Vol. 11, Special Issue 11 (2022)

This paper examines women farmers in terms of their ability to adopt mitigation and adaptation technologies in response to climate smart agriculture. The CGIAR research program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has been introducing/promoting climate smart agricultural practices (CSAPs) in many States in India since 2010. Women play a crucial role in agricultural decision making. In India agriculture is becoming increasingly feminized due to male outmigration. Land-holdings are small. We found that readiness to adopt CSAPs is higher in certain districts. Irrespective of the gender of the household head larger size of land holding had a positive association with the likelihood to adopt CSAPs. Discussions with women farmers provided a list of more than 15 CSA interventions with labour reduction as well as yield-improving potential. If we consider the local crop, social conditions, agro-climate, women’s participation in different agricultural activities, CSA technologies and practices such as direct seeded rice (zero tillage and low tillage using machine), green manuring (GM), laser land levelling (LLL), and system of rice intensification (SRI) were found to potentially reduce women’s drudgery in agriculture along with improvement in productivity and farm income.