[Answered] Discuss how access to digital technologies and small interventions have empowered women in agriculture. What challenges remain in ensuring equitable technological access for women farmers in India?

India’s agri-food systems—encompassing agriculture, livestock rearing, agroforestry, and fisheries—depend significantly on women’s paid and unpaid labor.

How do Digital Technologies and Small Interventions Empower Women in Agriculture?

• Enhancing Productivity and Reducing Workload: Traditionally, women are assigned physically strenuous and time-consuming tasks like weeding, threshing, and de-hulling. Gender-responsive mechanization reduces workload, allowing women to focus on higher-value agricultural activities.
• Improving Market Access and Decision-Making: Digital tools like mobile apps, helplines, and advisories provide women with real-time market and weather information, enabling better crop planning and resource allocation.
• Financial Inclusion and Economic Empowerment: Women often struggle with poor access to credit and financial resources, limiting their ability to invest in modern farming. Digital payment systems and e-commerce platforms allow women fish vendors and farmers to conduct business transactions independently, reducing dependence on intermediaries.
• Challenging Patriarchal Norms and Gender Barriers: By training women to operate agricultural machinery, small interventions challenge deep-seated gender biases, enabling women to take on leadership roles in farming. Access to information and technology strengthens women’s ability to break traditional barriers and exercise autonomy.

Challenges in Ensuring Equitable Technological Access for Women Farmers

• Digital Divide and Literacy Barriers: Many rural women lack digital literacy, limiting their ability to use mobile apps and online services effectively. Limited access to smartphones and internet connectivity further exacerbates the gap.
• Socio-Cultural Constraints and Patriarchal Resistance: Women’s participation in decision-making remains restricted due to societal norms. Household-level investments often prioritize technologies that benefit men, sidelining women’s specific needs.
• Limited Policy Support and Institutional Barriers: Government policies and agricultural extension services often fail to address gender-specific challenges. Women’s lack of land ownership (only 13% of rural women own land) restricts their access to credit and agricultural schemes.
• Economic and Structural Challenges: Mechanization in agriculture and fisheries has led to job losses for women, pushing them into more precarious and informal labor. The growing presence of large buyers and export traders in fish markets has marginalized small-scale women vendors, reducing their access to fish supplies and fair pricing.

Conclusion

A multi-stakeholder approach—integrating government policies, community-driven initiatives, and private-sector innovations—is essential to ensure inclusive and equitable technological access for women farmers in India.