threats such as deep fakes, ensuring that women can use digital platforms without fear.

Now digital platforms can connect women farmers with broader networks, fostering social inclusion and support. These platforms can provide access to markets, trends, business strategies, and financial literacy, enabling women to scale up their agricultural businesses. Online job platforms can also connect women with job opportunities that match their skills and interests.

To bridge the gap in land ownership and decision-making, policies should be implemented to ensure that women have equal rights to inherit and own land. Legal frameworks must be strengthened to protect women’s land rights and ensure their participation in agricultural decision making processes.

By addressing the systemic inequalities and challenges faced by women farmers, the govt can unlock their full potential and seek a more equal and democratic society. The empowerment of women farmers is not just a matter of social justice; it is essential for the sustainable development of India’s agricultural sector.

Dr Rashmi Sinha is Director Centre for Rural Policies & Studies. She is also a former Director of the Uttar Pradesh Mahila Samakhya and was till recently UN Woman India, National Consultant.
Alok Sinha is former CMD, FCI and Additional Secretary, Agriculture, Government of India. He is the co-founder of VillageNama.
They can be contacted at [email protected]