Approximately 60 % of the Indian population works in agriculture and contributes about 18 % to India’s GDP. Almost 80% of women are engaged and depend on agricultural development in rural India. Thus, women contribute to agriculture in ways such as:
- Women comprise 33% of the agriculture labor force and 48% of the self-employed farmers in India.
- With growing urban migration by men, feminization of the agriculture sector is increasing.
- Women contribute to agriculture in multiple roles, as cultivators, entrepreneurs, and laborers.
- About 60–80% of the food produced in India can be attributed to the efforts of rural women.
- Rural women are also engaged in allied fields including livestock production, horticulture, post-harvesting operations, agro/social forestry, fishing, etc.
- Most labor-intensive manual operations in agriculture, such as cattle management, fodder collection, milking, threshing, winnowing, etc., are performed by women.
- The community management role played by rural women helps ensure the dissemination of information and extension at the community level.
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