Feminisation of Agriculture

The feminisation of agriculture means that women account for a growing share of agricultural work and increasingly carry responsibility for cultivation in rural households. It includes women working as cultivators, agricultural labourers and unpaid family workers, often without corresponding control over land, income or farm decisions. It concerns both the composition of the workforce and the transfer of farm responsibilities to women.

How feminisation occurs

Feminisation is commonly associated with the movement of men from farming to non-farm occupations or their migration from villages. Women then undertake more farm operations or manage holdings while also continuing domestic and care work.

• It may involve a rising proportion of women workers in agriculture even when their absolute number does not increase.
• It can take the form of labour feminisation, with more women supplying farm labour, or managerial feminisation, with women assuming responsibility for cultivation.
• Women may be recorded as unpaid helpers rather than cultivators, so their contribution can remain statistically and socially under-recognised.

Why it does not automatically imply empowerment

Greater participation does not necessarily produce greater authority. Women may bear increased workloads while lacking secure rights over productive assets and recognition as farmers.

• Limited land ownership or operational titles can restrict access to institutional credit, irrigation, inputs, extension services and some public benefits.
• Concentration in unpaid family work or low-paid casual labour can reinforce income insecurity and time poverty.
• Restricted mobility, training and access to technology can reduce productivity and bargaining power despite women performing substantial agricultural work.

Policy significance

An effective response must treat women as farmers and producers, not merely as agricultural labour or beneficiaries. Measures include stronger land rights, gender-responsive extension, access to credit and producer collectives, suitable technology and reduced unpaid care burdens.

• The Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana, under the rural livelihoods mission, seeks to strengthen women’s participation and capabilities in agriculture.
• Recognition in land and tenancy arrangements helps connect women with farm institutions, services and decision-making.