Towards recognising women farmers: Maharashtra’s passage of the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill
Worth reading — 1 past UPSC question on this theme (Mains GS-3 2016).
2-minute summary
Maharashtra's passage of the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill in July 2026 marks a historic legislative shift by granting women independent recognition as farmers through a 'Woman Farmer Certificate,' completely delinked from land ownership. Despite near gender parity in the agricultural workforce (110 million women vs 127 million men in 2025), women have historically been excluded from agricultural benefits due to structural biases. Because land records are predominantly in men's names—with women holding only 14% of operational land holdings—women are routinely denied access to institutional credit, subsidies, and welfare schemes. For instance, women constitute only 23% of PM-KISAN beneficiaries. Furthermore, over 41% of female agricultural workers remain unpaid. By operationalising the activity-based definition of a farmer first proposed in the National Policy for Farmers (2007), Maharashtra's law establishes a crucial framework to build a dedicated registry of women farmers, ensuring their equitable access to state support and resources.
Why it's in the news
Maharashtra has passed the landmark Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill in July 2026. This is the first state legislation in India to legally recognize women as farmers independent of land ownership, addressing long-standing structural biases in agricultural policy.
Facts to remember
- Maharashtra's passage of the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill grants women independent recognition as farmers through a Woman Farmer Certificate delinked from land ownership.
- Women hold only 14% of operational land holdings and constitute only 23% of PM-KISAN beneficiaries.
- Over 41% of female agricultural workers remain unpaid, according to the state text details.
- The law operationalises the activity-based definition of a farmer first proposed in the National Policy for Farmers of 2007.
Background and context
For decades, Indian agricultural policy has conflated the definition of a 'farmer' with that of a 'landowner.' This structural bias has marginalized women, who perform the bulk of agricultural labor but rarely hold land titles due to patriarchal inheritance patterns. The National Policy for Farmers (2007) first recommended an activity-based, land-delinked definition of a farmer, but it was never operationalised. A legislative attempt to address this—the Women Farmers' Entitlements Bill—was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2011 but lapsed. While states like Kerala (through Kudumbashree group farming) and Odisha (via the KALIA scheme for landless sharecroppers) have attempted to support women farmers, Maharashtra's 2026 Act is the first to provide an enforceable legal mechanism to recognize women farmers irrespective of land ownership.
Constitutional provisions
- Article 14 — Guarantees equality before the law, which is violated when women farmers are excluded from state benefits due to gendered land-ownership disparities.
- Article 39(a) & 39(d) — Directive Principles of State Policy directing the State to secure adequate means of livelihood for all citizens and equal pay for equal work, directly addressing the 41% unpaid female agricultural workforce.
- Seventh Schedule (State List) — Agriculture (Entry 14) and Land (Entry 18) fall under the State List, empowering state legislatures like Maharashtra to pass such reformative laws.
Committees and reports
- National Commission on Farmers (Swaminathan Commission) — Recommended joint land patents, access to institutional credit, and independent recognition for women farmers to drive agricultural growth.
- National Policy for Farmers — Formulated an activity-based, land-delinked definition of 'farmer' which has finally been operationalised by Maharashtra's 2026 Bill.
Government schemes
- Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) — A land-linked direct benefit transfer scheme where women constitute only 23% of beneficiaries due to lack of land titles.
- KALIA (Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation) — A state scheme noted for successfully reaching landless and sharecropper women farmers.
- Kudumbashree — A community-based collective farming model that empowers women farmers through group-based agricultural activities.
Previous UPSC questions on this theme
- Mains GS-3 2016 — Discuss the role of land reforms in agricultural development. Identify the factors that were responsible for the success of land reforms in India.
Mains practice: The 'feminisation of agriculture' in India has not been accompanied by the 'feminisation of land ownership.' In this context, analyze how Maharashtra's Women Farmers' Empowerment Bill, 2026, can act as a catalyst for inclusive agricultural growth.
