The foundation of the Indian economy is agriculture, and farm women are essential to carrying out agricultural operations. For rural development, household welfare and increase their empowerment is essential. The purpose of this study is to look at how personal, situational, psychological and extension related traits affect the empowerment of agricultural women in several taluks in the district of Chitradurga. To find important factors that improve empowerment results, nineteen independent variables were analysed. Strong model fit was indicated by regression analysis, which showed that the combined impacts of these factors explained more than 71 per cent of the variation in empowerment (R
2 = 0.72, F = 21.65,
p < 0.01). Age, caste, and marital status were not significant among personal traits, indicating that demographic indicators by themselves are not enough to predict outcomes. The benefits of greater land assets and supportive family structures in fostering autonomy and social support were reflected in the favourable effects of landholding size and family type on empowerment.
The importance of individual agency and goal orientation was highlighted by psychological and economic characteristics, such as self-confidence and economic incentive. Self-reliance demonstrated a favourable impact, suggesting that autonomous task management might enhance empowerment. The most significant factors were found to be connected to extension. Engaging in extension activities, interacting with extension agencies and participating in the media have greatly increased empowerment with the mass media having the most impact.
Overall, the study shows that access to extension services, psychological characteristics, and economic motivation are the main drivers of farm women's multifaceted empowerment. Policymakers can use the findings to inform the creation of initiatives that enhance women's agency, involvement and decision-making in agriculture.
