Sushma Singh
In the mosaic of Indian agriculture, women are not just silent contributors. They are the backbone of food production, seed preservation, and community resilience. From the verdant valleys of the North East to the fertile plains of Punjab, from the terraced hills of Himachal to the coastal farms of Kerala, women have been shaping India’s agricultural narrative for centuries. As India charts its journey towards Viksit Krishi and Atmanirbhar Bharat by 2047, the role of women farmers must shift from being invisible hands to visible leaders of transformation.
The image of a woman carrying a wicker basket of freshly harvested vegetables down a slippery hill path, or a farmer in a mustard field in Rajasthan skillfully managing irrigation, is more than a rustic scene, it is a living testimony to women’s resilience. In the hills, they rise before dawn, navigating rugged terrain to tend to crops, manage livestock, and collect fuelwood and water. In the plains, they sow, weed, harvest, and market produce, often juggling these responsibilities with caregiving and household management. Their work spans the entire agricultural value chain yet, recognition, resources, and policy frameworks have historically lagged behind their contributions.
From Subsistence to Sustainability: Women as Catalysts of Change
The journey of Indian agriculture is shifting from subsistence farming to climate-smart, market-linked, and value-driven systems. Women farmers are at the forefront of this shift. In Nagaland’s Phek district, women-led cooperative groups have revived traditional millet cultivation, blending indigenous knowledge with organic certification to access premium markets. In Punjab’s Sangrur district, women’s self-help groups are spearheading mushroom cultivation, generating additional income and promoting nutritional diversity. In Tamil Nadu’s delta regions, women farmers’ federations are leading campaigns for integrated pest management, significantly reducing chemical inputs.
The North East, with its matrilineal traditions in parts of Meghalaya, showcases how women’s authority in land management can enhance sustainability. Yet, in much of rural India, land ownership remains heavily skewed towards men, limiting women’s access to credit, crop insurance, and government schemes. Addressing this imbalance is not merely a matter of gender justice, it is an economic imperative. Studies show that if women had the same access to resources as men, farm yields could rise by 20–30%, substantially boosting national food security.
Global Lessons for Local Empowerment
Around the world, countries have demonstrated that empowering women in agriculture is central to economic transformation. In Rwanda, women’s cooperatives have driven the country’s coffee sector revival, making Rwandan beans a global brand. In Brazil, women in rural unions have championed school feeding programmes that purchase directly from smallholder farmers, creating steady markets and improving community nutrition. Kenya’s women-led dairy cooperatives have adopted mobile payment systems, ensuring timely transactions and transparency. These experiences underscore that inclusive agricultural growth is not only a social good, it is smart economics.
India can adapt these lessons, blending them with its own context. Linking women producers to institutional procurement, strengthening women’s producer companies, and fostering agri-tech startups led by women can open new frontiers. Digital platforms can break geographical barriers, allowing women in remote regions, from Sikkim’s ginger growers to Maharashtra’s turmeric producers to connect with buyers across the country and abroad.
A Call for Policy Reforms: From Marginal Inclusion to Central Strategy
For women to be central to India’s Vision 2047 agricultural strategy, policies must go beyond token inclusion and embrace systemic change. Legal reforms ensuring joint spousal land titles can open the door to credit and crop insurance. Dedicated lines of credit for women-led agri-enterprises can encourage diversification into high-value crops, food processing, and export-oriented production. Agricultural extension services must be redesigned with a gender lens—ensuring training sessions, demonstration plots, and digital advisories are tailored to women’s time schedules, literacy levels, and cultural contexts.
A National Mission for Women in Agriculture or Mission Krishi Nari Shakti 2047 could be a transformative step, with clear targets for women’s representation in farmer producer organisations and enterprises, digital inclusion, market linkages, and leadership roles in cooperative boards. This mission must also integrate climate resilience, as women farmers are often the first to face the brunt of erratic rains, pest outbreaks, and declining soil fertility. Investments in women-friendly farm mechanization, lightweight tools, ergonomic equipment, and access to rental hubs can dramatically reduce drudgery. Such a mission would align with Vision 2047 goals of inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems while reinforcing Atmanirbhar Bharat through diversified rural entrepreneurship and making women the custodians of agri-economic growth.
Building an Ecosystem of Support: Education, Technology, and Market Access
The foundation of a truly inclusive agricultural sector lies in education and skill-building. Agricultural universities and research institutions must expand programmes to attract and train women scientists, extension workers, and agri-entrepreneurs. Digital agriculture tools such as mobile-based weather forecasts, crop advisories, and e-market platforms must be made accessible in local languages and formats suited for women with varying literacy levels.
Market access remains a decisive factor. Rural haats and mandis must be modernised with safe, well-lit spaces, childcare facilities, and transport support to enable women to participate confidently. Linking women farmers to global value chains through quality certification, branding, and e-commerce can position them as competitive players in high-demand sectors like spices, organic produce, and horticulture exports.
Towards Vision 2047: Women as Architects of Atmanirbhar Krishi
By 2047, India’s agricultural landscape must reflect not only productivity and sustainability but also inclusiveness and equity. Women farmers, whether in the terraced farms of Uttarakhand, the paddy fields of Odisha, or the sugarcane fields of Uttar Pradesh, must be recognised as architects of the nation’s food systems. This recognition must be backed by measurable outcomes: higher incomes, secure land rights, enhanced decision-making roles, and access to technology and markets.
The journey towards Krishi Viksit Bharat cannot be complete without women at the helm. Their stories rooted in soil, nurtured by tradition, and open to innovation are the living bridge between India’s agricultural past and its aspirational future. A policy shifts from “helping women” to “enabling women to lead” could be the most transformative agricultural reform of the century. Thus, with the right policy push, investment focus, and mission-mode approach, women can turn the dream of an Atmanirbhar Krishi into a resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive reality.
(The author is Governing Body Member of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), MoA&FW, Government of India and Former Vice President, Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission, Views are personal)
