Empowering Women Farmers: UN Declares 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer

• Recently, the UNGA Declared 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has proclaimed 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer to celebrate and reinforce the important contribution of women in world agriculture. The proclamation is hoped to bring world attention to the efforts of women farmers and the difficulties they encounter, including a lack of land ownership, limited access to credit, technology, markets, and the double workload of agricultural and domestic chores.

For India, where around 80% of economically active women are employed in agriculture but own only 8.3% of agricultural land, this statement offers a historic chance to solve institutionalized disparities and realize the full potential of its female farmer population. With 2026 fast approaching, it is important to know what the landscape currently looks like for government support for women farmers in India and how it will move forward to build a more equal agricultural sector.

Understanding UNGA

• Established: 1945 under the United Nations Charter
• First Session: January 10, 1946, in London
• Founding Members: 51 nations
• Current Membership: 193 member states of the UN

Role: The Most democratic international forum in the world

• Unique Feature: Sole UN organ where every member state has equal representation (one country, one vote)
• Function: Preeminent deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the United Nations.

Structure and Functions of the UNGA

Core Functions

• Discuss and Recommend: World problems such as peace, security, development, and human rights
• Approve Budget: Adopts the UN budget and determines financial assessments of member states.
• Elect and Appoint: Elects non-permanent members of the Security Council and appoints the Secretary-General.l
• Create Subsidiary Organs: Compose organs to deal with particular world problems.

Decision-Making Process

Majority Required:

• Simple Majority: In most matters
• Two-Thirds Majority: In matters of weighty concern (e.g., peace and security)

Sessional Periods:

• Principal Session: September to December
• Resumed Sessions: As required during the year

Voting Power

• No Veto: Unlike the Security Council, UNGA has no veto powers
• Equal Weight: All member states receive one vote, irrespective of size or economic influence
• Democracy: This format makes sure that all countries' voice is heard and have equal weight

Impact: This democratic framework allowed the historic decision proclaiming 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer to be approved with unanimous support.

Women's contribution to Indian agriculture is enormous but virtually unacknowledged:

• 80% of all economically active women in India are employed in agriculture.
• Women account for 33% of the agricultural labor force and 48% of individual farmers.
• They account for 75% of the production of significant crops and 79% involvement in horticulture activities.
• Women are engaged at 95% in animal husbandry and fisheries, as well as 51% in post-harvest activity.

Even though they dominate agricultural activities with their overwhelming numbers, women have a harsh ownership dilemma:

• Just 8.3% of Indian women own land independently.
• Women manage just 12.8% of farms.
• The size of women's landholdings is 0.93 hectares on average, as opposed to 1.18 hectares for men.

This imbalance in property ownership leads to a chain effect of disadvantages, which restricts the access of women to credit, new agricultural practices, and government schemes of support. Since these women farmers lack legal documentation, they are invisible to policymakers and cannot avail themselves of the benefits meant to ensure agricultural livelihood.

Identifying these issues, the Indian government has framed numerous schemes and programs aimed at empowering and supporting women in agriculture:

1. Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP)

Introduced in 2011 as a sub-mission of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), MKSP aims to empower women through systematic investments to increase their participation and productivity in agriculture.

Principal Objectives:

• Strengthen the productive involvement of women in agriculture.
• Provide durable livelihood opportunities in agriculture for women.
• Enhance skills and capacities to cater to farm and non-farm enterprises.
• Assure food and nutritional security at the household and community levels.
• Facilitate enhanced access to the inputs and services of the government and other departments.
• Improve managerial capabilities for enhanced biodiversity management.

The scheme is taken up in project mode through the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) as the Project Implementing Agencies. It has played a critical role in developing a conducive ecosystem for women farmers in the country.

2. Namo Drone Didi Initiative

Initiated from 2024 to 2026, this new scheme proposes to empower 15,000 women's Self-Help Groups with drones for agriculture services:

Key Features:

• 80% of the cost of the drone is offered as a subsidy to a maximum of 8 lakhs.
• A loan facility from the Agricultural Infrastructure Fund for the balance cost.
• Pilot training for the drone is part of the drone package.
• Potential of earning additional income of at least Rs. 1 lakh annually through drone rental services.

