How women can be given ‘farmer’ status in Indian agricultural eco-system
The last century saw advancement of an intensive agriculture production system, stimulated by consumption-driven economics that has led to deep social and ecological consequences. The major river basins of northern and western India emerged as role models to take shape over the decades. The success in agriculture triggered a deterministic transformation of a fairly diverse landscape of the country and from the 1960s to this date, India witnessed a blend of initiatives (public and private) shaping the agriculture sector and reinforcing the ‘green revolution’ pathway.
However, there is one significant part of the agricultural revolution, which continues to be disregarded across the country, it is the women’s significant contribution to agriculture in rural India. It is known that 78 per cent of India’s employed women work in agriculture. As per the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2021-2022, agriculture has the highest estimated female labour force participation of 62.9 per cent. The rural women in India are contributing to this sector for many years, but mostly as labourers in their own farms and not “farmers”.