Women in Agriculture: From Drudgery to Decision-Making
The Union Agriculture Secretary, speaking at the fifth Agri and Commodity Summit organized in New Delhi, highlighted the government's commitment to shifting women in agriculture from "drudgery to decision-making."
The Agriculture Secretary noted that nearly 50% of the rural workforce in the agricultural sector comprises women, yet their formal recognition as farmers remains limited.
The address focused on the expanding role of women in FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations), Lakhpati Didi programme outcomes, and SHG-linked agricultural collectives.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer, providing a global institutional backdrop to the domestic policy focus.
More than two crore women have achieved Lakhpati Didi status, with a national target of three crore Lakhpati Didis set by the government.
Women in Agriculture: Data, Challenges and Structural Barriers
Women's contribution to Indian agriculture is vast yet structurally undervalued. This gap — between economic contribution and formal recognition — is a recurring Mains theme in GS2 (social justice) and GS3 (agriculture).
The Agriculture Secretary's framing of "drudgery to decision-making" directly addresses this structural gap — where women do most of the farm work but control little of the farm decisions or access to government support.
Lakhpati Didi: Scheme Architecture and Outcomes
Lakhpati Didi is a flagship programme under the Ministry of Rural Development (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission), aimed at enabling rural women to earn a sustainable household income of at least ₹1 lakh per year.
Key Details
- Full scheme name: Lakhpati Didi, under DAY-NRLM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana — National Rural Livelihoods Mission).
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
- Mechanism: SHG-linked women receive skill training in livelihood activities (plumbing, drone operation, agri-processing, handicrafts, livestock management), micro-credit access, and market linkages — enabling them to cross the ₹1 lakh/year household income threshold.
- Current status (2026): Over 2 crore women have achieved Lakhpati Didi status. National target: 3 crore Lakhpati Didis.
- SHE Marts (Budget 2026-27): Building on Lakhpati Didi, the Union Budget proposed SHE Marts — community-owned retail outlets within Cluster Level Federations of SHGs — enabling women to move from livelihoods to enterprise ownership.
- DAY-NRLM scale: Approximately 10 crore rural women are linked to SHGs under NRLM; SHG movement covers nearly every gram panchayat in India.
Lakhpati Didi exemplifies the "decision-making" end of the transformation — where women progress from unpaid farm labour to income-earning, credit-accessing entrepreneurs. The Agriculture Secretary referenced this trajectory as the model for agricultural feminization policy.
Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): Empowering Women Farmers
MKSP is India's most direct programme for recognizing women as farmers rather than agricultural labourers, operating under the NRLM framework.
MKSP directly addresses the structural recognition problem highlighted by the Agriculture Secretary. By enabling women to access land and inputs as collectives, it moves them from being invisible farm workers to recognized agricultural decision-makers.
Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs): Governance and Women's Inclusion
FPOs (Farmer Producer Organisations — legally constituted as Producer Companies or Cooperatives) are designed to give small farmers collective bargaining power. Their potential as platforms for women farmers' economic integration is significant.
The Agriculture Secretary's reference to women moving to decision-making specifically includes FPO leadership roles — positioning FPOs as the institutional vehicle through which women farmers transition from subsistence production to market-integrated agricultural enterprises.
- Women's share in India's agricultural labour force: ~33%; self-employed farmers: ~48%.
- Women landholders in India: only 14% of all landholders.
- Rural women linked to SHGs under DAY-NRLM: ~10 crore (100 million).
- Lakhpati Didi status achieved: >2 crore women (target: 3 crore).
- MKSP: Launched 2011, under DAY-NRLM (Ministry of Rural Development).
- FPO target: 10,000 FPOs by 2027-28; equity grant up to ₹15 lakh; credit guarantee up to ₹2 crore.
- 2026: Declared International Year of the Woman Farmer by UNGA.
- SHE Marts (Budget 2026-27): Community retail outlets within CLFs of SHGs.
- Lakhpati Didi income threshold: ₹1 lakh per household per year.
- NRLM nodal ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.