Daughters of Soil Sowing Seeds of Change: Women Farmers Transforming Agriculture in India

From the paddy fields of the East to the wheat belts of the North, from the cotton farms of the West to the millet growing drylands of the South, the contours of Indian Agriculture are undergoing a quiet transformation.

Illustration by The Geostrata

The image of an Indian farmer has always been imagined as a male, but a subtle reality is often overlooked with this imagery- women are increasingly contributing to the helm of Indian agriculture giving way to a new face of farmers in the nation. 2026 is being observed as the International Year of Women Farmers as recognised by the United Nations, and this gives us an opportunity to move beyond and recognise and reform the women who sow the seeds of change. 

PARTNERS IN CHANGE: UN AND FAO

The declaration of the International Year of Women Farmers by the United Nations is a landmark move which acknowledges the invisible yet indispensable role of women in the food system and also a key Sustainable Development Goal 5 which focuses on Gender Equality. It is more than symbolic recognition, it is a call to action for governments, institutions, and societies to address and acknowledge the deep-rooted gender inequalities that persist within agriculture.

Across the globe, women form a substantial share of the agricultural workforce, they are central to food production, nutrition, and sustainability of agro-based livelihoods. Although their contribution has been long overlooked and undervalued. By dedicating 2026 to women farmers, the United Nations seeks to bring global attention to their efforts and accelerate recognition and rewards towards more gender equitable agricultural systems.

Along with the United Nations, the Food and Agriculture Organisation is coordinating to promote policies that enhance women's access to land, credit, technology, education, training, and markets. 

The acknowledgement of women in agriculture is not just a symbolic gesture, but a global recognition of a transformation undergoing in today's agrarian economies. In India, this transformation is visible in terms of the increasing number of women across the agricultural landscape, but it remains invisible in the denial of their economic identity and ownership, showing that the feminization of agriculture in India is based on the contrast of rising responsibility without a corresponding rise in rights of women. 

PARTICIPATION WITHOUT POWER: HISTORICAL ROOTS

History has been a testament of how women have always contributed to agriculture, but have been denied formal recognition. The roots go back to colonial land systems like ryotwari settlement and zamindari, where male ownership of land was institutionalized while women remained marginalised from formal legal rights- this created a gendered agrarian structure that continues till date.

The Green Revolution, while known for its successful attempt at increasing food production, pushed women out of the agricultural workforce as it introduced new technologies like threshers, tractors, and pump sets which replaced labour intensive tasks like threshing and winnowing that were commonly done by women. While women lost traditional roles, unlike men they were not re-absorbed into new ones. 

From the 1980s onward with economic liberalisation and urban growth, male started migrating to non-farm sectors like manufacturing and services, resulting in women increasingly participating in agricultural activities. Although their contribution increased, they were left to sustain subsistence farming and manage risks without institutional support. 

BEARING THE BURDEN OF FARMS: CHALLENGES

While the farms are increasingly tilled by women, the Agricultural Census of 2015-16 exposed the ground reality which lays down a sharp contradiction: female farmers in India have increased to over 20 million showing a rising trend of feminization but operate only 11.57% of the total agricultural area. Although this increase shows higher participation, it is mainly because of male out-migration and declining farm viability as men move to non-farm activities and hence women are left to manage agriculture single-handedly. 

The data further reveals that women are working more in small and marginal holdings which constitute 86% of all farms, and are economically fragile and highly vulnerable to climate shocks.

The situation worsens with decline in average farm size to 1.08 hectares, translating into limited income, high risks, and negligible bargaining power for them. Among all the biggest challenges remains ownership of land- without legal titles, women are excluded from institutional credit, crop insurance schemes, and subsidies. This exclusion is not governance based but rather deeply engrained in patriarchal norms of the society as land inheritance continues to favour men despite progressive legal provisions.

LEGALITY OF THE LAND: STATUS OF WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE 

Presently there are no laws exclusively recognising male or female contribution to agriculture, although there are provisions that implicitly provide protection to females in agriculture. Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 gives daughters equal inheritance rights in land, however there are gaps in implementation due to the patriarchal nature of the society. The Equal Remuneration Act,1976 also mandates equal wages for men and women.

While there are many schemes, the lack of formal recognition for women without land titles leads to denial of access to credit and exclusion from schemes, which is a core structural legal gap. The legal and constitutional framework of India is strong but structurally weak in implementation. 

REIMAGINING FEMINIZATION OF AGRICULTURE: WAY FORWARD

Women today form the backbone of the rural agrarian economy, sustaining farms, climate stress, and food security. Yet, their growing presence on farms is not translated into greater power, ownership, and security. The solution is in bridging this gap and reconnecting rights with participation. Land rights must be central to reform as without ownership, women remain excluded from the ecosystem of support.

India must also formally recognise women as farmers to overcome the absence of a formal identity from just “helpers”.

Women farmers also bear the dual burden of food production and household care , which leads to poor health and time poverty. Inclusion of child support, healthcare access, and nutrition programmes specific to female farmers will help reduce this burden and improve overall well-being. All the more important aspects are a need for a shift of societal attitude, which helps reshape decision-making and move towards rural transformation.

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BY VASUDHA TIWARI

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com