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About 85 per cent of rural women are engaged in agriculture but only 13 per cent own land. About 60 per cent of our food is produced by rural women but when we think of the farmer, we think of a man.
The “invisiblisation” of women, who are major stakeholders in agriculture, was discussed by experts on the theme of “Role of Women in Agriculture” at the businessline Agri & Commodity Summit 2024. The discussion centred around the need to keep women at the centrestage while designing policies, changing perceptions and ensuring women farmers especially small-holders are provided with access to technology and considered entrepreneurs.
Four pillars
Stressing on the need to shift the perception of the agriculture ecosystem stakeholders in terms of gender, Sugandha Munshi, Senior Associate Scientist and Lead Specialist, IRRI, added that women need to be considered equal contributors when it comes to designing, implementation and impact assessment of agriculture-related policies. Munshi said there are no one-stop solutions. “ It is about identity, knowledge bank, leadership and economic empowerment. These four pillars need to converge together for holistic solutions to support the journey of women from invisibility to visibility in agri sector,” she added.
Poornima Joshi, Chief of Bureau, businessline, New Delhi, who moderated the session, pointed out that despite evidence that there is feminisation of agriculture, there are structural issues such as their lack of ownership of land and access to the hub of agriculture activity — the mandis — that make their contribution invisible.
Avijit Choudhury, Integrator (Resource Mobilisation, Partnerships & Communications), PRADAN, noted that agri-related policies do not recognise the special needs of women. He highlighted that since land titles are often not in their name, women farmers do not have access to credit or benefits of government schemes among other challenges. He added that the Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) model holds a lot of promise. “ The Central Sector scheme for formation and promotion of FPOs should give support to women-run FPOs for a longer period. The scheme provides support to FPOs for three years. I believe for women FPOs support should be given atleast for five years,”Choudhury added.
Rupali Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer, Spowdi, pointed out that small-hold women farmers need to be empowered by ensuring they have access and are able to adapt to technological innovations. She said that small-hold women farmers should be looked at as entrepreneurs. “ Through innovation, small-hold farmers can grow upto 300 per cent more food by using lesser water. Women small-holder farmers should, therefore, be provided with smart and quick financial products and support,” Mehra added. Citing examples, Mehra pointed out that women farmers, who have been able to adopt new technology, have managed to increase profitability and pay back loans.
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