Maharashtra Introduces New Certificates to Formally Recognize Women Farmers Without Land Titles

Maharashtra will begin issuing Women Farmers Certificates starting October 2 under the newly enacted Women Farmer's Empowerment Act 2026. The new certificates will officially recognize women involved in farming, livestock, poultry, and fisheries as farmers even if they do not own land.

The Need for Reform

While women make up nearly 60 percent of the national agricultural workforce and 82 percent of the rural female workforce in Maharashtra, they hold a very small fraction of land titles. Without land ownership, women struggle to access bank credit, water, irrigation subsidies, crop insurance, and digital databases like Agristack, leaving them largely as unpaid or underpaid laborers despite sustaining the sector.

Legislative Process

The law's journey started after a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in September 2025, followed by a partnership between the state government and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. Consultations involving lawyers, bankers, researchers, and women farmers themselves were held across Mumbai, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur. The Bill was then approved by the Cabinet and passed unanimously in both the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on July 2, 2026.

Implementation and Support

The Act establishes a State-Level Monitoring Committee, a Women Farmer Empowerment Cell, a dedicated database, and Women Farmers Assistance Officers at district and block levels. It also broadens the legal definition of a farmer to include anyone engaged in crop cultivation, animal husbandry, agroforestry, and primary processing, regardless of land ownership.

Context

This law addresses a long-standing gap in agricultural policy where government benefits and institutional credit have traditionally required land records that are almost exclusively registered in men's names. By delinking farmer status from land ownership, the state aims to bring millions of female agricultural workers into the formal economic mainstream.