Women in Dairy: The Silent Contributors of India’s White Revolution
PARUL
Assistant professor, Veterinary Public Health, CVSc&AH, DUVASU, Mathura
Introduction
India is the world’s largest producer of milk, contributing about 24% of global milk production, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This impressive achievement is often attributed to the White Revolution led by the visionary Dr. Verghese Kurien, who transformed India from a milk-deficient country to one of abundance. But there’s another revolution that unfolded quietly across the country: the story of rural women, who took charge of caring for animals, milking them, walking miles to deliver milk, and managing small dairy farms—all while balancing household responsibilities. These women, though largely invisible in formal records, are the backbone of India’s dairy success. It’s time we give them the recognition they deserve.
Everyday Heroes in Villages
In rural India, dairy farming is more than a business—it’s a way of life. And at the heart of this life are women, who contribute an estimated 70% of the labor involved in livestock care and milk production (NDDB). In thousands of villages across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, women:
- Feed and water cows and buffaloes
2.Clean sheds and bathe animals
3.Milk the animals twice daily
4.Walk long distances to milk collection centre
5.Manage accounts and sale of milk in small markets
Yet, most women are not the owners of land or livestock on paper. This limits their access to bank loans, government schemes, and training programs. Their work is considered “help” rather than a profession.
How Women Powered the White Revolution
The White Revolution, launched in 1970 as part of Operation Flood, changed India’s milk economy forever. Milk production rose from 22 million tonnes in 1970 to over 222 million tonnes by 2022 (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying). While much credit goes to technology and institutions, the real change happened in homes and by lanes, where women: Adopted artificial insemination and scientific feeding, improved hygiene during milking and storage, participated in cooperatives and began selling milk collectively, raised calf survival rates using traditional remedies, although rarely mentioned in mainstream stories, their labor and resilience were instrumental in India overtaking the USA in milk production.
Women’s Cooperatives: Empowerment Through Unity
To bring women into the formal economy, institutions like NDDB, SEWA, and BAIF began promoting Women Dairy Cooperative Societies (WDCS). These cooperatives gave women a platform to: Sell milk directly and earn in their own names, Participate in training and leadership, Form self-help groups for savings and loans and Access veterinary care and improved cattle breeds. Some Success Stories from the Field are
Amul (Gujarat): women play central role in AMUL operation and over 3.6 million women work with AMUL across 18,600 villages.
Mulkanoor (Telangana): A women-led dairy cooperative improved family incomes for 500 plus households, also helping with school fees and healthcare.
Self Employed Women Association (Gujarat): Trained thousands of women in animal husbandry, milk testing, and basic health care for livestock.
Jharkhand Tribal Dairy Project: Helped tribal women earn up to ₹4000–₹7000 per month through milk sales, providing an alternative to seasonal labour migration.
The Ongoing Challenges
Despite these efforts, several challenges continue to hold women back:
Lack of Ownership: Only 12.9% of women in rural India own land, and even fewer own livestock on paper. This blocks their access to schemes, loans, and credit.
Limited Access to Training: Most extension services are designed for men, with only 10% of training programs being woman-focused. Also, many sessions are held far from villages or in languages they don’t understand.
Low Representation in Leadership: In 2022, only 9% of dairy cooperative board members were women. Despite doing most of the work, they are rarely in decision-making roles.
Heavy Domestic Burden: Women spend up to 8–10 hours daily on unpaid care work—cooking, cleaning, fetching water—leaving little time for expanding their dairy enterprise.
Government Support & Schemes
Recognizing the importance of women in livestock farming, several initiatives have been launched:
Rashtriya Gokul Mission: A key and growing component of this mission is involvement and empowerment of rural women in the dairy and livestock sector; it Promotes scientific breeding and seeks women’s involvement through special training.
Mahila Dairy Scheme (NABARD): It is a focused initiative to empower rural women by promoting their participation in dairy farming and animal husbandry by Offering low-interest loans to women for purchasing milch animals and starting small dairies.
National Livestock Mission: A crucial part of this mission is the inclusion and empowerment of rural women by Encouraging backyard dairies and including women in its training and funding structure.
Pashu Sakhi Model (Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan): Pashu sakhis are local women trained in basic animal health care, livestock management, and extension services, it trains local women as barefoot veterinary workers, who provide door-step animal care and advice.
Still, many women are unaware of these schemes or struggle with documentation like land records, Aadhaar mismatches, or cooperative membership rules.
Why It Matters: The Ripple Effect of Empowering Women
Supporting women in dairy doesn’t just increase milk output—it transforms communities. Here’s why it matters:
Economic Security: Dairy provides daily or weekly income, crucial for women with no other job, women often use this income for children’s education, healthcare and household improvements.
Health & Nutrition: According to studies, households involved in dairy farming consume more milk and are less likely to suffer from malnutrition, it is rightly said empowering women through dairy means nourishing generations to come.
Education: Dairy farming has helped women gain access to training, knowledge, decision -making roles, and school education for themselves and their children, especially their daughters.
Confidence: By Managing finances, leading cooperatives, and attending meetings Dairy plays a key role in boosting women’s self-confidence and dignity.
According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), when women control income, family welfare improves more quickly than when income is controlled by men.
Technology: A Tool for Inclusion
New tools are helping bridge the gap for women: Mobile apps like mKisan, eSanjeevani, and Kisan Suvidha offer veterinary advice and weather alerts, Digital milk testing kits are helping women test quality and reduce middlemen, Online SHG banking makes it easier for rural women to save and borrow and some dairy startups now offer WhatsApp-based training in local languages for women farmers. The challenge is scaling these tools and making sure they reach women in remote and low-literacy areas.
What Needs to Happen Next
To truly uplift women in dairy, India needs to: Give legal land and animal ownership rights to women, including joint titles, Redesign training programs to be women-centric—nearby, language-friendly, and flexible in timing, Increase women’s representation in dairy unions, boards, and village committees, Build awareness campaigns in rural areas showing women as skilled dairy entrepreneurs and Invest in support services like crèches and water supply to reduce women’s domestic burden.
Conclusions
The milk that reaches our homes each morning has passed through the hands of millions of hardworking women—long before sunrise and long after sunset. They are more than workers; they are caregivers, decision-makers, and silent revolutionaries who have shaped India’s journey to becoming the world’s dairy leader.
But it’s not enough to celebrate the volume of milk produced. We must also honour who produces it. The next phase of India’s dairy growth must include women not just as labourers—but as leaders, owners, and innovators.
“When women rise, dairy rises, and when dairy rises, India thrives”
