Women Farmers Must Play Greater Role in Policy and Leadership says President Droupadi Murmu

New Delhi, Mar 12: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday emphasised the need to increase the participation of women in policy formulation, decision-making and leadership roles within the agriculture sector.

Addressing the inaugural session of the Global Conference  on the Role of Women in Agri-Food Systems (GCWAS-2026) in New Delhi, the President highlighted the crucial contribution of women to agricultural activities across the country.

Murmu noted that women are involved in almost every stage of agricultural work, including sowing, harvesting, processing and transporting crops to markets. She said women also play a significant role in related sectors such as fisheries, beekeeping, animal husbandry and the management of forest produce, besides running agriculture-based enterprises.

The President said women’s contributions are essential to the agricultural economy and deserve greater recognition and support.

Highlighting women’s growing presence in agricultural education, she said girls account for more than half of the students enrolled in state agricultural universities and their participation exceeds 60 per cent in many institutions. She also noted that female students often demonstrate excellent academic performance.

Murmu said governments, institutions and society must work together to support these young women so they can take leadership roles in agriculture and food systems. She added that women’s leadership should extend beyond traditional roles and contribute actively to decision-making in the sector.

The President also referred to the United Nations’ declaration of 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, which calls for collective efforts to close gender gaps and promote leadership opportunities for women across agri-food value chains.

She said India is moving forward with the vision of women-led development and stressed that greater participation of women at all levels would promote inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth.

Murmu also highlighted the need to address challenges faced by women farmers, including access to land ownership, technical knowledge, financial resources and institutional support.

She noted that several initiatives over the past decade have helped strengthen women’s role in agriculture, particularly through women-led Self-Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organisations.

The President also stressed the importance of global cooperation in achieving sustainable development goals and urged stakeholders to prioritise gender inclusion. She said equal attention must be given to the principles of people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships while shaping future agricultural policies.

The three-day conference aims to discuss policy frameworks and strategies to strengthen gender participation in agri-food systems and recognise the vital role of women in building sustainable and inclusive agricultural economies.