The ‘feminisation of agriculture’ is picking up pace in India.
Given this, the challenges women farmers face must necessarily be addressed by appropriate policy measures.
What are the recent proposals?
October 15 is observed as International Day of Rural Women by the United Nations.
It is also the National Women’s Farmer’s Day (Rashtriya Mahila Kisan Diwas) in India.
In 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare decided to take the lead in celebrating the event.
It duly recognises the multidimensional role of women at every stage from sowing to planting, drainage, irrigation, fertilizer, plant protection, harvesting, weeding, and storage.
This year, the Ministry has proposed to discuss the challenges women farmers face in crop cultivation, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries.
The aim is to work towards an action plan using better access to credit, skill development and entrepreneurial opportunities.
How is women representation in agriculture?
According to Oxfam India, women are responsible for about 60-80% of food production and 90% of dairy production.
The Agriculture Census (2010-11) shows that out of an estimated 118.7 million cultivators, around 30% were females.
Similarly, out of around 144 million agricultural labourers, nearly 42% were females.
As per the latest Census (2015-16), out of a total 146 million operational holdings, female operational holders' share is around 13% (20.25 million).
At present, women farmers have hardly any representation in society and are less visible in farmers’ organisations and protests.
But they are the invisible workers without which the agricultural economy is hard to grow.
What are the challenges and ways out?
Land ownership - The biggest challenge is the powerlessness of women in terms of claiming ownership of the land they have been cultivating.
In Census 2015, almost 86% of women farmers are devoid of this property right in land.
The foremost task for sustenance of women's presence in farming is to assign property rights in land.
Credits - Women with access to secure land, formal credit and access to market have greater propensity in making investments.
This helps in improving harvest, increasing productivity, and improving household food security and nutrition, across the world.
But women farmers are unable to approach banks for institutional loans as banks usually consider land as collateral.
Provision of credit under the micro-finance initiative of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development without collateral should be encouraged.
Better access to credit, technology, and provision of entrepreneurship abilities will facilitate more women participation.
Land holdings - Land holdings have doubled over the years resulting in shrinking of the average size of farms.
Therefore, a majority of farmers fall under the small and marginal category (with less than 2 ha of land) which includes women farmers.
But a declining size of land holdings may act as a deterrent due to lower net returns earned and technology adoption.
Thus, the possibility of collective farming can be encouraged to make women self-reliant.
Training - Training and skills are now imparted to women 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.
Also, government flagship schemes must include women-centric strategies and dedicated expenditure.
These may include National Food Security Mission, Sub-mission on Seed and Planting Material, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.
Krishi Vigyan Kendras in every district can educate and train women farmers about innovative technology.
Pay - Including the household responsibilities, women do more work (paid and unpaid) for longer hours than male farmers.
But women farmers can neither make any claim on output nor ask for a higher wage rate.
An increased work burden with lower compensation is a key factor responsible for their marginalisation, which needs redressal.
Machinery - Female cultivators and labourers generally perform labour-intensive tasks in agriculture.
But most farm machinery is difficult for women to operate.
It is thus important to have gender-friendly tools and machinery for various farm operations.
Manufacturers should be incentivised to come up with better solutions.
Farm machinery banks and custom hiring centres promoted by many State governments can be roped in to provide subsidised rental services to women farmers.
Resources - When compared to men, women generally have less access to resources and modern inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides).
Equalising access to productive resources could increase agricultural output in developing countries by as much as 2.5% to 4%.
Women farmers should be listed as primary earners and owners of land assets to elevating their place as real and visible farmers.
This will ensure their acceptance and their activities will expand to
acquiring loans
deciding the crops to be grown using appropriate technology and machines
disposing of produce to village traders or in wholesale markets
In all, there is a need for an appropriate policy and doable action plans to sustain women’s interest in farming and their uplift.
