Agriculture represents 14% of India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employing upwards of 58% of the country’s population. With nearly 54% of the land of India classified as agricultural land, countless women work in some capacity in the sector. But for many of these women, they aren’t considered an actual part of the workforce; they are merely fulfilling their duty to help their family.

One company is trying to change that by empowering women in the agricultural sector through drone technology. Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative (IFFCO), founded in 1967 with 57 member cooperatives, is part of the International Cooperative Alliance, which represents 3 million cooperatives around the world. As defined by the International Cooperative Alliance, cooperatives are an “autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.”

IFFCO is the largest cooperative in the world based on its GDP. It has grown from 57 member cooperatives to 35,000 member cooperatives encompassing more than 50 million farmers in India. As of 2021, IFFCO had a net worth of $2.6 billion. One of the tenets of IFFCO’s philosophy is to provide Indian farmers with the tools necessary to succeed, including the latest in agricultural technology. Like the rest of the modern agricultural world, this means incorporating drone technology into agricultural practices.

In 2021, IFFCO held a 10-day workshop to introduce a new drone program. A group of 36 farmers and entrepreneurs were invited to receive complete training on drone technology. They learned everything from the history of drones to flight planning, safety regulations, payload options, maintenance, and more. IFFCO also provided the participants with the drones needed to take back to their farms.

The specific drones are Kisan Drones, developed by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). These domestically made drones are specifically outfitted to support the agricultural industry. They are used to map and assess crop health, and spray fertilizers. There is a larger drone for practice in a wide range of applications and a smaller drone for use in smaller, more densely packed areas. The drones have a 10-8 liter tank. When the tank is at full capacity, the drone can fly for upwards of 15 minutes to cover a 1,500-500 meter radius. With no payload, the drones can be flown upwards of 30 minutes to gather field data.

With the success of its initial drone programs, IFFCO has developed a new program called Drone Sisters that is putting women in control of drone operations. Through the program, IFFCO is training 300 female farmers in everything they need to know about drones. The women receive the drone, training, and an electric vehicle to transport the drone all for free. For many women in the program, it symbolizes a change in the perceptions of women in the workforce.

For 16 years, 35 year old Sharmila Yadav, has been a homemaker for her farmer husband. She raises their 2 children and looks after the house as there aren’t many job opportunities for women in her small rural community. “Earlier, it was difficult for women to step out of the house. They were supposed to do only household chores and look after the children,” Sharmila said. “Women who went out to work were looked down upon. They were taunted for neglecting their motherly duties. But now, mindsets are changing gradually.”

For Sharmila, who had always fantasized about becoming a pilot, this program is a dream come true. “I feel very proud when someone calls me a pilot. I have never sat in a plane,” she said, “but I feel like I am flying one now.” The Sister Drone program is doing far more than that. Without having to invest any of their own savings, the women in this program will earn $600 for spraying 60 hectares of farmland. They will repeat the process twice over a 5-week period, bringing home more than double the average salary for a one-month period.

IFFCO sees this as an opportunity to level the playing field between men and women in the workforce. According to IFFCO, men represent more than 80% of the agricultural workforce. By providing rural women with this opportunity, IFFCO hopes to empower more women to formally join the agricultural workforce in some capacity. In the future, the entirety of the Drone Sisters program, from training to application, will be run by women.

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