Panchayats, Elected Women Representatives & Women Farmers

 Both National Panchayati Raj Day and National Women's Political Empowerment Day are observed on April 24th.

In 2026 it is the 33rd edition of both celebrations of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution of India and created legal space for local governance of Gram Panchayats and Nagar Palikas (Urban Local Governments) as well as a third reservation for Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) in this third sphere of democracy - both types of local government bodies. 

Interacting with EWRs from panchayats across India in New Delhi, April 25, 2011

The theme of the Panchayati Raj Diwas 2026 is "Sashakt Panchayat, Sarvangeen Vikas" (Empowered Panchayats, Holistic Development) with focus on centering sustainable development goals (SDGs) from the grassroots by "strengthening local bodies through digital governance, such as e-GramSwaraj, to ensure inclusive growth and contribute to Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047 vision. The 2026 celebration emphasizes that "Strong Panchayats build strong villages, and strong villages build a strong nation."

Women Farmers in Villages and As EWRs 

Of course building strong villages and encouraging holistic development centers Women Farmers the mainstay of rural agriculture.  When women farmers are given voice and a seat at the decision-making table, agriculture, communities and villages transform. When the local government, CSR, SDGs, and ESG initiatives center the needs of a  farming woman in all her avatars it turbo charges agricultural and rural development. 

Source: Seema Kulkarni, Asian College of Journalism's Climate Hub's online series

Many UNDP and ADB (Asian Development Bank) programs to make villages and agriculture climate resilient have met targets faster when they worked with local women farmer organizations and self-help groups (SHGs). This is not just in India but a fact across the world especially throughout the Asia-Pacific. Making solar power accessible to prevent food waste and increase income streams in rural ecosystems beyond just solar irrigation is a great program of climate adaptation funded  by the UNDP in India.

From breaking caste barriers and patriarchy to building solar-powered, self-sustaining villages, these women sarpanches are redefining what leadership looks like in rural India.

This isn’t just governance. It’s courage in action.

On National Panchayati Raj Day, scroll down… pic.twitter.com/KcPaXrxy4Y

— The Better India (@thebetterindia) April 24, 2026

 The Panchayati Raj Day celebrations on April 24, 2026 and the many award -winning panchayats and their leaders demonstrate the power of local self governance especially those that have EWRs and women leaders shaping implementation of policy on the ground. 

Women Leading Panchayats from the Front

Across #GrameenBharat, #women elected to Panchayati Raj Institutions are increasingly exercising their roles with confidence and responsibility, moving beyond proxy representation to active leadership. By participating directly in… pic.twitter.com/euJbJhVmvA

— Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India (@mopr_goi) April 24, 2026

Earth Day 2026: Power to She Who Works the Earth

 April 22nd has been observed as Earth Day since 1970 the first time through American efforts to channel student anti-war efforts into an environmental movement. Fifty-seven years on Earth Day is observed across the planet and has encompassed many activities to protect the planet. 

Source: Photo of the earth as a Pale Blue Dot suspended on a sunbeam captured by the Voyager 1 space probe from 6 million kilometers away and sent on Valentine's Day 1990 after multiple requests by American Astronomer and Planetary Scientist Carl Sagan. 

Our Power, Our Planet

The theme for Earth Day 2026 is "Our Power, Our Planet" which can be interpreted in multiple ways.

While the main focus is Energy Security through boosting SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy - a Just Transition to Renewable Energy, vital in these times of an Energy Shock due to the choking of the Strait of Hormuz, another aspect is  a call for all of us to use our power for the planet - individually or collectively. The Environmentalist Foundation of India's (EFI) call for a #BlueGreenCleanVote in the Legislative Assembly Elections is a great demonstration of this.

EFI Founder Arun Krishnamurthy of Tambaram, Chennai, Calls for a Blue Green Clean Vote in Tamil Nadu State Elections 2026.

