Agriculture across India has been witnessing several fundamental shifts, of which the most important are the roles of women and men in agricultural tasks. Among smallholder farmer families, men are increasingly migrating out of agriculture in pursuit of non-farm income opportunities. Women who are left behind assume the roles of de facto ‘heads of household’, taking up tasks in agriculture that they were never prepared for. Becoming a Farmer charts this ongoing process of agrarian transformation from the perspective of these ‘left-behind’ women in rural West Bengal. As women begin to manage farming tasks in addition to household chores, and expand their responsibilities, do they take charge of their lives and their families’ well-being? This book records the slow and silent revolution sweeping across India’s countryside through extensive fieldwork carried out in the Dakshin Dinajpur and Bankura districts of West Bengal. It presents a deep analysis of changing gender roles in agriculture across socio-economic groups, including the experiences of tribal and Muslim women in the rural areas, and makes visible women’s contributions to agricultural production. Contents: List of Tables, Figures, and Boxes List of Abbreviations Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: Women’s Work in Farms The Rise of Off-Farm Labour and its Consequences Rural Women in the Agricultural Labour Force in India: A Changing Trend Agrarian Bengal: A Historical Perspective Role of Women in the Changing Agriculture Sector in West Bengal Changing Position of Women in Relation to the Agricultural Production System Profile of the Survey Areas: Bankura and Dakshin Dinajpur Districts Selection of the Study Region Socioeconomic Characteristics of Female-Headed Households Recent Changes in the Roles of Women in Agriculture Risks, Uncertainties, and the Changing Roles of Women at Home and in Society Multiple Dimensions of Feminised Agriculture in a Pan-Indian Perspective Conclusion: The Way Forward Appendix: The Survey Schedule References Index About the Author: Raktima Mukhopadhyay is Executive Director, Indian Institute of Bio-Social Research and Development (IBRAD). She has been associated with IBRAD since 1991 under various capacities, including Project Coordinator, Program Officer, and Project Director. Itishree Pattnaik is Assistant Professor, Gujarat Institute of Development Research. Her major areas of interest include agriculture and sustainable development, inter-state disparities in growth performance, food security and dryland agriculture. Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt is Professor in the Resource, Environment and Development Program, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University (ANU). Before joining the ANU, she was a Reader and Head of Geography department at The University of Burdwan in West Bengal, India.