Source: UN News: Tuesday, 07 April 2026 00:02 AM
Women farmers in India’s climate-sensitive agricultural regions are increasingly turning to crop insurance to protect their crops, income and families against increasing weather-related shocks. The story of Lakshmi Rathiya from Chhattisgarh is an example of how access to financial security can help women farmers recover from losses, avoid debt and continue investing in their land. Lakshmi Rathiya works in her family’s farm in Mauhar village of Korba district of Chhattisgarh. Here every crop is not only related to farming, but also to the food security, income and future of the family. Like many other rural areas of the state, his village is also dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Therefore, drought, irregular rainfall and other climate-related threats make farming very unsafe. There are more than 37 lakh farmer families in Chhattisgarh, most of which are small and marginal farmers. For women farmers, farming is not only a means of livelihood but also a big responsibility. Lakshmi Rathiya takes care of sowing, transplanting, weeding and harvesting, and also takes care of the family, especially when her husband is in the city for seasonal employment. She knows how quickly the weather can turn into an economic crisis. Recalling the drought of 2017, she says, “When crops failed due to drought or excess rain, we did not get any financial support. We had to handle everything on our own.” © UNDP India/Shubham Tripathi Access to crop insurance In the year 2023, Lakshmi got her Kharif crop insured by joining the Pradhan Mantri Crop Insurance Scheme. This national scheme of India provides compensation for crop loss due to natural disaster, extreme weather or pest attack. He got a security cover for his farm by paying a premium of Rs 6,000. In the same year, his crop got damaged due to excessive rains, but under this scheme he got a claim payment of Rs 97 thousand 956. With this she could recover from the loss and prepare for the next sowing. Lakshmi says, “Thanks to this help, I was able to continue farming without taking any loan.” Now she inspires other women of the village to join this scheme. Across the country, women’s participation in this scheme has exceeded 22 percent, whereas in Chhattisgarh it is around 15 to 16 percent. Such financial instruments are becoming even more important for women farmers amid increasing climate risks. Expanding access to women farmersThe United Nations Development Program (United Nations Development Program)UNDP) and India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare are working together to increase awareness and better implementation of the crop insurance scheme. These efforts are aimed at making small and marginal farmers, especially women farmers, understand what kind of insurance protection they have and how they can easily access claims. For this, grassroot level contact, easy information and digital means have been used. Today this scheme has reached more than 78 crore farmers in 411 districts of 20 states and union territories. Lakshmi Rathiya’s experience shows how important access to insurance can be to women farmers facing uncertain monsoons, droughts and extreme weather. This allows them to continue farming, support their families and continue to contribute to the country’s food security. This article was first Here Published.