THOUSANDS of women joined the protests by Indian farmers on the outskirts of the capital Delhi today as a series of speeches marked International Women’s Day.

More than 20,000 women gathered as anger continues to grow over three agricultural laws that farmers warn will destroy their industry and increase food poverty by lifting price controls.

“This is a day that will be managed and controlled by women, the speakers will be women, there will be a lot of feminist perspectives brought in, and discussions on what these laws mean for women farmers,” farm activist Kavitha Kuruganti said.

“It is one more occasion to showcase and highlight the contribution of women farmers both in agriculture in India as well as to this movement.”

Ms Kuruganti argued that women have as much, if not more, to lose than men as a result of the agricultural laws.

Women are affected disproportionately in the sector, with the state refusing to recognise their status as farm workers, and have played a leading role in the protests.

About 72 million women have lost their paid jobs in the agriculture and allied sectors in the last five years and more than 400,000 male farmers have committed suicide; their widows are yet to receive any kind of support package from the government. 

The lack of recognition as farmers and workers has seriously jeopardised the access of women to social security and benefits. Most women are not eligible for the inadequate income support that farmers get.

And the sale of land to corporate-led projects has led to a loss of livelihood for women dependent on forest and water resources for full-time or supplementary income. 

“Markets that are distant as well as exploitative make single women farmers more vulnerable, and in any case a patriarchal society has discriminated and made them vulnerable,” Ms Kuruganti said.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is facing a deepening political crisis as the farmers’ cause has garnered widespread support and given confidence to the broader struggle.

Demonstrations have also taken place over rising fuel prices and privatisation of public assets as Mr Modi’s Hindu-chauvinist BJP government seeks to stave off India’s worst economic contraction for decades, with millions pushed into poverty.

At the same time, the government has integrated itself into the US industrial-military complex and is on the front line of the new Cold War led by Washington against India’s neighbour China. 

Last November it signed the Basic Exchange and Co-operation Agreement for Geo-Spatial Co-operation (Beca) deal, bringing the two countries closer to each other and aimed at “containing” Beijing.