Ecofeminism in India: Women’s Role in Environmental Conservation

In many parts of rural India, women have always been the first to feel the impact of environmental destruction. They walk long distances to fetch water, gather firewood, and tend to crops. Yet, these same women have also been among the most powerful agents of ecological restoration. Ecofeminism-a framework that connects the oppression of women to the exploitation of nature-helps us understand why. In India, this connection is not just theoretical. It plays out every day in tribal villages and rural communities where women lead environmental action from the ground up.

What is ecofeminism? 🔗

The term ecofeminism was coined by French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne in 1974. At its core, ecofeminism argues that the systems responsible for degrading the natural world are the same ones that oppress women. It draws attention to the shared patterns of domination under patriarchy that subjugate both women and nature. When forests are destroyed for commercial gain, it is rural women who lose their sources of fuel, water, and food first. When rivers are dammed or lands are seized for mining, women bear the heaviest burden of displacement and poverty.

The historical roots of ecofeminism in India lie in indigenous knowledge systems and the deep, interdependent relationship that women-especially from rural and tribal communities-have maintained with nature. These women have served as custodians of natural resources for generations, using traditional knowledge passed down through centuries to manage forests, conserve water, and sustain agriculture.

Two major streams of Indian ecofeminist thought 🔗

Indian ecofeminism is not a monolithic movement. There are two prominent streams: the socialist school, represented by Vandana Shiva and Maria Mies, which sees environmental exploitation as inseparable from the global capitalist-patriarchal system; and the feminist environmentalist perspective championed by Bina Agarwal, which takes a more inclusive approach to understanding women’s relationship with nature. While both frameworks differ in emphasis, they agree on one central point: addressing ecological destruction without tackling gender inequality is incomplete, and vice versa.

Why women are central to India’s environmental story 🔗

Forests and village commons provide a wide range of essential items-food, fuel, fodder, manure, building material, medicinal herbs, and more-for rural households across India. Women in these communities are the primary users and managers of these resources. They know which plants have medicinal value, how to read seasonal changes, and which forest areas can be harvested sustainably.

Vandana Shiva, one of India’s most prominent ecofeminists, has written that women farmers have a special connection to the environment through their daily experience, and that this connection has been consistently underestimated. In her influential book Staying Alive (1989), she argued that women in subsistence economies who produce wealth in partnership with nature have been ecological knowledge experts-but that reductionist capitalist thinking fails to recognise the value of their contributions.

Since women are closely engaged with nature in their daily lives, they tend to understand environmental problems more directly, making it essential to include their perspectives in policymaking and conservation efforts.

Grassroots success stories: women leading from the front 🔗

The real power of ecofeminism in India is best seen through the grassroots initiatives that have transformed entire communities. These are not abstract ideas-they are concrete examples of women turning environmental challenges into opportunities for empowerment.

The Chipko movement: where it all began 🔗

The famous Chipko movement, supported by local environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, was known for its distinctive form of protest-women physically clinging to trees to prevent them from being cut down. This nonviolent movement took place in the Himalayan regions of India during the 1970s, with women in the Garhwal district protecting and contributing to the regeneration of forests. Women like Gaura Devi and others stood between loggers and the forests their communities depended on. The movement was not just about saving trees-it was about defending livelihoods, food sources, and the very ecosystems that sustained village life.

The modern ecofeminist movement in India gained significant momentum through this Chipko movement, which brought international attention to the connection between gender and environmental concerns.

Langoti village: Dalit women dig their way to water 🔗

Langoti is a village in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh. Like many backward villages, it had an unjust system of caste-based separation. The Dalit section of the village had no access to water, making life miserable-especially for women, who had to fetch water from great distances.

These Dalit women went to the Langoti gram panchayat and requested that a well be built in their area. The panchayat refused, citing lack of funds. Undaunted, the women picked up shovels and hammers and began digging a water well themselves. This act was revolutionary on multiple levels. It challenged caste discrimination, broke gender barriers, and directly addressed a critical environmental problem. The women didn’t just solve their water crisis-they proved that marginalised communities could lead their own solutions.

The Langoti story demonstrates that ecofeminism in India is deeply tied to issues of caste, class, and gender, particularly for Dalit and Adivasi women whose struggles are often overlooked in mainstream environmental discourse.

Piplantri village: 111 trees for every girl child 🔗

Piplantri, a village in Rajsamand district in Rajasthan, has gained worldwide recognition for a remarkable tradition: the villagers plant 111 trees every time a girl child is born, and the community ensures these trees survive and grow alongside the girls.

This initiative was started by the village’s former sarpanch, Shyam Sundar Paliwal, in memory of his daughter Kiran, who passed away due to dehydration. After performing the last rites for his daughter, Paliwal planted a sapling in her memory. He then proposed that the village plant trees after the birth of every girl child-an idea the village council readily supported.

Every time a girl is born, villagers come together to plant 111 trees in her honour, including neem, sheesham, mango, and other fruit-bearing species that enhance green cover and provide long-term economic benefits. But the initiative goes beyond tree planting. The villagers pool contributions of Rs 21,000, take Rs 10,000 from the parents, and place the total in a fixed deposit that matures when the child turns 20. Additionally, parents sign an affidavit committing to educate their daughter and not marry her off before the legal age.

