Feminization of Agriculture reflects the shift in the gender roles in the agriculture. Where earlier the image of agriculture or an agricultural farmer was
associated deeply with men, in today’s India, the image has been feminized due to increasing number of female workers in the agriculture sector. October 15 is celebrated as National Women’s Farmer’s Day (Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas) for recognising the multidimensional role of women at every stage in agriculture.

Current trends in feminisation of Agriculture :

• According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women's contribution to Indian agriculture is about 32%, while in some states (such as Hill states, Northeastern states, and Kerala) contribution of women to agriculture and rural economy is more than men.
• Economic Survey 2017-18 says that with growing rural to urban migration by men, there is ‘feminisation’ of agriculture sector, with increasing number of women in multiple roles as cultivators, entrepreneurs, and labourers.
• According to Census 2011, out of total female main workers, 55% were agricultural labourers and 24% were cultivators.
• The share of operational holdings cultivated by women has increased to 13.9 per cent in 2015-16.
• A research by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) shows that the participation of women is 75% in the production of major crops, 79% in horticulture, 51% in post-harvest work and 95% in animal husbandry and fisheries.
• Agrarian distress, male migration and poverty are prominent reasons for increasing feminization of agriculture.

Impact of feminization of agriculture:

• FAO estimates that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20-30%. This could raise total agricultural output in developing countries by up to 4% which would mean a dramatic reduction in hunger.
• Research worldwide shows that women with acce ss to secure land, formal credit and access to market have greater propensity to invest in improving harvest, increasing productivity, and improving household food security and nutrition.
• Women are more likely than men to hold low-wage, part-time, seasonal employment and they tend to be paid less even when their qualifications are higher than men’s, but new jobs in high-value, export-oriented agro-industries offer much better opportunities for women.

Challenges faced by women in Agriculture:

• Lack of Institutional Credit: Lack of ownership of land does not allow women farmers to approach banks for institutional loans as banks usually consider land as collateral.
• Non-recognition: According to Oxfam India, women are responsible for about 60-80% of food and 90% of dairy production, respectively. But the work by women farmers, in crop cultivation, livestock management or at home, often goes unnoticed.
• Lack of Property Rights- Women are generally not given the land rights in their name. Because of this, women lack bargaining power in the family as against the property holding male member.
• Contract farming: Female farmers are largely excluded from modern contract-farming arrangements because they lack secure control over land, family labour and other resources required to guarantee delivery of a reliable flow of produce.
• Innovation in Agriculture: When a new technology is introduced to automate specific manual labour, women may lose their jobs because they are often responsible for the manual duties and also due to low skill level.
• Lack of Training: Attempts by the government to impart them training in poultry, apiculture and rural handicrafts is trivial given their large numbers.
• Gender discrimination: The 17-country study by Corteva Agriscience revealed that almost 78% women farmers in India face gender discrimination.
• Poor Representation: As of now, women farmers have hardly any representation in society and are nowhere discernible in farmers’ organisations or in occasional protests.
• Access to resource and inputs: When compared to men, women generally have less access to resources and modern inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) to make farming more productive.

Government Interventions to improve women’s role in Agriculture :

• The government is earmarking at least 30% of the budget allocation for women beneficiaries in all ongoing schemes-programmes and development activities.
• Government is also giving preference to women under various policies such as organic farming, self-employment scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana etc.
• Cooperative education programs of women are organized through State Cooperative Societies to ensure women participation in various activities in the field of cooperatives.
• Under Agriculture policies there are provisions of issuing Kisan Credit Card to women and creating livelihood opportunities through livestock practices, agricultural processing.
• Focussing on women self-help groups (SHG) to connect them to micro-credit through capacity building activities and also ensuring their representation in different decision-making bodies.
• Special importance is being given to the role of women in achieving the goal of doubling farmers’ income by 2022.

Way Forward :

• Provision of credit without collateral under the micro-finance initiative of NABARD should be encouraged. Better access to credit, technology, and provision of entrepreneurship abilities will further boost women’s confidence and help them gain recognition as farmers.
• A declining size of land holdings may act as a deterrent due to lower net returns earned and technology adoption. The possibility of collective farming can be encouraged to make women self-reliant.
• Training and skills imparted to women as has been done by some self-help groups and cooperative-based dairy activities (Saras in Rajasthan and Amul in Gujarat). These can be explored further through farmer producer organisations.
• Government flagship schemes such as the National Food Security Mission, Sub-mission on Seed and Planting Material and the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana must include women-centric strategies and dedicated expenditure.
• Most of the farm machineries are difficult for women to operate, so it is important to have gender-friendly tools and machinery for various farm operations. Farm machinery banks and custom hiring centres can be roped in to provide subsidised rental services to women farmers.
• Krishi Vigyan Kendras in every district can be assigned an additional task to educate and train women farmers about innovative technology along with extension services.
• According to Food and Agriculture Organisation, equalising access to productive resources for female and male farmers could increase agricultural output in developing countries by as much as 2.5% to 4%.
• An ‘inclusive transformative agricultural policy’ should aim at gender-specific intervention to raise productivity of small farm holdings and integrate women as active agents in rural transformation.