Yes, Women are Farmers Too!
Guest Author: Mr. Chandrakant Kumbhani, COO, Community Development, Ambuja Foundation
21 January 2025, New Delhi: When you mention the word ‘farmer’ in India, one immediately conjures up a stereotypical image – wiry moustache, turban, white kurta and dhoti, age lines etched on a tanned face … this is the typical image of ‘farmer’ presented in the mind’s eye of most Indians – one also propagated by the media.
But the truth of the matter is that in India, agriculture employs 80 percent of rural women, who play a significant role in performing many of the big farming jobs – from sowing to harvesting. This is yet another reflection of India’s gaping gender chasm – one which sees women asset-less, without a voice and left out of the decision making process in their own households and farming businesses.
But a grassroots movement is underway to change all that, with a strategic effort to change the perception of farmers to include women. It’s not rocket science and NGOs working with large tracts of farmers can play a crucial role in catalysing a ‘shift’ to see women seize, own and be recognised for their identity as farmers – playing a crucial role in feeding the nation, and building sustainable, thriving businesses to support their families.
- Technical Training to Enhance Knowledge
One of the greatest challenges to women being engaged and recognized as farmers is a lack of technical knowledge and language to participate in farming discussions and decisions. If they want to participate, they need to have the knowledge – they need to have a strong understanding about things like inputs from seeds to fertilisers, integrated pest and nutrient management, crop management techniques, and marketing so they can start participating in the dialogue and decision making.
Women have historically been guardians of traditional seeds and plant varieties. Their knowledge of seed saving and exchange helps preserve crop diversity, ensuring resilience in the face of changing environmental conditions and pests. Throughout history, women have been the stewards of agricultural knowledge and practices, passing down traditions from one generation to the next. Post industrialization, the introduction of technology and insistence on cash crops, their role became more limited as did their contributions in crucial decisions of farming.
To ensure women are perceived as farmers and are recognised for their contributions, it is important that they have access to the latest knowledge and skills required for farming, they have market linkages and credit facilities.
In Chandrapur Maharashtra, over 1.2lakh women are upskilling and honing their knowledge on the technical aspects of agriculture. Most women feel nervous and unable to voice their opinions in male oriented training platforms, so to impart technical training on the ground, the formation of informal groups of women farmers is an effective way to provide trainings and fully engage women farmers.
The expectation from NGOs leading the charge is that these women come to the forefront and take decisions regarding agriculture. Where will they sell their produce? What price will they get in the market? What cropping pattern will be followed next year?
Only when women are at par with their male counterparts in terms of knowledge and technical language, and given access and ownership of resources, will they be taken seriously in households, as well as in society, as ‘farmers’.
- Women as Beneficiaries of Government Schemes
Government schemes provide a great mechanism to put women front and centre in farming families. By linking women farmers within families to Government schemes, along with opportunities associated with the NRLM, women inadvertently take the responsibility for implementing initiatives like the roll out of micro irrigation on farms. In fact women are eligible for 90% subsidy under such schemes, as opposed to 80% for men in the family which is a significant incentive to shift the power dynamic and provide financial agency over a key agricultural project.
- Empowering Women in Agri-Allied Activities
Women have a valuable role to play in driving essential agri-allied activities like poultry, goatery, milk production, and small enterprises like the development of bio inputs to sell to nearby farmers, which value-add household agricultural income and diversifies risk. By training women and empowering them to drive these activities, they gain financial agency in their households and are seen as essential contributors to family prosperity. Again, there is a role for learning and skill building, and by implementing better health and fodder management of the livestock, controlling the green gas emissions from livestock, and using the bio waste as bio inputs they are able to increase profits for themselves and their families.
SHGs provide an essential platform to support these allied activities also. SAKSHAM unit, established by women from 6 SHGs from 2 districts, Nagpur and Chandrapur, has had a transformative effect on the agricultural landscape of their villages. Working collectively, these SHG members (many of whom are women farmers) are making yellow sticky traps which have led to reducing the pesticide load on farms. Not only has it provided an eco-friendly pest management solution, but it has also empowered women economically through sustainable income generation.
Another example is from Chhattisgarh, where 261 SHG members decided to cultivate turmeric on 8 acres. The area had a huge menace of monkeys and that led to keeping the land barren or getting minimal yields due to monkeys destroying the produce. The women turned to turmeric cultivation, that cannot be damaged by the monkeys, and have managed to earn 6.6 times return on investment.
Initiatives like these have encouraged more women to gain agency in agricultural processes, become entrepreneurs and provide alternative products in markets to reduce the chemical load on farms and help farmers uptake the latest technologies to ensure sustainable and organic farming.
- Enabling Women as Agricultural Leaders
Going one step further, active women farmers can be selected as ‘lead farmers’ to champion new agricultural programs among farmers in the community, and act as peer mentors and educators to other women farmers.
Vanitaben Jagdishbhai Gajera from village Kanavadla in Gujarat had always been very enthusiastic about exploring new knowledge and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides on her farm. She had been exploring and preparing bio inputs for many years, harnessing traditional knowledge passed on to her for generations, and learning via YouTube videos. But her success rate was low. With training and support from an NGO, Vanitaben mastered the art of preparing and applying bio inputs and the correct proportion that led to better yield. Today, Vanitaben trains other farmers – including women farmers – who are interested in going the organic/bio inputs way. Husbands respect these contributions to farming that result in better yield, lesser input costs and dependence on the market – encouraging the women’s involvement and participation in agriculture even more.
By selecting progressive women farmers to develop demonstration plots, building their articulation and knowledge and then exhibiting their plots and showcasing it to other farmers, can lift women up to be recognised and respected as leaders in their field – inspiring other women, and changing perceptions among male farmers in the community.
Some women are even emerging in the role of ‘Lead Farmer.’ Among groups of 25+ in Farmer Learner Groups, some women who are first adopters of new technologies are being nominated as ‘Lead Farmer’ to spearhead the group and its activities. Civil society can play a pivotal role in fostering this leadership so that women can play a key role in helping solve problems of other farmers.
- Employing More Women to Work With Farmers
A leading NGO working with over 2.71 lakh farmers across 12 states noticed that its field workers engaging with farmers were primarily male dominated. Taking a strategic decision to engage more women farmers, it made perfect sense then that more women field workers were engaged to work with both men and women farmers and start to change perceptions.
There was an ingrained perception that working in the field with farmers was something women couldn’t do – particularly in northern states. Initially it started with a shift of 5% to 10% women field workers employed, but once confidence grew that female staff recruitment at a field level was working the number grew. Today there are 30% women engaged in field work which gives a strong impression that women have the ability to recruit more women farmers, and create acceptance of women as farmers and farm trainers with significant knowledge and skills to be brought to the table.
Additionally, by facilitating sessions on gender norms with behaviour change messages among both male and female participants across agricultural programs, NGOs can ensure the recognition of women’s role in agriculture.
Not only in India but around the world, women’s contribution to agriculture are significant. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, 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 the agricultural output in developing countries by up to 4%, which could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12–17% – that’s 100-150 million people.
We have a long way to go, but these small steps show us what is possible if only others follow suit.
Also Read: Crop.zone Secures Groundbreaking Patent: Redefining Biomass Assessment
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