India has an important place in the global agricultural market. The increase in food production in India in the last decade has put our country in a better position than many developed countries.
India was seen standing strongly in the food crisis created in the world due to Covid-19 and Ukraine-Russia war.
India leads all countries in the production of milk and pulses and is the second largest producer of rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables.
This achievement in the agricultural sector becomes more special because compared to developed countries, technology and mechanization in Indian agriculture is negligible.
Farming in India is dependent on human labour, in which the participation of women farmers is 60-80 percent, but the women on whose strength the country’s economy is being strengthened are not visible anywhere.
Ignoring the role of women farmers
Not only in India, but all over the world, women farmers do not get their due credit. According to the United Nations, women produce 50 percent of the world’s food, yet their position is very weak compared to men.
They have to face gender discrimination, low wages and exploitation. UN celebrates International Rural Women’s Day every year on 15 October in an effort to recognize the contribution of rural women and their rights.
From the year 2018, this day is being celebrated as Women Farmers Day in India especially keeping in mind the role of women farmers.
This initiative of India to recognize women farmers also becomes special because the UN has declared the year 2026 as ‘International Year of Women Farmers’.
Success of women farmers in challenging agricultural areas
It is the centuries of experience of women farmers that they have achieved unexpected success in challenging agricultural fields. Marginal and small land holdings in India constitute 86 percent of the total land holdings.
In such a situation, good production compared to cost is quite challenging. But women have organized themselves and conducted successful experiments on small land leases.
Women Self Help Group Service (SEWA) of Gujarat is one such example. In the dry land region where nothing was grown, these small land holding women farmers together took measures to conserve water and started farming.
The produce was converted into processed products and sold jointly under SEWA. Today this group has made its mark across the country for its products.
The skill of not giving up in difficult situations and finding better solutions is natural in women and women’s participation is very important in view of the challenges faced by the agriculture sector due to climate change.
Women’s participation in sustainable farming through traditional knowledge
According to the famous agricultural scientist Dr. MS Swaminathan, farming in the world was initiated by women. The reason for this might have been the effort to support his family.
Even today, despite limited resources, rural women ensure their families’ food security through biodiversity and traditional knowledge.
Sammal Amma of Didagi village in Andhra Pradesh grows 18 crop varieties in 3 acres of unirrigated land and that too without using chemical fertilizers. His family does not have to buy anything to eat from the market throughout the year.
Similarly, the tribal women of Koraput, a drought-prone area of Orissa, saved the black cumin variety of rice from extinction with their traditional knowledge. There was a time when researchers had said that black cumin rice would become extinct in the next 12 years.
Due to low production, farmers had stopped growing it, but with the help of tribal women of Koraput, today the farmers there are not only producing black cumin but are now earning more than before by selling it on e-commerce sites. .
Sustainable farming is the biggest need of the hour in view of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the challenges of climate change. The role of women farmers in traditional knowledge and agricultural biodiversity and conservation is decisive for sustainable farming.
Global ignoring of contribution of women farmers
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of countries around the world. Women make the biggest contribution to agriculture in developing countries, but the contribution of this huge labor force is ignored not only in India but all over the world.
Whenever it comes to agriculture, only men are kept in mind. Women are involved in almost every dimension of the agricultural economy, playing important roles in crop production, animal husbandry, food processing, dairy, fisheries, poultry and other rural enterprises, fuel and water provision, agro-forestry, trade and marketing.
This is when the environment is hardly favorable for them. Women workers who do not benefit from government schemes are also held back compared to men in terms of pay, market knowledge and technical training.
In rural areas, the literacy of women is also less than that of men, in such a situation the agriculture sector does not get the full benefit of their efficiency.
Government schemes and provisions for women farmers
When half of the country’s population faces inequality on such a large scale, it is not difficult to estimate what effect it will have on the pace of economic progress.
In the last decade, many government schemes have been implemented to empower this huge workforce. In the National Agricultural Policy, policy provisions have been made such as giving joint lease to women in both household and agricultural land.
But due to the traditional male-dominated society and social customs, women getting land rights is currently a challenge, which has a direct impact on the facilities available to women farmers.
There are special provisions for women in various beneficiary schemes of the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department. Apart from this, the Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Mahila Farmer Empowerment Project (MKSP), under which the aim is to empower rural women by making systematic investments to create sustainable livelihoods for them.
To take advantage of women’s enterprise and their experience, women entrepreneurs and producer groups are being promoted for value addition to agricultural produce.
There are special provisions to encourage women in Agri startups. To promote natural farming, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Rural Development are jointly organizing training of Krishi Sakhis.
It has been started in 12 states of the country. Under this programme, rural women are given comprehensive training on various agricultural practices and will be able to earn an additional income of Rs 60-80 thousand annually by helping farmers through various farming related tasks.
She has been named Lakhpati Didi. Till now, 1 crore Lakhpati Didis have been prepared in the country, the government’s target is to prepare 3 crore Lakhpati Didis. Under the Krishi Sakhi programme, about 34 thousand Krishi Sakhis have been certified as para extension workers.
Agricultural productivity has increased significantly with the help of technology, but technology is often developed keeping male farmers in mind.
The NaMo Drone Didi scheme, launched in September 2024, will not only increase income but will be helpful in breaking this myth and removing the hesitation among women regarding technology.
Under this scheme, from 2024 to 2026, 15,000 women self-help groups will be given drones for use in farming.
The government will provide training to women to operate these drones. These self-help groups will be able to rent drones to farmers for spraying fertilizers and pesticides. The government will provide drones at a subsidy of 80 percent or a maximum of Rs 8 lakh, and there will also be loan facility for the remaining cost under Agri Infra Fund (AIF).
Training and Skill Development Program for Women Farmers
CIWA Bhubaneswar, under ICAR, conducts training on women friendly agricultural technologies, drudgery reducing tools and equipment, income generation, crop science, occupational safety and health of women engaged in dairy, fisheries and animal husbandry.
Training programs for women farmers are also organized from time to time in 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendras created across the country under ICAR. Women farmers are also getting the benefits of these efforts. Where women from small farmer families, after better training, are now not only ensuring food security for their families but are also moving towards becoming successful businessmen by training other women.
Nabonita Das of Jorhat district of Assam and Suchitra Roy of Kokrajhar are examples of this. After the training they received from KVK, their annual income of less than Rs 5,000 has now reached above Rs 1 lakh. Not only poor families, women from many middle class farmer families are also joining agriculture and becoming successful.
But if their number is seen in proportion, it is still very less. The problem is that the benefits of most schemes go to the land owner, in which the number of women is less than 15 percent. In such a situation, there is a need for a comprehensive program to empower this strong and highly capable labor force in the agricultural sector to take full advantage of it. According to experts, Indian agriculture sector has achieved the highest growth rate of 5 percent in the last 7 years, and if women play an active role in it, further growth of 2-3 percent can be achieved.
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