Feminisation of agriculture in India: Women at the helm, yet outside the system

Indian agriculture is undergoing a transformation that is rarely acknowledged in policy debates. Across villages, men are leaving farms behind in search of urban employment, while women are stepping in to sustain agricultural activity. This shift is not driven by empowerment alone, but by compulsion. As male migration intensifies, women increasingly shoulder the responsibility of cultivation, livestock management and household survival.This phenomenon, known as the feminisation of agriculture, presents a contradiction. Women are doing more agricultural work than ever before, yet they remain legally invisible. They manage farms, but do not own land. They bear risks, but lack access to credit, insurance and state support. This gap between work and recognition is one of the most serious structural challenges facing Indian agriculture today.Understanding the feminisation of agricultureFeminisation of agriculture refers to the rising share of women in agricultural labour and decision-making, primarily due to the withdrawal of men from farming. In India, this trend has accelerated over the past two decades.Multiple factors explain this shift:Declining profitability of small-scale farmingFragmentation of landholdingsRising climate uncertaintyExpansion of informal urban labour marketsAs men migrate seasonally or permanently, women take charge of farms, not as assistants, but as principal cultivators in practice.Why are men leaving the fields?Agriculture today offers low and uncertain returns. Small and marginal farmers face rising input costs, unstable prices and frequent crop losses. For many men, migration becomes a rational economic choice.Urban centres promise cash income, more regular wages and escape from agrarian distressHowever, migration does not mean agriculture disappears. It simply means that women are left to run it, often without preparation or institutional backing.Women farmers without the farmer tagHere lies the core problem. Despite managing agricultural operations, most women are not legally recognised as farmers. Land ownership in India remains heavily skewed in favour of men. Customary practices, inheritance norms and social pressures ensure that land titles are rarely transferred to women.As a result:Women’s names are missing from land recordsTheir work is categorised as “family labour”Their role remains invisible in official dataIn effect, women cultivate land they do not own and sustain an economy that does not acknowledge them.The invisibility of female labourThe invisibility of women’s agricultural work is not symbolic, it has concrete consequences.Most government schemes are land-linked. Whether it is institutional credit, crop insurance, income support or disaster compensation, eligibility usually depends on land ownership.Without land titles, women cannot:Access formal bank loansObtain Kisan Credit CardsReceive direct benefit transfers meant for farmersClaim insurance payouts during crop failureThus, women face all the risks of farming but enjoy none of the protections.Legal barriers and social constraintsWeak implementation of inheritance laws: Although Indian law grants daughters equal rights to ancestral property, enforcement remains poor. Women often relinquish claims under family pressure, fearing social conflict or loss of support.Patriarchal control over assets: Land is seen as a male asset, tied to lineage and authority. Even when women manage farms, ownership is retained by male relatives.Gender-neutral policies, gender-blind outcomes: Agricultural policies assume a male farmer by default. Extension services, training programmes, and institutional outreach rarely account for women as independent cultivators. Economic cost of ignoring women farmersExcluding women from formal agricultural systems harms productivity. Research consistently shows that when women have access to land, credit and technology, farm outcomes improve.Women are more likely to:Diversify cropsInvest in food securityPrioritise household nutritionIgnoring them results in lost productivity, weaker food systems and persistent rural poverty. Climate change: A gendered burdenClimate change has intensified agricultural uncertainty. Erratic rainfall, heat stress and extreme weather events have increased the workload on women.Women farmers:Travel longer distances for water and fuelPerform more unpaid labour during crisesHave fewer coping mechanisms during crop failureWithout insurance or institutional support, climate stress deepens gender inequality.The way forward: Making feminisation empoweringFeminisation of agriculture does not automatically mean empowerment. Without reform, it risks becoming a story of rising responsibility without rights.Key policy interventions include:Strengthening women’s land rightsPromote joint land titles for spousesSimplify land registration proceduresProvide incentives for registering land in women’s namesRedefining who a farmer isRecognise cultivators and farm managers, not just landownersDecouple benefits from strict ownership criteriaWomen-centric agricultural supportTarget women through extension servicesStrengthen women-led Farmer Producer OrganisationsBetter data and recognitionRecord women as farmers in official statisticsUse gender-disaggregated data for policy designConclusion: From invisible hands to recognised farmersIndian agriculture survives today largely because of women’s labour. Yet, policies continue to treat them as secondary actors. The feminisation of agriculture is not a marginal trend, it is a structural shift that demands structural reform.Recognising women as farmers is not about symbolism or welfare. It is about fairness, efficiency and sustainability. Until women gain land rights and legal visibility, agricultural reform will remain incomplete.If India truly wants to secure its food future, it must start by recognising, and empowering, the women who already feed the nation.

Feminisation of agriculture in India: Women at the helm, yet outside the system

Male migration has pushed women into farm management roles, but without land ownership and legal recognition, their labour remains unseen, unsupported, and undervalued

Ivninder Pal Singh

Tribune News Service

Feminisation of agriculture in India: Women at the helm, yet outside the system

Male migration has pushed women into farm management roles, but without land ownership and legal recognition, their labour remains unseen, unsupported, and undervalued

Ivninder Pal Singh

Tribune News Service

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