What is the role of women in farm labour and how should I engage them?

Women do a very large share of Indian farm work, especially transplanting, weeding, picking of cotton, chilli and vegetables, and post harvest sorting, and women's gangs are often the most skilled and disciplined teams for these tasks. To work well with them: deal through their gang leader for scheduling and rates, agree per acre or per day rate clearly in advance, and pay on time. Equal pay for the same work is both fair and the right thing, do not pay women less for the same task. Practical respect goes a long way, provide clean drinking water, a shaded rest spot and a safe working environment, and you will get the best gangs returning to you. For picking crops, paying by weight picked rather than by day often suits both sides and rewards good pickers. The same reliable women's teams will become your most dependable labour if you treat them fairly.