The hidden backbone of India's agriculture

The first Indian colour film, released in 1938, was Kisan Kanya (Farmer's Daughter). Today, despite nearly 85% of rural Indian women working in agriculture, their contributions are often overlooked. The image of the Indian farmer—a man in a dhoti kurta, standing defiantly against a barren landscape—has become an icon of agrarian struggle. But this portrait is incomplete.

P Sainath, a veteran journalist who has chronicled rural India for decades, captures this disparity in his documentary, Nero's Guest. In its opening scenes, Sainath examines photographs of farmers who have taken their own lives. He pauses on the image of Sudha Mani, a woman cradling a child. Sudha's mother had died by suicide. Yet Sudha was deemed ineligible for compensation. In the eyes of society and law, her mother was not a farmer but just a farmer's wife.

"I wish I had a memory of my mother when she was not working," Sudha said. "When I slept, she was working; when I woke up, she was working." This relentless toil is the reality for millions of women across India's agricultural heartland.

According to Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2021-2022, agriculture has the highest estimated female labour force participation at 62.9%. Yet, these women are rarely recognised as farmers in their own right, instead labelled as mere labourers on land they often help cultivate.

Men, money and migration

The Economic Survey of 2017-18 emphasised the need for an 'inclusive transformative agricultural policy' with targeted gender-specific interventions and proposed strategies to boost productivity on small farms, integrate women into rural development and involve both genders in extension services. The survey mentioned allocating at least 30% of budgets across ongoing schemes and development activities to women beneficiaries. The government also pledged to support women through self-help groups (SHGs), facilitating micro-credit access and ensuring representation in decision-making bodies.

Despite these recommendations, a significant gender gap persists in agricultural support programs. Take, for example, the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, which provides Indian farmers 6,000 annually as minimum income support. In June, PM Narendra Modi released the “17th instalment amounting to nearly 20,000 crore that will benefit around 9.3 crore farmers.” The delayed funds, released as a bonanza, drew criticism from the opposition. In November 2023, the overall figure of the scheme’s beneficiaries stood at 8.12 crore, of which 6.27 crore or 77.33 percent were men and only 1.83 crore or 22.64 percent, highlighting a stark gender disparity.

The feminisation of Indian agriculture is, paradoxically, a byproduct of its challenges. As climate change renders farming increasingly unpredictable and chemical fertilisers drive up costs, men are migrating to cities in search of more stable incomes. Women, left behind, shoulder the double burden of agricultural labour and domestic responsibilities.

Mounting challenges 

Indian women have limited access to resources crucial for agricultural stability, such as land, water, credit, technology, and training. To make ends meet, these workers often overexert themselves, leading to various problems.

In Beed, Maharashtra, economic distress has led to a disturbing trend. More women in their twenties are undergoing hysterectomies due to exploitative sugarcane work. Lack of education and the perception that menstruation hinders work drive this dangerous practice.

Further north, as temperatures soar to record highs, women from impoverished backgrounds endure the brunt of heat exposure in agricultural labour, facing severe health hazards. Rural areas often lack access to amenities such as air conditioning and health resources, leaving these women particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures.

Perhaps the most fundamental barrier facing women farmers is land ownership. In India, despite 85% of rural women engaging in agriculture, only about 13% have land ownership. Challenging male dominance in agriculture is extremely difficult since women who provide labour aren't recognised as farmers, a status tied to land ownership that most rural Indian women lack.

Kavitha Kuruganti, speaking for the Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM), identifies this lack of land ownership as the key factor rendering female farmers invisible. Without land titles, these women remain unrecognised as farmers, perpetuating their marginalisation and leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Path forward

As India grapples with the challenges of feeding a growing population in an era of climate uncertainty, it can no longer afford to overlook half of its agricultural workforce. Recognizing and empowering women farmers is not just a matter of equality—it's a necessity for the nation's food security and economic stability.

The path forward requires a multipronged approach:

1. Legal reforms to recognise women as farmers in their own right
2. Targeted financial and educational support
3. A cultural shift in how society views women's roles in agriculture

Only then can India truly claim to be cultivating a future where every farmer, regardless of gender, can reap what they sow.

In the end, the story of India's women farmers is one of resilience in the face of systemic neglect. It's time for their silent revolution to be heard, for their invisible labour to be seen, and for their rightful place in India's agricultural narrative to be acknowledged.
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