‘Nari Shakti’ in Limelight
Women have taken remarkable strides in agriculture in India, ranging from agritech startups, agribusinesses, and R&D to academia. Their presence has become increasingly prominent, shaping India’s agrarian landscape. The Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Shobha Karandlaje, highlighted the significant role of women in academia, where over 50 per cent of students in agricultural universities are female, during the Women Agricultural Entrepreneurship Sector Conference 2024’ in Thrissur, Kerala.
According to a Mckinsey study, rural women entrepreneurs could contribute $1 trillion to the Indian economy, underscoring the potential economic impact of leveling the playing field for women. With 432 million working-age women and 13.5-15.7 million women-owned businesses, providing direct employment to 2227 million people, the empowerment of women in agribusiness holds immense promise for India’s economic growth.
While presenting the Interim Budget 2024-25 in Parliament on February 1, Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs, said that the empowerment of women through entrepreneurship, ease of living, and dignity for them has gained momentum in the last ten years.
She said that thirty crore Mudra Yojana loans have been given to women entrepreneurs. Female enrolment in higher education has gone up by twenty-eight per cent in ten years. In STEM courses, girls and women constitute forty-three per cent of enrolment - one of the highest in the world. All these measures are getting reflected in the increasing participation of women in the workforce. The pivotal role of women in agriculture is increasingly being recognised as the driving force behind
India’s agrarian economy. As per the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2021-2022, agriculture boasts the highest estimated female labour force participation of 62.9 per cent. This numerical prominence underscores the indispensable contribution of women to the entire agricultural value chain.
In a groundbreaking initiative to promote drone technology in rural agriculture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the NAMO Drone Didi scheme on November 30, 2023. The scheme aims to provide drones to 15,000 selected
Women Self-help Groups (SHGS) between 2023-24 and 2025-2026, enabling them to offer rental services to farmers for agriculture purposes. By equipping rural women with cutting-edge technology, this scheme not only modernises agricultural practices but also empowers women to become key players in the agricultural revolution. The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Central Sector Scheme with an outlay of Rs 1261 crore for the period 2024-25 to 2025-26, emphasising the government’s commitment to women’s empowerment in agriculture. On the occasion of International Women’s Day, in the coming pages Agrospectrum presents the insights of women leaders from the agri-industry on the ‘Opportunities for women entrepreneurs in agribusiness in 2024,’ showcasing the transformative potential of women in shaping the future of agriculture.