This project is an innovative way of integrating women's empowerment with technological advancement in agriculture.

3. Self-Help Group Bank Linkage Programme

• 83.52% of groups are solely women's groups.
• Enables regular access to financial services for unreached poor rural households.
• Strictly adheres to 'Panchsutras' such as periodic group meetings, savings, internal lending, repayment on time, and maintaining proper books of account.

4. Women SHG Development Fund

• Established by the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance.
• Corpus of Rs. 500 Crore Grant for women's self-help groups.

5. Lakhpati Didi Scheme

• Gives interest-free loans of a maximum of ₹5 lakh to women entrepreneurs.
• Provides skill development training and financial support.
• Needs to be part of a self-help group to qualify.
• Seeks to encourage entrepreneurship, access to credit, and financial inclusion for rural women entrepreneurs. 

Aside from government programs, various innovative projects have served as models of women's empowerment in agriculture:

1. ENACT Project in Assam

• Started in the Nagaon district of Assam by the World Food Programme and the Government of Assam, supported by Norway, this project is centered on climate resilience for women farmers.
• Delivers weekly climate advisories via mobile to more than 300 women farmers in 17 villages.
• Empowers women with climate-resilient crops and an intelligent seed system.
• Leverages Climate Adaptation Information Centres for facilitating video conferencing and meetings to improve agricultural information.
• Aggressively promotes flood-resistant rice, diversification of livelihoods, and market connections.

2. Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) in Maharashtra

• The organization has innovated the Women-Led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) model in areas prone to drought in Maharashtra.
• Empowered more than 75,000 women of climate-affected areas since 2015.
• Improved crop production by 25% through diversified cropping and organic farming practices.
• Covered 65,000 acres under bio farming in 750 villages.
• Savings of $497 per household annually.
• The Government of Maharashtra has identified and scaled up the model.

3. Deccan Development Society in Telangana

• A 39-year-old community-based organization that works with close to 50 village-level voluntary associations (sanghams) of 5,000 Dalit and indigenous women small-holding farmers.
• Focuses on traditional farming techniques that are valued by poorer women with poor soils.
• Operates seed banks with a focus on millets.
• Adopts participatory and sustainable development approaches.
• Develops integrative programs like eco-employment days, Community Gene Bank, and Medicinal Plant Commons.

Individual Success Stories

1. Binita Kumari of Bihar: A pioneering farmer who innovated mushroom cultivation, growing mushrooms throughout the year, and established mushroom spawn production units. Her innovation includes growing mushrooms on sugarcane leaf tops, maize residues, and paddy seed residue.

2. Bhavana Nilkanth Nikam of Maharashtra: A young farmer with an education who specializes in capsicum, grape, and vegetable polyhouse farming. Her intensive farming success earned her the Shivaji Maharaj Krushi Award in 2019.

3. Nutrition and Value Addition: The UNDP-funded project of ICAR-IARI has trained 1,500 women in nutrition security and value addition, and this has increased knowledge of nutrition and post-harvest management by 51.07%. Women had increased entrepreneurial motivation to launch their enterprise by 25.65%.

The UN's designation of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer is not just a salute—it's a call to revolutionary change. For India, a country where women form the backbone of farm production, this is an unmissable chance to redress systemic imbalances and unleash the full potential of its women farming strength.

As we count down to 2026, the imperative is to develop an agricultural environment that identifies women not only as workers but as decision-makers, innovators, and leaders in their own right. Investment in women farmers means investment in food security, climate resilience, and sustainable development for all.

The year 2026 will be a watershed moment in the history of agriculture worldwide. India's reaction to this golden opportunity will decide if the country can succeed in its dream of doubling the income of its farmers while promising food and nutritional security for everyone. Now is the time to act, and the change agents are the incredible women who have all along been the custodians of India's agricultural past.