Context:
On International Women’s Day (March 8, 2026), global attention is focused on equal rights and justice for women, coinciding with 2026 being observed as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Despite legal reforms such as equal inheritance rights, women farmers in India still face structural barriers including limited land ownership, lack of institutional recognition, and restricted access to agricultural resources and welfare schemes.
Key Highlights:
Structural Inequality in Land Ownership
- Although laws grant equal inheritance rights to daughters, land ownership in rural India largely remains registered in men’s names.
• Patrilineal inheritance practices, social norms, limited legal awareness, and administrative hurdles restrict women’s inclusion in land records.
• As a result, many women who manage farming operations lack formal recognition as farmers.
Impact of Lack of Land Titles
- Without legal land titles, women farmers face barriers in accessing:
- Institutional credit and agricultural loans
- Crop insurance schemes
- Irrigation support programmes
- Agricultural extension services
- Climate-resilient farming technologies
- Since many government schemes require land ownership documentation, women are structurally excluded.
Feminisation of Agriculture
- Due to male migration to urban areas, agriculture in India is increasingly becoming “feminised”.
• Women now take on greater responsibility for:
- Cultivation activities
- Household food security
- Agricultural risk management
- However, this expanded role is not matched with legal recognition, asset ownership, or institutional support.
Health and Nutritional Challenges
- Women agricultural workers face heavy workloads and time poverty, especially during peak agricultural seasons.
• Studies show that resource-poor women often suffer from:
- Anaemia
- Micronutrient deficiencies
- Poor health outcomes
- Maternal undernutrition contributes to low birth weight, child stunting, and developmental challenges, creating intergenerational health impacts.
Limitations in Food Security Systems
- India’s National Food Security Act (NFSA) provides:
- Subsidised cereals through the Public Distribution System (PDS)
- Supplementary nutrition for pregnant and lactating women
- Maternity entitlements
- However, many food programmes remain cereal-centric, with insufficient emphasis on nutrient-rich foods such as pulses, fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods.
Institutional and Implementation Challenges
- Frontline workers are often overburdened, affecting programme delivery quality.
• Increasing digitalisation of welfare services may exclude women lacking digital literacy, connectivity, or documentation.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013
- Provides legal entitlement to subsidised food grains to about two-thirds of India’s population.
- Key provisions include:
- Public Distribution System (PDS)
- Supplementary nutrition through Anganwadis
- Mid-Day Meal Scheme (now PM POSHAN)
- Maternity benefits for pregnant and lactating women
- Feminisation of Agriculture
- Refers to the increasing participation and responsibility of women in agricultural activities, often due to male out-migration.
- M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)
- Established by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, a pioneer of the Green Revolution in India.
- Focuses on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and rural development.
- World Food Programme (WFP)
- A UN agency addressing global hunger and food insecurity.
- Supports programmes related to food assistance, nutrition, and resilience building.
- National Policy for Farmers (2007)
- Defines farmers not only as landowners but also as cultivators, agricultural labourers, tenants, sharecroppers, and those engaged in allied activities.
Relevant Mains Points:
- Women constitute a significant share of India’s agricultural workforce, yet they face systemic marginalisation due to lack of land ownership, policy recognition, and access to productive resources.
Key Challenges Facing Women Farmers
- Limited Land Ownership
- Land ownership determines access to credit, subsidies, insurance, and government schemes.
- Without land titles, women remain economically and institutionally marginalised.
- Invisible Labour
- Women contribute significantly to crop cultivation, livestock management, and post-harvest activities, yet their role remains undervalued and unrecognised.
- Nutritional Vulnerability
- High rates of anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies among women reflect systemic gaps in food security programmes.
- Technology and Knowledge Gaps
- Women often have limited access to agricultural extension services, training, and modern technologies.
- Time Poverty and Care Burden
- Women balance agricultural work with unpaid care responsibilities, reducing their ability to pursue economic opportunities.
Policy Priorities for Women Farmers
- Visibility in Data and Policy
- Collect gender-disaggregated agricultural data.
- Recognise women as farmers irrespective of land ownership.
- Strengthening Land and Asset Rights
- Promote joint land titles for spouses.
- Ensure effective implementation of inheritance laws.
- Encourage registration of land and housing in women’s names.
- Nutrition-Sensitive Food Systems
- Expand procurement of nutri-cereals, pulses, fruits, and vegetables.
- Integrate these foods into PDS, Anganwadi services, and school meal programmes.
- Access to Technology and Extension Services
- Provide labour-saving technologies to reduce drudgery.
- Ensure women receive targeted agricultural training and market information.
- Strengthening Women’s Collectives
- Support self-help groups (SHGs), cooperatives, and farmer producer organisations (FPOs) led by women.
- Enhance collective bargaining power for inputs, credit, and markets.
Way Forward
- Recognise women as equal stakeholders in agriculture and food systems.
• Strengthen land rights and resource access for women farmers.
• Integrate nutrition-sensitive agriculture policies with food security programmes.
• Expand gender-sensitive agricultural extension and digital inclusion efforts.
• Promote community-based approaches such as kitchen gardens and women’s seed banks.
UPSC Relevance:
• GS-I: Role of women in agriculture and rural society.
• GS-II: Welfare schemes and food security frameworks.
• GS-III: Agriculture, nutritional security, and inclusive development policies