ABSTRACT
The entire world aims at achieving women’s empowerment through the creation of equal opportunities for men and women. International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th to mark the focal point in the movement for women’s rights. Of course, active participation of the whole community is recognized as a tool for empowerment in any development process. The participation of women in the development process has to be ensured through tangible measures taken at various levels. In India, agriculture remains under the supervision of women in rural households. Women can be seen performing heavy farm/machinery work and outdoor marketing of farm produce, although to a limited extent. However, the time has come to recognize women as handling a major part of farm activities through crucial decision-making in farm management. Recognizing this fact, the government has taken a conscious view to ensure adequate provisions in its policies and programs for women in agriculture. The lack of accurate statistics can be detrimental in extending the benefits of government schemes to rural and farm women. Therefore, a large number of data sources have been maintained by the Government of India to assess the role of women in agriculture for policy planning. This chapter discusses certain essential women-oriented policies and programs in agriculture introduced by the Government of India and the role of statistics in their effective implementation.