The Indian agricultural sector is undergoing a rapid structural shift often termed the 'feminisation of agriculture.' According to PLFS 2025 data, agriculture employs nearly 110 million women, bringing the sector close to gender parity. However, this has not translated into economic empowerment due to a severe land-ownership gap, where women hold only 14% of operational agricultural land holdings.
Maharashtra’s Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill, 2026, addresses this structural anomaly through several pathways:
• **Delinking Farmer Status from Land Ownership**: By introducing the 'Woman Farmer Certificate,' the Bill legally transitions the definition of a farmer from a 'landowner' to an 'active cultivator.' This bypasses patriarchal land inheritance barriers.
• **Unlocking Institutional Support**: Historically, women have been excluded from state benefits. This certificate will enable landless women farmers to access institutional credit, agricultural subsidies, crop insurance, and technology extension services.
• **Correcting Scheme Exclusion**: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) schemes like PM-KISAN have low female representation (23%) due to strict land-title requirements. A land-delinked registry will allow targeted inclusion of women in central and state welfare schemes.
• **Addressing Unpaid Labor**: With over 41% of female agricultural workers working without pay (compared to 20% of men), formal recognition provides them leverage to claim independent economic identity and fair wages.
In conclusion, Maharashtra's legislative model operationalises the long-pending recommendations of the National Policy for Farmers (2007). For true inclusive agricultural growth, other states must replicate this activity-based recognition, transforming women from invisible laborers into empowered economic agents.
Prelims practice questions
Q1. With reference to the Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill, 2026, passed by Maharashtra, consider the following statements: 1. It is the first state legislation in India to grant women independent recognition as farmers irrespective of land ownership. 2. It operationalises the activity-based definition of 'farmer' proposed in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: C. Both statements are correct. The Bill is the first of its kind in India to legally delink farmer status from land ownership using a 'Woman Farmer Certificate,' thereby operationalising the 2007 National Policy for Farmers' definition.
Q2. Consider the following statements regarding the status of women in Indian agriculture: 1. According to the Agricultural Census 2015-16, women hold more than 30% of operational agricultural land holdings in India. 2. As per recent PLFS data, more than 40% of female agricultural workers in India are unpaid. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: B. Statement 1 is incorrect because women hold only about 14% of operational agricultural land holdings in India. Statement 2 is correct as PLFS 2025 data shows that more than 41% of female agricultural workers are unpaid.
Q3. Which of the following state-level initiatives is/are correctly matched with their mechanism for supporting women/landless farmers? 1. Kudumbashree — Kerala's collective group farming 2. KALIA Scheme — Odisha's support for landless and sharecropper women 3. Women Farmers’ Empowerment Bill — Maharashtra's land-delinked Woman Farmer Certificate Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Answer: D. All three matches are correct. Kerala's Kudumbashree promotes group farming, Odisha's KALIA supports landless/sharecropper women, and Maharashtra's 2026 Bill introduces the land-delinked Woman Farmer Certificate.
Revision flashcards
- What is the core mechanism of Maharashtra's Women Farmers' Empowerment Bill, 2026? It grants women independent recognition as farmers through a 'Woman Farmer Certificate,' delinking farmer status from land ownership.
- What percentage of operational agricultural land holdings in India are held by women? Only 14% (according to the Agricultural Census 2015-16), which acts as a major barrier to accessing land-linked agricultural benefits.
- What is the share of female beneficiaries in the PM-KISAN scheme, and why is it low? Only 23%, because eligibility for PM-KISAN is tied directly to land revenue records, which are predominantly registered in men's names.
- How does the unpaid labor percentage compare between male and female agricultural workers in India? Over 41% of female agricultural workers are unpaid, compared to only 20% of male agricultural workers (PLFS 2025 data).
- Which 2011 legislative attempt at the national level preceded Maharashtra's 2026 Bill? The Women Farmers' Entitlements Bill, which was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2011 but subsequently lapsed.