Women Farmers and Climate Change: Gender Gaps in Farming
Why in the news
With 2026 marked as the FAO’s International Year of the Woman Farmer, focus shifted to women’s farm contribution and climate resilience.
Key facts
- Women are about 64% of India’s agricultural workforce, doing nearly 70% of tasks; about 80% of rural women work in agriculture-linked activity.
- Yet their contribution is under-recognised and under-compensated.
| Activity (ICAR) | Women’s share |
|---|---|
| Animal husbandry and fisheries | 95% |
| Horticulture | 79% |
| Crop production | 75% |
| Post-harvest operations | 51% |
Challenges
- Land: only 13.9% of holdings are in women’s names, limiting access to PM-KISAN, KCC and PMFBY.
- Decisions: men often control crop, input and income choices.
- Climate: heatwaves, erratic rain and extreme weather hit women harder, who also have less access to information and technology.
- Feminisation: male migration raises women’s farm and household load.
Government initiatives
- Lower stamp duty on land registration for women.
- 30% reservation in the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation.
- Namo Drone Didi scheme.
- DAY-NRLM: 91 lakh SHGs, 5.35 lakh village organisations and 33,000+ cluster federations.
- Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana; 2 lakh+ Community Resource Persons (Krishi, Pashu, Matsya and Madhu Sakhis).
Exam angle
- Land share 13.9%; workforce share 64%.