What Happened
- President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated and addressed the Global Conference on the Role of Women in Agri-Food Systems (GCWAS-2026) held in New Delhi on March 12, 2026.
- The President called for greater representation of women in policy formulation, decision-making, and leadership roles in the agriculture and allied sectors.
- She highlighted that the United Nations has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, calling for collective global action to close gender gaps in agri-food value chains.
- President Murmu noted that women perform the majority of agricultural activities — sowing, harvesting, processing, transporting, and are active in fisheries, beekeeping, animal husbandry, and forestry — yet lack formal recognition as farmers and face barriers to land ownership, credit, and institutional support.
- She called on governments, institutions, and society to support women in taking leadership positions in agriculture and food systems, and recommended wide publication of success case studies of women in agriculture to inspire replication.
Static Topic Bridges
Women in Indian Agriculture — Contribution and Structural Gaps
Women form the backbone of India's agricultural workforce but face persistent structural barriers to ownership, recognition, and institutional support.
- Women constitute approximately 73% of the rural agricultural workforce and perform nearly 70% of all agricultural activities in India.
- Around 33% of cultivators and approximately 42% of agricultural labourers in India are women.
- Despite this contribution, only about 14% of operational landholders are women, and women own approximately 11–13% of total agricultural land in India.
- 87.5% of farm plots are individually owned by men; only about 10% by women; 2.3% jointly.
- Without land ownership, women farmers cannot independently access institutional credit, crop insurance, input subsidies, or government welfare schemes — as most agricultural schemes require land records as proof of eligibility.
- The FAO estimates that if women had equal access to productive resources as men, farm yields could increase by 20–30%, potentially reducing global hunger by 12–17% (approximately 100–150 million fewer hungry people).
Connection to this news: President Murmu's call for greater decision-making roles for women in the farm sector directly addresses this structural gap — the gap between women's contribution to agricultural labour and their exclusion from ownership, policy, and leadership.
Government Schemes for Women in Agriculture
Several Central Government schemes specifically target women farmers and aim to address the structural gaps in access, ownership, and recognition.
- Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): A sub-component of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM); focuses on enhancing the socio-economic status of women in agriculture through capacity building, training, and institutional linkages.
- PM-KISAN (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi): Provides ₹6,000/year income support directly into bank accounts; women who are landholders in their own right are eligible, but low women land ownership limits coverage.
- Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): Crop insurance scheme; accessibility for women dependent on having land records in their names.
- Agricultural Census: Collects data on operational holdings; the 2015-16 Agricultural Census showed women's share in operational holdings at about 14% — tracking this over time is critical for policy assessment.
- The National Policy for Farmers, 2007 recognised women's specific needs in agriculture, recommending land rights, access to credit, and representation in village institutions.
Connection to this news: The GCWAS-2026 conference context underscores that despite multiple schemes, structural transformation in women's agricultural role requires addressing land rights, social recognition, and institutional leadership — areas that schemes alone have not solved.
UN International Year of the Woman Farmer — 2026
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, acknowledging the critical and underrecognised role of women in global food systems.
- The declaration aims to promote gender-responsive agricultural policies, close gender gaps in land rights and access to resources, and increase women's participation in agri-food value chains globally.
- The theme aligns with SDG Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- SDG Indicator 5.a.1 specifically tracks the proportion of agricultural land with women's ownership or secure rights — India's performance on this indicator is below the global average for developing countries.
- The FAO's State of Food and Agriculture 2023 report documented that closing the gender gap in farm inputs could increase agricultural productivity and reduce food insecurity significantly.
Connection to this news: GCWAS-2026 is India's contribution to the UN International Year of the Woman Farmer — a global advocacy platform that the President used to highlight both India's challenges and the need for evidence-based, scalable solutions.
Key Facts & Data
- Women's share of rural agricultural workforce: ~73%
- Women's share as cultivators: ~33%; as agricultural labourers: ~42%
- Women's share as operational landholders: ~14%; land ownership: ~11–13%
- FAO estimate: Equal resource access for women could increase farm yields by 20–30% and reduce hunger by 100–150 million people
- UN International Year of the Woman Farmer: 2026
- SDG 5: Gender Equality; SDG 2: Zero Hunger
- SDG Indicator 5.a.1: Women's ownership/secure rights over agricultural land
- Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): Sub-component of DAY-NRLM
- National Policy for Farmers, 2007: Recognised women's specific agricultural needs
- GCWAS-2026: Global Conference on the Role of Women in Agri-Food Systems, New Delhi, March 12, 2026