Women In Agribusiness:
A Review of Structural and Institutional Challenges
The Participation of women in agribusiness in India presents a complex picture. On the one hand, women contribute significantly to the agricultural workforce in formal and informal roles. On the other hand, they continue to face structural and institutional barriers that limit their access to opportunities, fair compensation, and leadership roles within the sector.
This blog focuses on the findings of the Women in Agribusiness Report 2025 to explore the different challenges that women face in the contemporary agribusiness sector.
Understanding Agribusiness and Gendered Participation
Agribusiness refers to the broad set of activities involved in the agricultural value chain- from input supply and production to processing, logistics, and retail. While women are present across this chain, their roles tend to be concentrated in informal, low-paid, or support positions. They are underrepresented in decision-making/leadership roles and formal employment structures, particularly within agribusiness companies and organizations.
Despite notable progress in women’s enrollment in agricultural education, driven by institutional expansion and rising awareness, this has not translated into equivalent participation in the interrupted or redirected due to a combination of personal, societal, and organizational constraints.
Key Structural Barriers
There are several structural issues identified in the report
1.Educational-Employment Mismatch
Despite a notable 175% increase in female enrollment in agricultural education over eight years (ICAR,2024), this progress has not translated into proportional employment outcomes. For example, women account for 23% of total enrollments in agricultural institutions, yet theirtransition to formal agribusiness roles remains limited. While many women enter undergraduate and postgraduate rograms in agriculture, they are underprepared for field-based roles due to limited exposure to real-world conditions during training.
This disconnect between education and employment reflects a gap in curriculum design, particularly in preparing students for practical and logistical demands in agribusiness environments.
2. Field-Based Exclusion
Field roles are central to career advancement in agribusiness, ranging from operations and logistics to supply chain management. However, women face exclusion from these roles due to both institutional policies and personal safety concerns. According to the survey conducted in the report, 60% of female respondents identified personal safety as the primary deterrent to accepting field-based positions. Furthermore, employers often cite insufficient field infrastructure, such as secure accommodations and transport, as reasons for not assigning women to these roles. As a result,women are frequently channelled into support functions with fewer advancement opportunities.
3. Rigid Workplace Models
Agribusiness companies often maintain traditional workplace structures that do not offer flexibility in terms of work hours or location. Unlike other sectors where flexible work arrangements are increasingly common, this rigidity disproportionately affects women, especially those managing domestic and caregiving responsibilities. The report documents that 43% of women outside the workforce cite childcare and homemaking as major constraints, reflecting the double burden many women face. These constraints, if not taken care of, create a “sticky floor” effect, where women remain concentrated in administrative or research roles, with limited pathways to managerial or field-based leadership positions.
4. Lack of Mentorship and Career Progression Pathways
Career progression in agribusiness often relies on informal networks and on-the-job learning. As per the report, women lack structured mentorship or professional guidance, especially in early and mid-career stages. The absence of support systems makes it more difficult for women to make transitions, such as moving from technical roles to management. The report also notes the absence of re-entry programs tailored for women, which further exacerbates career disruptions caused by family obligations or
societal expectations.
Structural challenges need structural solutions to form an inclusive ecosystem in order for women to thrive in one of India’s most critical sectors.
Institutional challenges in this sector also reflect various limitations that need to be addressed. As per the report, institutional challenges are –
1. Gender-Specific Policies:
The report identifies that many companies lack formal diversity policies, especially in the agribusiness context. For instance, workplace safety protocols, especially for field-based operations, are rarely gender-specific.
As per the industry interviews from the report, employers frequently cited a lack of internal frameworks to support women’s deployment in rural field locations due to logistical concerns such as travel, sanitation, and secure accommodations.
2. Underrepresentation in Leadership:
Women are notably absent from leadership roles in agribusiness firms. While they account for a significant portion of the agricultural education pipeline but this does not extend to senior corporate leadership. Women
remain primarily in support or research functions, with few transitioning into executive decision-making positions. This indicates not only a leaky pipeline but also systemic inertia in promoting gender equity in leadership.
3. Lack of Sector-Specific Data and Monitoring
The report points to a major gap in the availability of gender-disaggregated data, particularly within private-sector employment structures. While public data sources such as AISHE ( All India Survey on Higher Education ) and PLETS ( Periodic Labour Force Survey ) provide broad trends, there is limited organizational-level data to monitor hiring, promotion, and retention trends for women in agribusiness roles. This lack of data makes it difficult for both companies and policymakers to assess whether the interventions are
effective or inclusive.
4. Inadequate Re-entry Support and Mentorship
The report notes that career discontinuities disproportionately affect women, particularly during mid-career transitions and after maternity or caregiving breaks. Despite this, few structured re-entry programs or
mentorship models exist to support women in navigating these transitions. The absence of such institutional support contributes to long-term disengagement from the sector and reinforces perceptions of agribusiness
as an unfriendly career path for women.
Conclusion
While women contribute significantly to food production, processing, and education, these contributions are not adequately recognized or rewarded in formal employment structures. The Women in Agribusiness Report 2025 brings a clear and factual picture of the multiple interconnectedness barriers that women
face across the agribusiness value chain in India.
Although the female labour force participation rate (LFPR) has increased to 41.7% in 2023-24, much of this growth is attributed to unpaid or informal work, particularly in rural areas. Similarly, women make up 33% of the agricultural labour force and 48% of independent farmers, yet their visibility in formal agribusiness roles remains low.
These gaps represent both a loss of potential and a misalignment between educational investments and employment outcomes. Ultimately, advancing gender equity in agribusiness is not only a question of fairness- it is a matter of economic efficiency and sectoral resilience.
As India’s agribusiness sector continues to evolve amid digitalization, climate change, and changing consumer demands, leveraging the full talent pool, including women, is essential for long-term sustainability and enhancements.