Indian women are usually involved in non-mechanized agricultural occupations such as sowing, harvesting, and labor-intensive processes such as rice transplantation. As per the census, despite undertaking 80% of farm activities, women own only 13% of the farmland. Also, as per the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), 2018, 83% of the agricultural land is inherited by the male members of the family and less than 2% by their female counterparts.
Despite women’s participation in farming and agricultural entrepreneurship, they are not recognized as farmers and farm owners. In fact, it is a common view in India to witness a woman cultivating on land she doesn’t own. Lack of recognition and ownership of assets exclude them from certain rights and entitlements such as institutional credits, pension, irrigation sources, etc. As a result, they are not able to afford necessary agricultural inputs and end up accepting laborious and low-paying jobs.
Initiatives for women empowerment
The Indian government is taking initiatives to improve the status of women in agriculture by increasing opportunities for them. Many schemes including Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) and Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission were launched recently. The primary aim of these schemes is to bring women of the country together and give them training on various aspects of agriculture, entrepreneurship, and skills development.
Apart from this, various NGOs are now working with women farmers to encourage collective farming. With this type of farming, women can collaborate and pool their resources for producing significantly higher yields. Self Help Groups (SHGs) that are linked with banks are providing micro-credit facilities to women. The Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) of NITI Aayog is also providing support to established and aspiring women entrepreneurs.
Women hold the potential to transform the agricultural sector of India. As per the Food and Agricultural Organization, empowering women through land and ownership rights can increase the total agricultural output by 2.5 to 4% in developing countries. This can also contribute to fighting hunger issues across the globe. For India, this will not only make women, but also the whole country Atma Nirbhar.
Bijak, India’s no. 1 agri-trading app, after years of working with rural communities, understood the needs of rural Indian women. Recently, they have developed an accounting platform namely ChargeERP that will act as an empowering tool for women.
ChargeERP is one of the best agri-tech innovations in India. It is a cloud-based mandi accounting software designed to cater to the needs of commission agents operating in agricultural mandis. ChargeERP is easy to use and can be accessed from multiple devices. Moreover, it can reduce the workload and time of commission agents by 90%.
If you are looking to explore more about this next-level accounting software, feel free to dial +91 9311341199 or visit www.chargeerp.com