Women in Indian Agriculture

Context

• The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared 2025 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, drawing attention to the contribution of women in agriculture.

Significant Role Played by Women

• Increasing participation
  • Data from the PLFS shows that rural women’s workforce participation rose from 35% in 2011–12 to 46.5% in 2023–24. 
  • Although this is a notable improvement, it is still below the global average of 57–63%.
• Large presence in agricultural workforce
  • In 2023–24, nearly 117.6 million women were engaged in agriculture, compared with 127.5 million men.
    • 95.1 million were self-employed
    • 21.7 million worked as hired labour
    • 0.8 million held regular jobs
  • These numbers show that women constitute almost half of India’s agricultural workforce, and the real share may be even higher due to undercounting.
• Rise in self-employment
  • A major part of women’s employment in agriculture is self-employment. 
  • The share of self-employed rural women workers increased from 60% in 2011–12 to 73% in 2023–24. 
  • Within agriculture, this rose from 48% to 62%.
• Crucial role in crop cultivation
  • Village-level studies by the PARI project (Foundation for Agrarian Studies) show that women contribute significantly to farming activities.
    • Women account for about one-third of family labour in agriculture.
    • When both family and hired labour are considered, their participation ranges from 41% to 61% of total labour in crop cultivation.
• Backbone of livestock sector
  • Women also play a central role in livestock rearing, one of the fastest-growing agricultural activities.
  • In households with cattle, women spend about two hours per animal daily on feeding, cleaning, and care.
  • The All India Debt and Investment Survey (2018–19) reported 40 million rural households owning milch animals, which means roughly 40 million women are involved in livestock-related work.

Challenges Faced by Women

• Work often goes unrecognised
  • Many surveys, including the PLFS, tend to underestimate women’s work. 
  • This happens because much of their labour is home-based, farm-based, or combined with household care work, and many women themselves may not report it as employment.
    
• Declining wage opportunities
  • With growing mechanisation in agriculture, the demand for manual labour has fallen. 
  • This decline affects women workers more severely because they are often engaged in labour-intensive tasks.
• Low and stagnant wages
  • Even when women work as agricultural labourers, their wages remain very low.
  • Village surveys show that many women earn less than ₹300 per day.
  • In Tamil Nadu villages, women earned about ₹290 per day, which was less than half of men’s wages.
  • In Uttar Pradesh villages, women earned ₹242–₹276 per day.
  • According to Labour Bureau data (November 2025), the average daily agricultural wage for women was ₹384, while Kerala recorded the highest at ₹646.
  • Importantly, when adjusted for inflation, real wages have remained almost stagnant over the past decade.
• Very low income from farming and livestock
  • Women’s earnings from agricultural activities are often extremely small.
  • Income from livestock work is estimated at around ₹100 per day, which is only about two-fifths of the typical agricultural wage.
  • Income from crop cultivation is also limited:
    • Less than ₹16,000 annually in villages of eastern Uttar Pradesh
    • Less than ₹24,000 annually in Palakurichi village, Tamil Nadu.
• Limited ownership of land
  • Despite their major contribution to agricultural work, only about 10% of rural women own land. 
  • Since land is the main productive asset in agriculture, this lack of ownership restricts women’s access to credit, government support, and decision-making power within farming households.

Way Forward

• Improve Data Collection: Surveys must better capture women’s unpaid and informal work in agriculture to accurately reflect their contribution.
• Ensure Equal Wages: Strong enforcement of equal remuneration laws and minimum wage standards is necessary.
• Enhance Land Rights: Expanding women’s ownership and inheritance rights over land can strengthen their economic agency.
• Support Livestock and Allied Activities: Policies should recognise and support women’s role in livestock, dairy, and allied sectors through credit, training, and infrastructure.
• Strengthen Social Protection: Providing income support, insurance, and welfare schemes can improve the economic security of women farmers.