Maharashtra's Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026

Maharashtra recently became the first Indian state to pass the Women Farmers Empowerment Bill, 2026, granting women independent legal recognition as farmers through a 'Woman Farmer Certificate' irrespective of land ownership. This coincides with the United Nations designating 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

Status of Women in Indian Agriculture

  • Feminisation of Agriculture: As per PLFS 2023-24, over 76.95% of rural working women are engaged in agriculture and allied activities — the largest employer of women.
  • Ownership Paradox: Per Agricultural Census 2015-16, only 14% of operational landholdings were held by women; only 12.8% had ownership/legal rights over agricultural land.
  • Scheme Exclusion: Land records being the sole metric for identifying farmers excludes women — women constitute only 23% of PM-KISAN beneficiaries.
  • Unpaid Labour: Over 41% of female agricultural workers are unpaid family helpers (vs 20% of men); only 39% of women are own-account workers (vs 63% of men).

Drivers of Feminisation of Agriculture

Economic Forces

  • Male distress out-migration to non-farm urban sectors; reverse migration post-Covid shifted control back to men.
  • Wage disparity: Women paid 20–30% less, making them preferred casual labourers.
  • Substitution of paid labour with unpaid female household labour.
  • Lack of rural non-farm employment alternatives for women.

Socio-Cultural Forces

  • Spatial immobility due to care burdens (children, elderly, livestock).
  • Farm work (transplanting, weeding, harvesting) culturally treated as extension of domestic chores.
  • Patriarchal barriers to migration (safety, social surveillance, caste taboos).
  • Customary inheritance norms favouring male lineage.

Why Recognising Women as Farmers Matters

  • Food Security: FAO estimates equal access to resources could raise yields by 20–30%, reducing hunger for 100–150 million people.
  • Household Wellbeing: Women reinvest earnings in nutrition, healthcare, education.
  • Climate-Smart Agriculture: Women hold indigenous knowledge of seed preservation, biodiversity, soil management.

Challenges Faced by Women Farmers

  • Worker-owner dichotomy: Land registered in men's names renders women statistically invisible.
  • Lack of institutional credit: No collateral → no Kisan Credit Cards; reliance on informal moneylenders.
  • Exclusion from welfare: PMFBY, subsidies, extension services channelled via land records.
  • Gender bias in mechanisation: Machinery designed for male ergonomics.
  • Poor market access: Male-dominated APMC mandis, middlemen exploitation.

India's Initiatives

  • Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP): Sub-component of DAY-NRLM for skill enhancement of women in agriculture.
  • Krishi Sakhi Convergence Program (KSCP): Linked with 'Lakhpati Didi'; trains women as Community Agriculture Care Service Providers.
  • 30% earmarked allocation for women farmers in Ministry of Agriculture schemes.
  • Women FPOs promotion for bargaining power and market integration.
  • Uttar Pradesh: 1% stamp duty concession on land registered in a woman's name.

Way Forward

  • De-link farmer status from land ownership — activity-based recognition via Gram Sabhas.
  • Interoperable databases: Standardise woman farmer definition; integrate with Agri Stack and FarmerIDs.
  • Collateral-free credit using activity-based certificates (NABARD, KCC).
  • Strengthen local governance: Embed women's priorities in GPDPs.
  • Gender-responsive budgeting: Audit the 30% allocation.

Significance

Advances SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and strengthens food security and inclusive agricultural growth.