Contribution of Women to Agricultural Livelihoods in Kurukshetra, Haryana

Abstract

Haryana's rural communities still rely heavily on agriculture, yet despite their substantial involvement, women's contributions to this industry are often underappreciated. In Kurukshetra district, Haryana, a region with deeply ingrained patriarchal cultural norms and a highly mechanised agrarian economy, this study examines gender roles and women's contributions to agricultural livelihoods. Despite making up over 60–70% of India's agricultural workforce (FAO, 2021), women in Haryana face significant differences in land ownership (only 12.7% of women own land, according to NSSO 2019) and salary compensation (30–40% less than men for comparable work. This study investigates the distribution of labour, resource access, and socioeconomic barriers to women's recognition using a mixed-method approach that included surveys of 200 rural women farmers and in-depth interviews with 30 key informants. According to the study, women perform 75–90% of the backbreaking labour (planting, pulling weeds, harvesting, and post-harvesting tasks), but they receive less than 10% of farm income due to male-dominated decision-making. Moreover, only 18% of women enjoy access to institutional credit, and fewer than 25% are involved in government agricultural programs. The study highlights the paradox between high labour input and poor economic independence, which is made worse by cultural restrictions on women's land inheritance and mobility. Women's employment in wheat-rice production has decreased by 15–20% over the past ten years due to mechanisation trends. Recommendations for policy include mandatory involvement of women in farmer-producer organisations (FPOs), better access to loans and training, and gender-responsive agrarian reforms. This study highlights the necessity of quick structural changes to achieve gender equality in Haryana's agrarian economy by combining empirical data with feminist political economics theory.