A new report from agricultural platform Arya.ag indicates that India’s economy is forfeiting an estimated ₹1.2–2 lakh crore (approximately $14-24 billion USD) in agricultural output annually due to the under-recognition and unequal access faced by women in farming. The report, titled ‘Her Harvest 2026: The hidden cost of women’s invisible work in Indian agriculture,’ highlights that over half of women working in the sector are classified as unpaid helpers, a designation that severely limits their access to vital resources.

The study, released in what the UN has designated the International Year of the Woman Farmer, underscores a significant “category problem” within Indian agriculture, where women performing essential farming tasks are often not officially recognized as cultivators. This distinction prevents them from accessing formal credit, extension services, input subsidies, and government schemes, which are typically routed through land titles.

The Scale of Women’s Involvement and Disparity

Agriculture remains the largest employer of women in India, engaging 64.4% of the country’s working women, a figure that rises to 76.9% in rural areas. While women constitute roughly 48% of the agricultural workforce, they operate only 11.72% of the country’s farmed area and hold 13.96% of operational land holdings. This represents a significant imbalance between their labor contribution and their control over productive assets.

Key findings from the report reveal:

* 50.5% of women in agriculture are classified as unpaid helpers, compared to 21.7% of men.
* Women in agrifood systems earn approximately ₹82 for every ₹100 earned by men.
* Farms managed by women can be 24% less productive than comparable farms run by men, a gap attributed to unequal access to credit, inputs, and other productive resources rather than ability.

Global Context and Productivity Implications

India’s figures for women’s landholding (13.96%) are broadly in line with a global average of 14.5% for agricultural landholders. However, the report points to countries like Nepal, where women hold 32.4% of agricultural holdings, and the European Union at 31.6%, as examples of where progress has been made by altering requirements for accessing resources beyond land titles.

The productivity gap directly correlates with the lack of access. When women farmers lack the ability to invest in their land or hold produce for better market prices, the economic impact is substantial, contributing to the estimated ₹1.2–2 lakh crore in forgone output.

Prasanna Rao, Managing Director and CEO of Arya.ag http://arya.ag/), commented on the findings, stating, “Women have always been central to India’s agricultural story. The opportunity ahead is to ensure their contribution translates into greater ownership, income, and influence. Our report makes a compelling case: when women farmers have access to the right resources, from finance and storage to technology and organized markets, the gains extend well beyond the individual farmer to her household, community, and the wider agricultural economy. Strengthening these pathways that shift the role of women from labor to leadership is not only good for women farmers but essential to building a more productive, resilient, and inclusive agricultural economy.”

Pathways to Empowerment Beyond Land Titles

The report proposes that agricultural development does not need to wait for generational changes in land records. It identifies storage, warehouse-receipt finance, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), and agricultural technology as crucial pathways to provide women with recognition, credit, and market access without requiring direct land ownership. This model advocates for finance to follow the crop rather than solely the title.

Arya.ag’s own operations reflect this philosophy. The platform, which spans 21 states and works with over 850,000 farmers and 12,000 warehouses, enables farmers to store produce, borrow against it, and access digital market linkages. The company reports a 128% growth in women-led FPOs on its platform over two years, with more than 50,000 women directly engaged.

Initiatives like AryaShakti and Smart Farm Centres, often run by community women leaders, provide support ranging from financial services to soil and weather insights, further demonstrating the potential for technological and organizational interventions. This approach aligns with broader industry developments in agricultural tech and financial inclusion, as reported by outlets covering the latest innovations in farming and rural economies, including those featured on TechnoSports (https://technosports.co.in/).

Four Key Recommendations

To address the disparities and unlock the full potential of women in Indian agriculture, the ‘Her Harvest 2026’ report proposes four priorities:
Count her: Recognize women as farmers regardless of land ownership and publish gender-disaggregated data for credit, procurement, and FPO membership.
Finance her: Expand collateral-light credit, warehouse receipts, and women-held agricultural credit accounts to ensure finance follows the crop.
Equip her: Broaden access to technologies like drones, advisory services, and market tools through women-participatory and led institutions.
Organise her: Develop women-led FPOs as sustainable, long-term market institutions rather than short-term projects.