80% of all economically active women work in the agricultural sector; they make up 48% of self-employed farmers and 33% of the agricultural labour force. However, less than 15% of landholdings are owned by women. At a symposium organised by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the Royal Embassy of Norway on June 18 in New Delhi, speakers shared their thoughts and suggestions on increasing the access of women farmers to government programs, land, inputs, and training. To boost farmer incomes and establish a variety of livelihoods, programs like the Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP), also known as the Women Farmer Empowerment Programme, and the Deendayal Upadhyay National Rural Livelihoods Mission have been put into place. The United Nations World Food Programme and the Norwegian Embassy in India have partnered to host three symposia on women farmers in 2024 to aid the government’s efforts.
United Nations joins forces to expand access for female farmers
