Inclusive financial models empower women in India’s agriculture sector to expand income opportunities
This International Day of Rural Women, IWMI’s innovative finance models are empowering women farmers in India with greater involvement, access to resources and opportunities in agriculture.
Agriculture is quietly transforming across rural India — and women are at its heart. As men migrate in search of work due to climate stress, shrinking farm returns and industrial jobs, women are stepping in to manage farms, livestock and households. This feminization of agriculture has been unfolding for years yet remains largely invisible in policy and undercounted in data.
Women now make up over 42% of India’s agricultural workforce, and in some states already make up the majority of full-time farm workers. Yet their labor often goes unrecorded. Wages of women lag behind those of men, and their decision-making power is limited.