Women's Role in Organic Farming - India's Silent Revolution

Women already do much of the work on Indian farms, and in organic and natural farming their role is larger still, because the methods depend on making inputs, tending cattle, seed saving and careful weeding. Government programmes now also use women as the delivery channel: SHG members trained as Krishi Sakhis guide farmers on natural farming, and women's groups can run input centres. The weak point is ownership: women hold a small share of farm land, and many schemes identify the farmer through land records.

This page sets out what is documented, which programmes pay or train women for organic and natural farming, and the practical steps to join them. It does not rely on individual success stories, only on published figures.

The numbers behind the headline

Agro-ecological practices in DAY-NRLM include non-pesticide pest management and other low-chemical methods, so the 4.62 crore figure is about reach of the programme, not proof that each of those women farms fully organically.

Programmes that put women at the centre

1. Krishi Sakhi (DAY-NRLM and Agriculture Ministry)

The Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development signed an MoU on 30 August 2023 for the Krishi Sakhi Convergence Programme. Krishi Sakhis are experienced SHG women who receive 56 days of training on modules including agro-ecological practices, farmer field schools, seed banks, soil health and moisture conservation, integrated farming, basic livestock management, and preparation and use of bio-inputs, including running bio-input shops. After a proficiency test they are certified as para-extension workers and can be paid fixed resource fees for tasks such as soil sample collection under Agriculture Ministry schemes. On 18 June 2024 certificates were handed to more than 30,000 Krishi Sakhis. They are now being given refresher training on natural farming and Soil Health Cards with MANAGE.

2. National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)

Each natural farming cluster (about 50 hectares, roughly 125 farmers) is meant to have two Krishi Sakhis or community resource persons. By July 2025 about 28,000 CRPs had been identified. Bio-Input Resource Centres, 10,000 planned, can be set up by practising natural farmers, FPOs, PACS, SHGs and local entrepreneurs, which gives women's groups a business route in making Jeevamrit-type inputs for neighbouring farmers. The farmer incentive is ₹4,000 per acre per year for two years, up to 1 acre. For the method itself, see zero budget natural farming.

3. PKVY and PGS-India groups

Organic farming under PKVY is cluster-based, with preference for small and marginal farmers, and the PGS-India certification system works through local groups of at least 5 members. Women's SHGs can form such a group. PKVY pays ₹31,500 per hectare over three years, with ₹15,000 per hectare to the farmer for organic inputs. See how to start organic farming.

4. Machinery and drones

Under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization, women farmers get 50% subsidy (up to ₹5 lakh) on drones, and women SHGs are the target of the Namo Drone Didi scheme. The Namo Drone Didi approval period was 2023-24 to 2025-26 and only about 500 drones had been distributed under it by March 2026, so check your state mission for current status. Details are in Kisan Drone Yojana.

Where women still face barriers

• Land title. With fewer than 14 in 100 operational holdings in women's names, many women farm land that is officially someone else's. Schemes that rely on land records may not list them as the farmer. Ask the agriculture department how your group or cluster membership is recorded, and consider asking for a joint entry in revenue records.
• Extra workload. Making Jeevamrit, collecting dung and urine, composting and mulching are largely unpaid household-linked tasks. Government incentives for natural farming run for two years, so check that the extra labour is worth it in your own field before scaling up.
• Yield and income risk. Trials show mixed yields in natural and organic systems (see natural vs organic farming), so start on a small plot.
• Market access. Certification and a buyer matter more than production. Organic food sold as organic must be certified under NPOP or PGS-India.

How a woman farmer or SHG can get started

1. If you are not already in an SHG, ask the Block Mission Manager or village organisation under your state rural livelihoods mission (NRLM) how to join one.
2. Ask whether your block has natural farming clusters under NMNF, and whether the mission is looking for Krishi Sakhis or community resource persons.
3. Contact your district Krishi Vigyan Kendra for training in bio-input preparation and organic methods.
4. Start with one acre or less, keep records, and join or form a PGS-India group if you want to sell as organic.
5. Check the subsidy finder for other schemes. Be wary of anyone asking for an enrolment fee; join through the agriculture department, KVK or rural livelihoods mission.

Sources

• PIB backgrounder: Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (23 Oct 2025)
• PIB: Krishi Sakhi Convergence Programme (18 Jun 2024)
• PIB backgrounder: National Mission on Natural Farming (13 Aug 2025)
• PIB: Promotion of Natural Farming under NMNF (28 Mar 2025)
• PIB: Initiatives to Promote Organic and Climate Smart Farming (22 Jul 2025)
• PIB: Government Promotes AI and Drone Technologies (16 Dec 2025)
• Down To Earth: Economic Survey 2025 on employment in agriculture
• Drishti IAS: Agriculture Census 2015-16 (women operational holders)