Topic
Women in Agriculture
Women do the majority of India’s farm work and hold a fraction of its farmland. This is our running coverage of the people, policy and economics behind that gap — women farmers and agripreneurs, land and credit rights, women-led FPOs and self-help groups, and the schemes reshaping them.
2026: the International Year of the Woman Farmer
The UN General Assembly designated 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer, putting women’s role in agrifood systems — and the barriers they face on land, credit and technology — on the global agenda. In India the year has already produced a first: Maharashtra’s law recognising women as farmers by the work they do rather than the land they own.
- 2026
- UN International Year of the Woman Farmer FAO
- 21.96 lakh
- Women mobilised under the Central Sector FPO Scheme (as of 1 Jan 2026) Ministry of Agriculture
- 1,175
- FPOs formed with 100% women members Ministry of Agriculture
- 8.3%
- Share of agricultural land held in women's names FAO / Govt of India
Latest coverage
Our reporting on this topic is just getting under way — see all news meanwhile.
Women writing for IndianAgri
Scientists, founders and specialists contributing to our coverage in their own name.
Questions, answered
- Why is 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer?
- The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on 18 June 2025 designating 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization. It aims to raise awareness of women's role in agrifood systems and the barriers they face on land tenure, credit, technology and extension services.
- What share of India's agricultural workforce is women?
- Women make up a large majority of India's agricultural labour — close to 80% of economically active women work in agriculture — yet they hold title to only about 8.3% of agricultural land, a gap that limits their access to credit, insurance and subsidies.
- What did Maharashtra's 2026 women farmers law change?
- On 1 July 2026 Maharashtra passed the first state law in India recognising women as farmers on the basis of the agricultural work they do rather than land ownership. It establishes a women farmers' registry and a state fund so they can reach credit, subsidies, insurance and extension services in their own right.
- How many women are members of India's Farmer Producer Organisations?
- India completed 10,000 FPOs under the Central Sector Scheme in February 2026. Of the 56.32 lakh farmers mobilised as of 1 January 2026, 21.96 lakh are women, and 1,175 FPOs have been formed with 100% women members.
Reporting on a woman farmer, agripreneur or women-led FPO worth covering? Tell our desk.