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Women-led Agricultural Transformation: Unlocking India’s Untapped Potential

Reference Article: The Hindu

UPSC CSE Relevance:
– GS Paper I: Role of women and women’s organisations
– GS Paper II: Governance, Government policies and interventions for development
– GS Paper III: Inclusive growth, Agricultural reforms, Technology in agriculture
– Essay Paper: Gender equity and economic growth

Women-led development has emerged as a cornerstone of India’s inclusive growth vision, yet the agriculture sector — the largest employer of women — remains marked by invisibility and inequity. Despite increasing participation, women’s work in agriculture continues to be largely unpaid, unrecognised, and unrewarded. Harnessing global trade and digital technologies offers India a historic opportunity to make women equal partners in agricultural transformation.

Current Trends: The Feminisation of Agriculture

  • With rural men shifting to non-farm work, women’s employment in agriculture has surged by 135% over the last decade.
  • Women now form 42% of India’s agricultural workforce; two out of every three working women are engaged in farming.
  • Yet, one in three working women remains unpaid — their unpaid numbers rose from 23.6 million to 59.1 million in eight years.
  • In states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, over 80% of women workers are in agriculture, and more than half receive no wages.

Structural Inequities

  • Land ownership: Women own just 13–14% of land holdings, limiting access to credit and institutional support.
  • Wage gap: Women earn 20–30% less than men for equivalent work.
  • Recognition gap: Women are rarely classified as “farmers”, reducing visibility in policy and data.
  • These inequities have led to increased participation without empowerment, as agriculture’s share in GVA has fallen from 15.3% (2017–18) to 14.4% (2024–25).

Trade and Technology: Catalysts for Inclusion

  • The India–U.K. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) could boost agricultural exports by 20% within three years, offering duty-free access to over 95% of products.
  • Many export-oriented value chains — spices, tea, millets, dairy, and processed foods — already employ large numbers of women.
  • Embedding gender-responsive provisions (training, credit, and market linkages) into trade agreements can help women move from labourers to agri-entrepreneurs.

Digital Empowerment

  • Platforms such as e-NAM, mobile-based advisories, and AI-enabled tools are expanding women’s access to markets and finance.
  • Initiatives like BHASHINI, AI4Bharat’s Jugalbandi, and L&T Finance’s Digital Sakhi are improving digital and financial literacy.
  • State-level models — e.g., Odisha’s Swayam Sampurna FPOs and Rajasthan’s Jhalawari Mahila Kisan Producer Company — demonstrate how technology can enhance direct sales, branding, and export competitiveness.

Way Forward

  • Land and labour reforms: Recognise women as independent farmers through joint or individual land ownership.
  • Policy alignment: Mainstream gender inclusion in agricultural schemes, FTAs, and FPO frameworks.
  • Capacity building: Expand digital literacy, multilingual training, and entrepreneurship programmes.
  • Market integration: Facilitate women’s entry into value-added segments — processing, packaging, and exports.
  • Multi-stakeholder action: Collaboration among government, private sector, and civil society to ensure sustainable inclusion.

Conclusion

India’s goal of women-led development depends on transforming its female-dominated yet undervalued agricultural workforce into a force for productivity and innovation. Recognising women as farmers, enhancing their ownership rights, and integrating them into global value chains and digital ecosystems can turn the feminisation of agriculture into a true engine of economic empowerment and national growth.

Sample UPSC Mains Question (GS Paper III):

“The feminisation of agriculture in India has increased women’s participation but not their prosperity. Discuss how trade, technology, and policy reforms can transform women’s role from unpaid workers to agri-entrepreneurs.”