State of women farmers in drought-prone areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra:
Challenges and government initiatives

Prianna Bagga

doi:10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.029

Title: State of women farmers in drought-prone areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra: Challenges and government initiatives
Authors: Prianna Bagga
Journal: International Journal of Social Science and Economic Research (IJSSER) ISSN: 2455-8834 Volume: 11 Issue: 8 Publication Date: August 2026 DOI: 10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.029
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Prianna Bagga Ahmedabad International School
MLA 8 Bagga, Prianna. "State of women farmers in drought-prone areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra: Challenges and government initiatives." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 11, no. 8, Aug. 2026, pp. 4094-4107, doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.029. Accessed Aug. 2026. APA 6 Bagga, P. (2026, August). State of women farmers in drought-prone areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra: Challenges and government initiatives. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 11(8), 4094-4107. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.029 Chicago Bagga, Prianna. "State of women farmers in drought-prone areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra: Challenges and government initiatives." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 11, no. 8 (August 2026), 4094-4107. Accessed August, 2026. https://doi.org/10.46609/IJSSER.2026.v11i08.029.
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ABSTRACT: Agriculture still remains the backbone of the Indian economy, with close to 60% of the population employed in agriculture and allied activities (Gupta). India is also a country very susceptible to climate change, being one of the nations most vulnerable to droughts and erratic monsoons. Gujarat and Maharashtra are two states in India specifically are prone to extreme weather events and water shortages. Women farmers play a crucial role for agriculture in India, yet they are often not given access to land, credit, ownership, and decision-making abilities. While the macroeconomic impacts of these climate shocks is often taken into consideration, the impact of these droughts on women specifically is ignored. This study therefore investigates a critical gap in climate and development economics by addressing two research questions:(1) How are women farmers specifically affected during droughts in India? (2) Does the government have any specific policies for women farmers in Gujarat and Maharashtra and if so, are they effective? For this study, effectiveness amounts to the number of women that the policy could reach and non-discrimination across women farmers or beneficiaries. These questions are very critical to study since policymakers and researchers often ignore the impact of droughts on women farmers in India and this oversight leaves a vulnerable demographic unprotected in the country of India. To answer these questions, qualitative secondary data was collected using peer-reviewed journal articles, policy documents, and reports. Policy analyses shows that there are policies such as the Bhungroo initiative in Gujarat (UNFCCC) and the Women-Led Climate Resilient Farming (WCRF) programme in Maharashtra (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) which help women farmers get more access to land, ownership, and technology. However, many such policies do not focus on the specific challenges faced by women farmers such as social factors like intimate-partner violence. The study concludes by stating that there should be more targeted and gender-based policies for women farmers to effectively reduce their vulnerabilities during droughts.

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