Paper short abstract:

The agriculture sector employs 80% of all economically active women; comprise 33% of labour and 48% self-employed farmers. Agriculture is increasingly becoming a female activity. The government has put together an impressive set of programs; paper discusses ways to strengthen women-led adaptations.

Paper long abstract:

The effects of climate change -phenomena such as an increase in temperature, decrease in soil moisture, change in the weather pattern, loss of top fertile soil, loss of freshwater supplies, and increase in forest fires will creep on different sectors. And, ice melting, rising sea levels, and changes in rainfall may intensify hydrometeorological hazards. India, with limited resources and a high poverty rate, are more vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Women’s increased vulnerability to climate change and reduced access to climate-smart agricultural infrastructure and practices can be attributed to limited land ownership, poor access to credit, reduced access to information and formal extension, and time pressures from multiple domestic and productive demands on their time. Successful migration and high remittances can boost agricultural production and women’s empowerment, new possibilities for women and youth for climate-smart agriculture infrastructure-development.

The paper is a policy review of agriculture infrastructure and climate policies, programme, and supplement that with group discussions with women farmers, as they are key intermediary organizations with infrastructure and resources that can support women’s access at multiple levels. The review explore vital areas, such as improvements in infrastructure, extension, climate information, access to credit, and social insurance. The main factors limiting the implementation of adaptation measures are low levels of investment in workforce training and research infrastructure. Infrastructure and institutions are not used to or adapted to supporting working women. The paper identifies key issues, challenges, and opportunities and recommend possible solutions for strengthening the agriculture sector, especially for women farmers.