In the context of the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026, assess how far FPOs and SHGs have helped women farmers gain market access and decision-making power.

The UN has declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer. In India, 80% of rural women work in agriculture and allied sectors, mostly as labourers or self-employed cultivators rather than recognised farmers [1]. FPOs and SHGs have substantially widened women's market access, but have only partially given them decision-making power.

Gains in market access

• Formal credit: Women's SHGs have received over ₹11 lakh crore from banks under DAY-NRLM, which pays for inputs, livestock and small agri-enterprises [1].
• Collective bargaining: Under the 10,000 FPO scheme, 1,175 FPOs are fully women-owned and 1,084 have a women majority. Members can pool their produce and sell in bulk [1].
• Capacity via SHG cadres: Under MKSP, 4.62 crore Mahila Kisans have adopted agro-ecological practices. 70,000 Krishi Sakhis are being trained to give farm advice locally [1].
• New service income: Under Namo Drone Didi, SHGs earn income by selling drone-spraying services [2].

Limits on decision-making power

• Token representation: The FPO rule asks for only one woman director per board, so she can easily be outvoted [1].
• Narrow base: All-women FPOs are only about 12% of the 10,000 target [1].
• Land gap: Women operate only about 11.72% of farmed area [3]. Without land titles, many cannot become shareholders or offer collateral.
• Slow delivery: Only about 500 drones were given out under Namo Drone Didi by February 2026, against a target of 15,000 [1][2].
• Headcount metrics: Progress is measured by the number of women covered, not by their incomes or leadership roles.

Why the gap matters

• FAO finds women produce 24% less than men on farms of the same size because of unequal access. Closing gender gaps in farm productivity and wages could add nearly USD 1 trillion to global GDP and mean 45 million fewer food-insecure people [4].

Overall, SHGs and FPOs have done more to bring women into markets than to put them in control of decisions. Four steps would help: reserve a third of FPO board seats for women; extend fund earmarks that do not depend on land titles, such as the Pulses Mission's 20% for women [1]; track women's incomes; and promote joint land titles. In IYWF 2026, these steps would turn "invisible farmers" into decision-makers, in line with Article 15(3), SDG 5 and Viksit Bharat @2047.