The Feminisation of Agriculture in India: From Unpaid Labour to Empowered Entrepreneurs
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Economy (Agriculture, Labour Force, Women's participation); Social Justice (Women's Issues, Gender Gap); Government Schemes (e-NAM); Science & Technology.
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Society): Role of women and women's organization; Social empowerment.
General Studies Paper 2 (Social Justice): Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections; Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections (Women).
General Studies Paper 3 (Economy/Agriculture): Issues related to doubling farmers' income; Food processing and related industries—supply chain management.
Essay: Topics on Women's Empowerment, Agriculture, and Inclusive Growth.
Key Highlights from the News
Feminisation of Agriculture: The phenomenon of increasing participation of women in the agricultural sector in India, as men in rural areas shift to other non-agricultural jobs.
Currently, two-thirds of working women in India are in the agricultural sector.
However, this increased participation has not led to their economic empowerment. This is because about half of the women in the agricultural sector are unpaid family workers.
Major Systemic Issues: Lack of official recognition for women as farmers, a significant reduction in land ownership (own only 13-14% of land holdings), and 20-30% lower wages compared to men.
New Opportunities:
Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) increasing agricultural exports will provide new opportunities for women in higher-income sectors like processing and packaging.
Using digital innovations like e-NAM, women can be directly connected to markets and financial services.
To leverage these opportunities, it is essential to increase digital literacy and implement land reforms that grant women land rights.
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) are successful models in this field.
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