This involves building Sustainable Communities and Sustainable Cities (SDG 11). Literally on Earth Day in the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF2026) and the International Year of the Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP2026) both championed by the UN's Food And Agriculture Organization (FAO) it makes sense that the focus is on "Saving the Soil." Overuse of soil, GMO seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics as well as the all pervasive plastic and microplastics pollution has degraded soil fertility and soil quality across the planet. The possible fertilizer crisis due to the disruption of the supply of crude oil from the unstable Middle East could be an opportunity to train and transition justly to organic farming.

This could be a great time to empower women farmers and smallholding farmers to become organic farmers, natural farmers and friends of the soils. Training and in-the-field, 24-hour big data--mapped support could transform the lives of farmers already pushed to the brink by various factors including price rise all around except seemingly for their hard-grown products. CSR, ESG, local governments, panchayats, NGOs and PPP programs could all be tailored to empowering farmers to transition to organic or natural farming as well as solar powered irrigation systems. 

 For Farmers and Soil Health: For the Planet

To use power for the planet - literal clean energy or that of people is vital in these troubled times of climate crises, environmental crises, economic crises and conflicts. In order to achieve human security we need to ensure self-reliance, sustainability and self-sufficiency - food security, water security, energy security. By empowering those who grow our food and the very earth than nourishes it we can definitely improve lives of not just farmers but our whole population. 

A ground up, hands on strategy to transition to organic and natural farming while  empowering and training women farmers and smallholders is a step in the right direction and is much needed on Earth Day and beyond. 

It's our home.

This Earth Day, see our planet as our Artemis II astronauts saw it with these new images from the mission. pic.twitter.com/ne0ZwqtqOc

— NASA (@NASA) April 22, 2026

Creativity & Innovations For Our "Annadata"

 This week and month have many days and celebrations where Women Farmers are central. April 21st is World Creativity and Innovation Day with the 2026 theme being "Harnessing the Power of Creativity for Global Progress." A key aspect of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - all vital to boost agriculture. 

Personally I find from all my interactions that no one can beat Rural Women of India in general and Women Farmers in particular in innovation and creativity in stretching resources and opportunities to serve them. They truly are pioneers in harnessing their creativity for progress of their family and community with their own progress just a happy byproduct never a priority.  Whatever opportunities, skills, training and lessons they access, rural women and women farmers seem to know how to extrapolate it into social progress and economic growth. 

The Sunshine Millennium 2011 Brochure

Meanwhile April 19-20, 2026 was celebrated as Akshaya Tritiya - a celebration of everlasting abundance as well as the birth of the Goddess of Food & Abundance - "Annapurna and our Annadata - the bestower of food. While marketing has made this festival all about buying gold, it is a time of charity and aiding the downtrodden as well as worshipping and valuing those who produce our food. In practice this mid-Spring festival is about honoring and empowering farmers among others in the quest for abundance and reduced inequalities (SDG 10).

See more on Gender, Agriculture and Climate Change in the summary and analysis of the above article from The Hindu in the InsightsIAS (Insights on India page) article.

Indigenous Women Farmers and Leaders - Australia ad Asia-Pacific

Empowerment and Opportunities

The brouhaha over "Nari Shakti" - Women's Political Empowerment that became a bit of a damp squib in the face of the delimitation issue also was an opportunity to empower women farmers by giving them a political voice to fight for their rights.  Population and depopulation pressures as well as the realities of urban and seasonal migration that has led to feminization of rural India, feminization of agriculture as well as feminization of poverty and they all have  women front and center. But there are many opportunities amidst the threats to the lives and livelihoods of rural women and women farmers. In this conversation it would be irresponsible if one doesn't mention the choice [forced by economic burdens) of many women agricultural and farm laborers choosing to sterilize themselves and sacrifice their fertility for economic opportunities. 

Harnessing Creativity and Innovation for Progress

Many award-winning model Panchayats (village administration) have addressed the needs of women and women farmers by giving them voice as mentioned in the post about the Institute of Social Sciences' interview of these award winning villages and their administrators. 

