Women Bridging the Gender Gap in Agriculture

A few months ago, I watched the Oscar-nominated film Laapataa Ladies in theaters. Even after the credits rolled, Jaya’s story lingered on and stayed with me.

Jaya, one of the central characters in the recent IIFA-winning film Laapataa Ladies, embodies the quiet struggles of millions of rural Indian women—unseen, unheard, yet crucial to the unseen fabric of society. She finds herself lost and forced to navigate a world that doesn’t know what to do with her kind—a story reflecting the plight of countless other women farmers in India. They farm the land, plant the seed, and harvest the crop, yet they are invisible at the forefront of our country’s agricultural sector.

In India’s farming realm lies a puzzling scenario: as per the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Report 2021-22, women comprise around 62.9% of the agricultural labor force but still own a meager 14% of the land. Due to the lack of land rights, they are left out of receiving government perks, aid from institutions, and access to modern agricultural tools.

This gender discrepancy isn’t just about fairness; it’s an economic hurdle that hampers farming output, rural sustenance, and the country’s food security. To attain lasting growth in India’s agriculture sector, it is crucial to equip women farmers with the tools, rights, and acknowledgment they deserve.

The State of Women in Indian Agriculture

Women farmers play a vital role in agriculture; however, they often face challenges in owning land and accessing resources, as well as training programs and rural markets.

Land Ownership: A Fundamental Barrier

Land ownership plays an extremely crucial role in agriculture. Still, traditional gender norms and inheritance laws pose obstacles for women to own land in the farming sector, where access to resources such as credit and government subsidies is crucial for independent decision-making on farms.

In regions like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, women mostly work as tenant farmers on family-owned properties, putting them at a disadvantage in terms of financial autonomy due to reliance on male relatives for support. Although some states have introduced policies promoting joint ownership of land, the majority of the women still face struggles due to poor implementation and cultural resistance hindering their effectiveness.

Financial Exclusion and Credit Gaps

Lack of land ownership leads to another problem. Women farmers who lack collateral fail to qualify for most loan programs and get cut off from credit services needed to finance seeds and farming supplies like fertilizers and equipment. As per NABARD reports, women have been able to access only 27% of the credit they have deposited, while men have been able to access 52% of their deposits, having no option but to depend on high-interest informal lenders for financial support.

The Kisan Credit Card program was created to offer farmers convenient credit options with a special focus on including women farmers. Still, its popularity among women has been limited because of the lack of awareness regarding such schemes. To ensure that women farmers have the support they need for farming investments, innovative financial solutions like collateral loans or group lending designed specifically for them could help bridge the gap.

Limited Access to Technology and Training

The gender gap in agriculture is worsened by the unavailability of updated farming methods for women farmers, who are often left out of agricultural initiatives. Introducing them to techniques for soil management, irrigation, and resilient crops will empower them to adopt a technology-based approach to farming. The Digital Green initiative in Odisha and Jharkhand has demonstrated positive outcomes through mobile-based services to educate female farmers.

These endeavors have resulted in increased productivity, effective pest control measures, and greater financial autonomy. Nonetheless, these projects should be expanded nationwide through government and private-sector partnerships.

Market Exclusion: Women Farmers and the Value Chain

Women farmers encounter obstacles when trying to sell their harvests, as they frequently do not have market access and instead depend heavily on intermediaries who take advantage of their limited bargaining power by offering reduced prices for their produce.

In Maharashtra, community-driven initiatives by women farmers—pooling resources and negotiating fair prices independently from mediators—are proving successful in improving women’s involvement in the market economy.

The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has established thriving cooperatives in around 18 states, with around 2.9 million workers managed by women themselves. It aims to provide increased income security and financial stability to its women members through knowledge exchange, skill-building, and resource sharing. Expanding these models to the far reaches of rural India holds the potential to give more women autonomy over their farming produce and improve their economic well-being for the long term.

Bridging the Gender Gap

Strengthening Land Rights for Women

Laws need to guarantee that women possess the same entitlements to inherit and own land as men; policies like the Bhoomi Sena Initiative in Karnataka have made strides in enhancing land tenure security for women by digitizing land records.

Yet inconsistent inheritance laws across states still pose a challenge; it is imperative to enforce land ownership reforms nationwide to grant women the legal validation they deserve as farmers.

Enhancing Financial Inclusion and Credit Access

Financial organizations should create credit options tailored to both genders that don’t mandate land as security against the loan amount. Offering increased access to low-interest loans, introducing credit schemes linked with SHGs, and microfinance programs can help women farmers secure financial resources for acquiring farming equipment and adopting environmentally friendly methods in agriculture.

Investing in Women-Centric Training and Technology

Women who work in agriculture urgently need agricultural training programs emphasizing farming practices that consider climate conditions, irrigation methods, and the use of machinery on farms. Moreover, implementing mobile-based services and teaching skills can help address information disparities and ensure women have up-to-date market trends and weather updates.

Governments and private agri-tech companies must collaborate to ensure women farmers benefit equally from tech-based solutions.

Market Access and Women-Led Agricultural Enterprises

 Expanding the presence of women-led FPO operations and cooperatives can improve market access and fairer product prices while boosting incomes for those involved in these initiatives. To promote gender equality in agriculture markets, further support should be given to women-run businesses through government procurement programs by setting quotas that enable them to compete in the formal market system.

Conclusion: Women as the Future of Indian Agriculture

In “Laapataa Ladies,” Jaya embarks upon a quest to rediscover her sense of self within a system that tends to ignore her presence. The gender disparity in this sector goes beyond mere concerns. It poses a significant economic obstacle to addressing India’s food security goals and fostering sustainable rural prosperity and agricultural development.

Since time immemorial, women have always played a silent but crucial role in driving India’s progress. It is now imperative that they get a chance to shine—not as supporting figures but as influential figures and key influencers shaping the trajectory of agriculture.

Raj Kashyap Das – Content Strategist, Sambodhi