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Climate Change, Policy and Law, and Women in Rural India
by Sonali Priyamvada Chitre, Esquire & Kavya M.
November 7, 2025
This article aims to examine the intersection of climate change law, policy, and the vulnerability of rural women in India. We have streamlined analysis, literature, and data, focusing on key findings. Additional details, specific quotes, and supporting evidence are readily available.
Introduction
Twelve of India’s twenty-eight states do not mention gender in their climate actions plans. India holds constitutional protections and climate policy frameworks however rural women, who comprise 97.5 million of the agricultural workforce, bear a disproportionate burden of climate change.
• For context India is highly vulnerable to climate change with 80% of the population and climate vulnerable districts
• Women face double burden between climate impacts and preexisting gender norms and inequalities
https://features.csis.org/climate-crisis-jeopardizes-health-in-india/
https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/42605/chapter-
▪ Champions economic security and self-reliance through offering innovative insurance products that have automatic payouts and getting rid of complicated claims process
▪ Weather data triggers payment
o Parametric Insurance is need for women farmers who face global temperatures
▪ Women pay INR 250 or $3 annually
• There is the automatic payout of INR 400 or ($4.80) when temperatures exceed 40C for 2 straights days
• Women are able to control their money directly
o Example of Rekhaben using payout to buy livestock feed
• The scale has increased 21,000 women in 5 districts (2023)
to 50,000 women in 22 districts across 3 states (2024)• Gap in Policy
o No mainstreaming of parametric insurance
o There should be government scaling and complementary water infrastructure investment to increase the effect of technology enabling financial protection.
Three states case study analysis
The three chosen states are Bihar, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, and all face differing climate effects such as floods, droughts, and extreme heat. They share a common pattern where women are bearing the disproportionate burdens while the successful bottom-up interventions remain unscaled.
A) Bihar
• Climate challenge: Floods, Droughts, and Male migration
o Based on the Climate Vulnerability Index, Bihar is one of five of India’s five most vulnerable states
o There are 9 months of drought but then catastrophic floods during monsoon. This extreme unpredictability prevents agriculture planning
o Over 80% of population is dependent on agriculture
• The Aspect of Gendero Male migration out of rural areas to cities for work increases 1.7% after drought
▪ Due to the social norms such as childcare responsibilities, women tend not to migrate.
o This results in 2/3 of agricultural workers being women
▪ Women then bear agricultural work, domestic work, and elderly care
o This leads to isolation with women working alone in field without support systems, for example Sanju Devi bore the brunt of agricultural labor alone
• Heifer International women’s Collectives
o A non-profit organization working on the ground in Bihar, Heifer International initiated the Bihar Sustainable Livelihood Development (BSLD)
o A 200+ women only farmer groups established 2020
▪ Forming Famer producer organizations (FPOs)
▪ Designed to provide weekly meetings for knowledge-sharing, resource pooling, relief from isolation
▪ Women in leadership roles (Devi is now a FPO President)
▪ FPO of Bisfi village generated 2.4 million rupees ($27,300) in the 2024–2025 fiscal year
▪ Literary training improving market access
• Gap in Policy
o Legal recognitions and funding for women’s FPO’s would be beneficial
▪ There is no current government support to scale these model
o World bank programs focus on flood infrastructure and not women need
There is a need for policy to support the scale of bottom-up women’s collectives that are meant to build economic resilience such as (BSLD).