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) are also do great work in improving the lives of rural women and farmers in general and women farmers in particular in many states of India. The key fact being the need to scale up and center the needs of women farmers in such SHGs and FPOs. By merging government programs and policies and corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ESG initiatives of companies - a public-private partnership (PPP) of sorts to tackle the needs of women farmers is truly addressing SDG 9 agriculturally. This is harnessing innovation for the progress of all farmers but especially women farmers.

Puthandu, Prosperity & Women Farmers

 It's celebration time across the Subcontinent again. Puthandu or Chitrai Thirunal - Tamil New Year marks the movement of the sun into the moon sign/rasi of Aries in Hindu astrology. It is marked by celebrations such as Mesha Sankranti, Tamil, Bengali, Odia and Sinhala New Year, Vishu in Keralam, Baishakhi in Punjab, Bihu in Assam as well as Buddhist New Year/Songkran celebrations across Southeast Asia and Yunnan in China - the Water Festival.  This is a time where we all hope for peace and prosperity as always in these troubled times.

In this time of family, friends and shared celebrations I thought I'd share some successful CSR & government projects that have empowered and trained women farmers as well as rural and tribal communities and brought prosperity to previously arid and drought-dulled rural regions of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra as well as poverty alleviation programmes of the Keralam government that tackled the unpaid labour burden of women and women farmers and uplifted hundreds of thousands and eliminated poverty.

Tata Capital's watershed restoration and other rural community development initiatives in Maharashtra as well as Thiruvanamala district of Tamil Nadu has benefitted many women and women farmers as shared on World Water Day on the Sunshine Millennium Facebook page.

I have mentioned in this blog the successful intervention of the Srinivasan Services Trust (SST) the CSR wing of the Tamil Nadu based MNC TVS that has done great work in 4 states more than 15 years ago and many more places now since. A pioneer of sorts in CSR in Tamil Nadu especially in their empowerment of women and women farmers as well as tribal and community development made  a huge impact in providing decent work and economic growth SDG8 to Thiruvanamalai district of Tamil Nadu among others. 

To quote Ms. Krithika Ram, my Master's classmate's project submitted in December 2011 for the National Institute for Rural Development's Post Graduate Diploma in Sustainable Rural Development on Corporates and Rural Development. 

SST's Vision statement reads- “To be catalysts in creating self-reliant villages by deploying the skills and resources of local governments, development agencies and the private sector to fulfill this vision.”

 The Mission statement of SST reads-”To facilitate the process of sustainable development in rural India in key areas such as economic opportunities, quality education and health care, the creation and maintenance of infrastructure and environmental and cultural conservation, through active participation of national and state governments in partnership with local communities.

holistic approach aimed at making people self-reliant through active involvement of local communities. The Namakku Naame Thittam/Village Self-Sufficiency scheme in partnership with the local community, Rural Development Department and the Trust is maiden initiative leading towards sustainable community development. 

The livelihoods of the members [NOW] consist of food processing; animal husbandry; silk weaving; flower decoration; and banana fiber making. The SHGs dedicate this achievement of theirs to SST which has been taking care of their training and has been helping them get loans from banks. 

 

Meanwhile more recently in Maharashtra's drought-prone regions the Mann Deshi Foundation's Centre for Climate Resilient Agriculture has trained women from the region with an agricultural and rural background as a ‘soil-sakhi’ or soil tester.

The soil-sakhis have reached 2,394 farmers across nine drought-prone talukas of the five districts of Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Kolhapur and Pune. As per a study conducted about the programme, their intervention has led to a total reduction of 988.37 tonnes CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) emission. 

Meanwhile Farmers for Forests headed by Kruthika Ravishanker with investments from across the globe (SDG17 Partnerships for Progress and SDG13 Climate Action) is quietly transforming lives of farmers and boosting the carbon sequestration of the region by planting fruit trees which also boost incomes and reduce hunger and poverty in the formerly suicide prone belt of drought hit regions of Western India - Maharashtra especially. 