The results have been extraordinary. According to reports cited by India’s Supreme Court, the practice of planting 111 trees for every girl born has significantly improved the area’s water table and cooled the local climate by three to four degrees Celsius. The initiative also contributed to eliminating harmful practices like female foeticide, and the village now has a female population ratio of 52%.

The initiative, which began in 2006, has turned Piplantri village into an oasis. The village also planted aloe vera around the trees as a natural pesticide, and when villagers discovered they could process and sell the aloe vera, it became an additional revenue stream-providing livelihoods to many of the village’s 8,000 residents.

The Earth Day Network recognised Piplantri as its first “Star Village” for its role as an advocate and ambassador of ecofeminism.

Vandana Shiva and the Navdanya movement 🔗

No discussion of ecofeminism in India is complete without mentioning Vandana Shiva and her Navdanya movement. Through her seed freedom movement, Shiva has helped farmers establish more than 150 community seed banks across 22 Indian states. Around 2 million farmers have converted to organic farming through the initiative.

Navdanya, which means “nine seeds,” is an Earth-centric, women-centric and farmer-led movement dedicated to protecting biological and cultural diversity. The movement works to preserve native and climate-resilient seeds, promote organic farming, and support fair trade. Empowering women to access farm work and fair pay is central to Shiva’s “Women for Diversity” mission, where she advocates for women’s sovereignty.

Shiva’s foundational argument is straightforward: when women control food and seed systems, communities thrive. When corporations control them, both women and nature suffer. Navdanya’s seed bank has saved thousands of varieties of native rice, wheat, millets, and other crops, preserving genetic diversity and ensuring food security against climate change.

The Narmada Bachao Andolan and women’s resistance 🔗

Indian women have led iconic environmental movements including the Chipko movement and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement). The Narmada Bachao Andolan, led prominently by Medha Patkar, fought against the construction of large dams on the Narmada River that displaced thousands of tribal and rural families. Women were at the forefront of this resistance, demonstrating that environmental justice and social justice cannot be separated.

Case studies such as the Save the Forest Movement in Jharkhand and the anti-Coca-Cola struggle in Kerala led by Mayilamma highlight how grassroots activism by women has contributed not only to environmental conservation but also to the theoretical development of ecofeminism in Indian discourse.

Impact and legacy of ecofeminist movements 🔗

The stories from Langoti, Piplantri, Chipko, and Navdanya share a common thread: when women take charge of environmental conservation, the benefits extend far beyond ecology. These movements have delivered measurable improvements in water availability, green cover, biodiversity, and local economies. But equally important are their social outcomes-reduced gender discrimination, greater access to education for girls, increased women’s participation in decision-making, and stronger community cohesion.

Scholars emphasise that ecofeminism in India must be approached intersectionally, recognising the specific struggles of Dalit and Adivasi women, whose contributions are often erased in mainstream narratives. The initiatives of indigenous and marginalised women are not just footnotes to the larger environmental story-they are its foundation.

Challenges that remain 🔗

Despite these successes, significant challenges persist. Many women environmental leaders still face limited access to land ownership, restricted mobility, lack of formal education, and deeply entrenched patriarchal norms. Scaling up successful village-level models to regional or national levels requires policy support, funding, and institutional recognition of women’s environmental knowledge.

Women from marginalised communities-especially Dalits and Adivasis-have led many of these grassroots initiatives, underscoring the connection between environmental justice and social justice. For ecofeminism to achieve its full potential in India, these voices must be centred in policy discussions, not sidelined.

What makes ecofeminism relevant today 🔗

Climate change is intensifying droughts, floods, and extreme weather across India, and rural women continue to bear the brunt of these impacts. Ecofeminism offers a practical framework for addressing both environmental destruction and gender inequality simultaneously. The lesson from villages like Piplantri and Langoti is clear: empowering women and protecting the environment are not separate goals. They reinforce each other.

When a group of Dalit women in Madhya Pradesh digs a well with their own hands, they are not just solving a water crisis-they are asserting their right to dignity, resources, and leadership. When a village in Rajasthan plants 111 trees for every newborn girl, it is simultaneously restoring ecological health and dismantling centuries of gender discrimination.

These are not isolated success stories. They represent a growing movement of women-led environmental action that holds critical lessons for sustainable development worldwide.

What do you think? Can the grassroots ecofeminist models from villages like Piplantri and Langoti be effectively scaled up to address India’s larger environmental and gender challenges? How might including women’s traditional ecological knowledge in formal policy frameworks change the way we approach conservation?

References

1. https://ecohumanism.co.uk/joe/ecohumanism/article/view/2417
2. https://www.earthday.org/this-indian-village-plants-111-trees-when-a-girl-is-born/
3. https://www.oneearth.org/agricultural-hero-vandana-shiva/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecofeminism
5. https://www.indica.today/research/conference/women-and-nature-locating-ecofeminism-in-indian-context/