Recognising Women Farmers Beyond Land Ownership

RECOGNISING WOMEN FARMERS BEYOND LAND OWNERSHIP

WHY IN THE NEWS ?

  • Maharashtra Initiative: Maharashtra has operationalised the Women Farmers Empowerment Act, 2026, providing women engaged in agriculture a formal route to recognition through a Woman Farmer Certificate.
  • Global Context: The initiative gains importance as the UN has designated 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.
  • Recognition Gap: The measure addresses the gap between women’s substantial participation in agriculture and their limited recognition in land-based databases and welfare systems.

Recognising Women Farmers Beyond Land Ownership

WOMEN FARMERS AND THE RECOGNITION GAP

  • Workforce Reality: Women make a substantial contribution to agricultural activities, including cultivation, livestock rearing, horticulture and allied activities, but their contribution often remains statistically under-recognised.
  • Ownership Barrier: Agricultural databases frequently rely on land records, while women may work on family, leased or shared land without their names appearing as landowners.
  • Welfare Exclusion: The ownership-based approach can restrict women’s access to credit, subsidies, agricultural extension, insurance and other government schemes.
  • Maharashtra Model: The 2026 legislation provides recognition based on actual engagement in agriculture rather than land ownership, creating a separate institutional identity for eligible women farmers.
  • Digital Integration: The effectiveness of recognition will depend on linking Woman Farmer Certificates with AgriStack and Farmer IDs, enabling integration with the wider digital agricultural ecosystem.

POLICY SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES

  • Database Creation: A dedicated women farmers’ registry can bridge the gap between women’s actual agricultural participation and their recognition in government databases.
  • Identification Process: Women farmers could be identified through self-registration or Gram Sabha-based verification, including those without land titles.
  • Scheme Access: Linking certificates with AgriStack and Farmer IDs can improve access to credit, subsidies, insurance, technology and extension services.
  • Standardisation Need: States could develop common definitions, certification procedures and interoperable databases to avoid duplication and exclusion.
  • Awareness Gap: Legal recognition alone may not ensure empowerment; local awareness campaigns, institutional support and effective implementation are necessary to help women access available agricultural schemes.

ABOUT WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE AND LAND RIGHTS:

●      Gender Inequality: Women’s participation in agricultural work does not necessarily translate into equal ownership, decision-making power or access to productive resources.

●      Land Records: Since land ownership is often used as the administrative basis for identifying farmers, women without formal titles can remain outside farmer databases.

●      Alternative Models: Initiatives such as Kudumbashree in Kerala demonstrate how collective farming can create alternative pathways for women’s participation and recognition.

●      Policy Approach: A comprehensive women-farmer database should include landless cultivators, agricultural labourers, livestock rearers, pastoralists and women engaged in allied activities.

●      Empowerment Link: Recognition should ultimately facilitate access to institutional credit, technology, extension services, insurance, markets and welfare schemes, converting legal identity into substantive economic empowerment.