Women Farmers & the Burden of Unpaid Labour

 

Easter is a time of hope just as is the election season. As one reflects on what is needed to make women and girls rise and thrive in this the season of the Risen Son who suffered so that we could all thrive, one thing stands out. Unpaid labour drags down women and girls in general and women farmers in particular. It affects lives, health and livelihood drastically.

Being liberated from the cross of unpaid labour can ensure that women and society can thrive. 

On World Water Day (March 22), many organizations had shared how the lack of access to clean water and sanitation adds immensely to the burden of unpaid work for women. This leads to many social evils such as early marriage, child marriage and polygamy - water wives or "pani bai". 

The Cross of Unpaid Labour

According to "Unpaid Work and Women Workers: A Growing Crisis," the report published in December 2023 of a survey conducted by the Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), New Delhi, across Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and Delhi of 2,500 women:

“Women workers continue to bear the lion’s share of domestic and care responsibilities, and to the extent that this work is shared, it is often shared not with spouses but with girl children. … are often overworked and exhausted - and bearing the mental and physical costs of such overwork. … the sheer scale at which work beyond the agreed upon informal or formal contract - i.e., unpaid work - is extracted from women workers even in paid contracts. Even more shockingly, this also applied to government works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act [MGNREGA now renamed Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G]."

This crisis affects women in the agricultural sector almost disproportionately high. 

Source: Presentation by Seema Kulkarni, Asian College of Journalism Climate Change Media Hub's "Climate Change Conversations," online media education session on "Reporting on Climate and Gender: A Rural Perspective." March 27, 2026.

Improving access to services will in itself reduce the burden of unpaid labour that eats into the time, health and lives of women in general and poor, rural women and women farmers and farm labourers in particular.

As the ISS report puts it, 

"time spent by women on unpaid care work is the availability and quality of publicly provisioned services, amenities and basic infrastructure. Typically poorer settlements esp in developing countries are plagued with inadequate access to proper pucca housing, drinking water, fuel, food, healthcare, creches, support for the elderly, food security, and so on. The absence of these facilities is subsidised by the drudgery of unpaid self-exploitative care work, a result of the patriarchal gender-based division of labour wherein the responsibility for care and family survival is the woman’s domain."

Thus better access to piped water, sanitation - #SDG6, affordable cooking fuel (most relevant in April 2026 in view of the fuel crisis as a result of the US-Israel war on Iran that has affected global fuel supplies as well as the global supply chain increasing prices all around.), clean energy (decentralized solar providing electricity to informal and rural settlements ensuring security) - #SDG7, anganwadis (child care), primary health centres - #SDG3GoodHealthAndWellBeing, affordable food (functional and corruption free ration shops) - #SDG2ZeroHunger as well as support for elder care and patient care within the family will ensure women and girls can have time and space to thrive. This is true empowerment and Gender Equality (#SDG5) in our mostly patriarchal homes. 

When women and girls in general and women farmers in particular are provided access to such functional social security and safety net they thrive.  

In election season, ensuring these services to the women electorate is a better poll promise than the freebies and "biryani-alcohol" packages to male voters.  

Good Friday and Good Farmers: What April 2026 Has in Store

 We are living in troubling times. Global supply chains are being disrupted. The wars across Eurasia are sending shockwaves to Food Security across the globe. 

Farmers, especially good farmers with access to training, technology, resources, and markets enable food self-sufficiency and food security in these uncertain times. On God Friday, a day for reflection and prayer in search of peace, salvation and enlightenment, in addition to God let us reflect on good farmers, agriculturists, cowherds, and good shepherds who ensure our survival by growing and producing food and nutrition we need to exist. 

Good Farmers

Building in access to clean water, affordable and clean energy as well as training for climate resilience and market access can ensure that farmers thrive. When farmers thrive the agricultural sector and food security thrives with them boosting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a whole. 

2026 has been declared the International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) with the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization headquartered in Rome taking the lead even as governments, NGOS and institutions make it local and their own. With the theme "Empowered Women, Transforming Agrifood Systems" IYWF covers a vast mandate. 

