contribute as farmers, labourers, and entrepreneurs. They are involved in activities ranging from crop and livestock production to cottage industries as well as household maintenance, transporting water, fuel, and fodder, and collecting essential resources. Despite such a significant level of involvement, women’s contributions to the agricultural sector go unrecognized. Few small-scale women farmers are paid for their labour, but prevailing societal norms about gender roles further restrict their input in household decision-making. In addition to societal limitations, women also struggle with limited access to key resources such as land, credit, agricultural inputs, technology, training, extension services, and marketing opportunities-each crucial for achieving economic success in agriculture. These barriers make it much harder for them to improve their farming and income. To overcome these obstacles new investments in agricultural development are needed, only then will women be able to seize the opportunities they deserve. It is time toacknowledge the often-overlooked role of women in agricultural production and focus on facilitating the shift from subsistence farming to more lucrative, market-driven agricultural production. For this, it is vital to introduce initiatives that provide women with increased access to credit which will lead to greater returns on their productive investments. The access needs to be linked with initiatives ensuring the provision of production and marketing support, undertaking capacity building, providing organizational and institutional support, formulating country specific initiatives that empower farm women.

Keywords: Women, Gender Roles, Decision making, Access to resources, Capacity Building, Technology