B) Maharashtra
• Climate Challenge: severe droughts and erratic monsoons, unseasonal weather with heat starting earlier in the year: Feb. instead of April/May, ground water depletion with well running dry
o The Konkan Region is especially affected
o Also considered a highly vulnerable state due to the Climate Vulnerability
https://www.ceew.in/publications/mapping-climate-change-vulnerability-index-of-india-a-district-level-assessment• The aspect of gender
o Women spend twice the time fetching water as men (46 min vs.22min
daily)
o Poorest women spend 2.5 month per year collecting water only
o Distance to water increases as sources dry up
o “Water Wives” phenomena occurs when in drought affected villages men take additional wives to ensure water supply for the household
▪ Climate stress can worsen gender-based exploitations
o Small holder women farmers unprepared for extreme weather
https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/climate-change-and-women
https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/rural-women-bearing-the-brunt-of-climate-change
• SEWA Parametric Insurance
o SEWA a Member of the UN’s Better than Cash Alliance is India’s largest trade union for informal women workers
▪ Champions economic security and self-reliance through offering innovative insurance products that have automatic payouts and getting rid of complicated claims process
▪ Weather data triggers payment
o Parametric Insurance is need for women farmers who face global temperatures
▪ Women pay INR 250 or $3 annually
• There is the automatic payout of INR 400 or ($4.80) when temperatures exceed 40C for 2 straights days
• Women are able to control their money directly
o Example of Rekhaben using payout to buy livestock feed
• The scale has increased 21,000 women in 5 districts (2023)
to 50,000 women in 22 districts across 3 states (2024)• Gap in Policy
o No mainstreaming of parametric insurance
o There should be government scaling and complementary water infrastructure investment to increase the effect of technology enabling financial protection.
C) Rajasthan
• Climate challenge: Extreme temperatures 45C during summer, heats waves lasting longer and starting earlier, low rainfall and ground water depletion — an already desert/semi-arid state that is already water stressed
o 25 highly vulnerable districts
o Barmer district has projected rain fall decrease and low irrigation, increasing vulnerability
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7007102/
• The Gender Aspect
o 40% of MGNREGA, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, workers are women
o MGNREGA is India’s largest safety net program, guaranteeing 100 days of wage employments
▪ However, the work is outdoor manual labor such as road building and pond digging
https://www.freepressjournal.in/analysis/rural-women-bearing-the-brunt-of-climate-change
o With temperatures that cross 45C it is not possible to work in fields
▪ Agricultural stops during hottest months, loss of income
▪ MGNREGA work also stops, women lose safety net income
▪ Heat exhaustion, dehydration, increased mortality during heat waves on women
▪ Increased water collection burden
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7007102/
• SEWA parametric Insurance — same model in the Maharashtra case study
o 22 district programs across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra
o Provides automatic heat relief payment and women continue to gain some income security during climate shocks
• Gap in policyo MGNREGA does not have adaptions to extreme heat such as alternative indoor work options
o There needs to be an approach that encompasses a increase income protections, and have heat adapted livelihoods with women’s control over resources
Recommendations and Conclusions
A climate crisis intersects as a gender crisis. Rural women cannot wait for slow change due to the climate challenges they face. Policy commitments must become legal obligations. India has an opportunity to provide gender responsive climate action.
Recommendations
• Legislate gender into climate actions
o Require all 28 states to include gender analysis in State Action Plan
o https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/developing-a-legal-and-regulatory-framework-for-low-carbon-transition-of-indian-economy-on-the-path-to-net-zero/
• Scale Proven Methods/Models
o Scale methods such as women’s famer collectives as seen in the Bihar Case Study
o Mainstream parametric insurance nationwide — SEWA model
o https://earth.org/stronger-together-women-in-agriculture-in-rural-india-unite-against-climate-change-threats/
o https://www.preventionweb.net/news/how-heatwaves-have-sparked-new-ways-women-farmers-india-protect-their-crops
• Highlight women in data collection
o Mandated gender-disaggregated data in agricultural census, disaster assessments, and health
o Furthermore, have tracking on differential climate impact and how much climate finance reaches rural women
o https://questionofcities.org/how-is-india-mainstreaming-gender-in-climate-change-adaptation/
• Transform Gender relations
o Address root causes such as women’s land ownership, credit access, and decision-making power, and migration
o Why is water collection and care work only women’s responsibility
o Climate adaption must focus on gender equality for climate action and effective change
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0140196317301532
Conclusion
• Constitutional rights exist but are not enforceable for rural women• Successful interventions have shown that solutions do exist they just need the political will to scale them.
Jan, 10, 2026
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