Empowered Women Farmers Make Good Farmers

April is an eventful time with a lot of synergies with IYWF globally as well as regionally, nationally and locally especially in the Indian context.

• Easter, Elections and Census of India will shape India.
• Many regional New Years including Tamil New Year, Sinhala New Year, Bihu, all follow.
• April 21st is World Creativity and Innovation Day with the 2026 theme being "Harnessing Creativity for Global Progress."
• April 22nd is Earth Day with the theme "Our Power, Our Planet." 
• April 24th in India is both Women's Political Empowerment Day (since 1993) and National Panchayati Raj Day (since 2010) "to mark the implementation of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1993. It recognizes the importance of local self-governance, empowering rural communities through Panchayats."

Both in the case of  Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) and the Panchayat - the unit of self-governance in India the focus will be on the Government of India's (GOI) "SVAMITVA Scheme: Aatmanirbhar Panchayat se Samriddh evam Aatmanirbhar Bharat," promoting self-reliant villages and secure property rights.

Empowering women farmers and women political leaders of rural India makes for self reliant villages and helps secure property rights. Smallholding farmers, tribal farmers, women farmers face many challenges in securing land rights and property rights which as essential for access to farm credit, insurance and programmes. Innovation and innovative programmes and policies can ensure ease of empowering women farmers and transforming agrifood systems. 

Creative and innovative Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) programmes and policies targeting SDGs can help empower Good Farmers, especially Women Farmers and enable Food Security, self sufficiency and self-reliance in these troubled times buffeted by war, climate change and natural disasters. 

April is also the time of Legislative Assembly elections across many states of India as well as the launch of the Union Census of the over a billion citizens of India. Farmers, women farmers and empowered women farmers will be front and centre as they  are the backbone of Bharat's economy and self sufficiency (Atmanirbartha).

• The states of Assam, Keralam, Karnataka, Goa, Nagaland and Tripura and the Union Territory of  Puducherry go to polls on April 9th, 2026.
• My home state, Tamil Nadu goes to polls on April 23, 2026 along with Gujarat and Maharashtra and Phase I of polling in the state of West Bengal. 
• West Bengal Legislative Assembly's Phase II of polling is on April 29th, 2026. 

This makes for very interesting times across India with many poll promises and freebies targeting women and farmers but rarely women farmers! Maybe things will be different in the Year of the Woman Farmer. but in the end its policies and implemented programmes that empower women farmers that actually make for good farmers not just election promises. Yet the actions taken in April 2026 will shape programmes and policies for years to come, especially in India.

Stay tuned to see how these interesting D-Days of April 2026.will shape the lives of Women Farmers and programmes of CSR, SDG & ESG.

Women Farmers as Central to SDGs, CSR & ESG: April 2026 Restart Focus

 2026 has been declared the Year of the Woman Farmer. 

Across the globe and in an agrarian economy like India particularly, the agricultural sector is becoming increasingly feminized. Yet, women farmers have a tough time - with lack of access to land titles (land-holding), credit, technology, crop insurance, training and government subsidies. 

Whenever women farmers, in whichever avatar they take, have access to any and all of these -- land ownership, credit, technology, training, crop insurance and government subsidies -- they thrive and allow the agricultural sector and economy to thrive. 

Source: Presentation by Seema Kulkarni, Asian College of Journalism Climate Change Media Hub's "Climate Change Conversations," online media education session on "Reporting on Climate and Gender: A Rural Perspective." March 27, 2026.

Just like how a nation that empowers women and educates girls thrives. The agricultural sector, which is increasingly buffeted by various challenges, thrives when women farmers are empowered to be climate resilient with training, access to resources, technology, markets as well as clean water and clean energy.

SDGs, CSR, ESG Focus

By putting women farmers at the heart of programmes and projects aimed to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whether governmental or private, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) mandates of companies, it's a win-win. 

Sunshine Millennium's posts throughout April 2026, the month with Earth Day 2026 with the theme Our Power, Our Planet among others, will bring out how empowering and training women farmers bolsters the agricultural sector as well as most SDGs.