~ 2092 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2018; 7(5): 2092-2096 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2018; 7(5): 2092-2096 Received: 25-07-2018 Accepted: 27-08-2018 Monalisha Patra SRF, ICAR- Central Institute for Women in Agriculture Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India Pinaki Samal SRF, ICAR- Central Institute for Women in Agriculture Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India Arun Kumar Panda Principal Scientist, ICAR- Central Institute for Women in Agriculture Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India Correspondence Arun Kumar Panda Principal Scientist, ICAR- Central Institute for Women in Agriculture Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India Constraints and opportunities for women in agriculture in India Monalisha Patra, Pinaki Samal and Arun Kumar Panda Abstract Woman plays a vital role in agricultural sector, as it is largely a household enterprise. They are the active participant in farm activities and processing farm products, in addition to their domestic and reproductive responsibilities. Women as farmers, agricultural labourer and entrepreneurs, constitute the backbone of India's agricultural and rural economy. But still their contributions are ignored since ages. Approximately Seventy percent of world poor are women and the major problems they face are peculiar social, cultural, educational, political and allied problems. Access to land, water, credit and other agricultural inputs, technology, new practices and extension services, education are the major constraints faced by rural women. Providing due recognition to women’s work as well as access to education, extension services, information, land, credit facilities, resources, modern technologies and other relevant agricultural innovations will entice many women to agricultural productions and will help to reduce poverty among women farmers. So the improvement in productivity, profitability, stability, and sustainability of major farming systems can be obtained by integrating technology, work, and resources (both financial and social) effectively with gender, so that both men and women can play the active role in order to achieve the goal. Keywords: Women, agriculture, decision making, education, constraints, opportunities Introduction Agriculture is India's most important economic sector. Out of the total population, 70% is rural; of those households, 60% engaged in agriculture as their main source of income [1] . Woman plays a vital role in this important agricultural sector, as it is largely a household enterprise. It was woman who first domesticated crop plants and thereby initiated the art and science of farming described by Swaminathan, the famous agricultural scientist. Women farmers account for more than quarter of the world's population. (Source: Food and Agriculture Organization, 2011). Women are the active participant in farm activities and processing farm products, in addition to their domestic and reproductive responsibilities. Major producers of food in India are women, in terms of value, volume and number of hours worked. Nearly 78% of women are engaged in agriculture as compared to 63% of all economically active men [1] . Women as farmers, agricultural labourer and entrepreneurs, constitute the backbone of India's agricultural and rural economy. Approximately 50% of agricultural and livestock workers are women, whereas in rural India the percentage is as high as 84% [2] . According to Doss (2011) [3] , women comprise about 43% of the agricultural labour force globally. In the economy of majority of the developing nations including India, rural women constitute the most important productive work force. Approximately 4/5th of all economically active women in the country are employed in agriculture sector [4] . In conservation of basic life support systems such as land, water, flora and fauna, the major role has been played by women and continued to play. Major role carried out by women includes soil health protection through organic recycling and promotion of crop security through genetic resistance and maintenance of varietal diversity. Although women participate in all phases of agricultural production, in most of the farming systems, still their roles including from decision making, control over resources and incomes varies greatly from place to place. Women play a significant and crucial role in agriculture and allied sectors, including crop and livestock production, horticulture, post-harvest management, forestry, fishery etc., but still their contribution are ignored since ages. Graphically, women constitute nearly 50% of the world’s adult population and one-third of the total labour force [5] . They work nearly two-third of the total working hours but receive very less i.e., only one-tenth of world income and own less than one per cent of property [5] . The face of farming is stereotypically male, despite of such huge contribution of women in farming sector. On a daily basis they perform the most tedious and back-breaking tasks in fields as well as homes, still