Participation of rural women to rice-based farming system: A Study of North Bihar, India

Rural women in Bihar play a crucial role in agriculture and related activities, participating extensively in tasks from pre-harvest to post-harvest. Despite their significant contributions, these women often remain unrecognized, commonly referred to as “invisible farmers.” This study was conducted in the Samastipur district of North Bihar to examine the extent of rural women’s involvement in various agricultural activities. Two rice-growing blocks were randomly selected from a total of 20, with two villages chosen at random from each block, resulting in a sample of four villages. A total of 160 respondents were selected from 40 farm families in each village using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique based on landholding size. The study highlights that women’s independent participation in farm and allied activities within rice-based farming systems was 50.05 percent, surpassing men’s independent participation of 31.28 percent, while joint participation was recorded at 18.87 percent. This research underscores the essential yet often overlooked role of rural women in agriculture in Bihar.