BAHADURGARH, INDIA

The Indian farmers protest is the largest protest in history. Since last year hundreds of millions have marched against three agricultural bills passed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The farmers say these laws, which open up agriculture produce markets to private buyers, would destroy their livelihoods and leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

Women have long been at the forefront of this struggle. According to Oxfam India, about 75 per cent of rural women in India who work full-time are farmers. Yet less than 13 per cent of women own the land they till. They represent what has been called an ‘invisible’ workforce.

On International Women’s Day in New Delhi this year, female farmers took the chance to have their voices heard, protesting on the outskirts of New Delhi. Wearing yellow scarves representing the colour of mustard fields, they chanted slogans, held marches, staged sit-ins and made speeches against the laws.

Farming is a sensitive issue in India. More than 40 per cent of the workforce works in agriculture, which means for many this protest is potentially lifechanging. That is particularly true for participants such as Veena, who come from a farming family. “This is an important day as it represents women’s strength,” she said.

The protests are just the latest evidence of India’s ongoing agrarian crisis. For decades, urbanisation and development have caused plot sizes to decrease, while pollution and the impacts of climate change have degraded the country’s soil and water resources.