"When a woman thrives, all of the social benefits and when the woman has access to lands, household, agriculture, gender equality increases.”
To be an entrepreneur in the cut throat competition today, is not only
physically, but also mentally straining. To add to the challenge, a woman from
the rural areas has to pass through numerous additional hurdles including the gender
barrier, ill-literacy, Indian family dynamics, lack of resources for production
and marketing and most importantly, financial support to run the business. In
recent times, the government and companies have realized that women are an underutilized assets who can not only contribute greatly to the GDP, but also empower
themselves by being financially independent and be one of the decision
makers of the family. Many NGOs have collaborated with various private
companies as well as the governments to establish organizations aimed at women
empowerment in underdeveloped or disaster-prone areas. Some of these organisations are as follows-
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
It is a non-profit
organization which works in climate-threatened communities in Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Assam and Odisha. It was formed after the Latur
earthquake in 1993. This program has affected 1,45,000 rural women
entrepreneurs, farmers and 5 million people overall. It was developed in order
to support women in disaster affected areas and help them in housing,
infrastructure, water and sanitation. In the initial years the support was
provided by assistance in marketing, distribution channels and micro finance
institutions. But in the later years, the support was given in a different way
by encouragement and assistance in sustainable agriculture. The 4 main goals
for shifting the direction to sustainable farming were:
1) Women empowerment
2) Food security
3) Improvement in livelihoods
4) Conservation of natural resources
One Acre Model/ Women-led Climate Resilient Farming Model
was created to improve the nutritional levels in the community which had
various health issues like anaemia in women and malnutrition in nutrition. This
was achieved by planting climate resilient crops like jowar, millets and pulses
instead of cash crops in a one-acre land, where women were in charge of the
whole process from the selection of seeds to the amount of crop to be sold.
They were encouraged to use natural fertilizers, pesticides and cultivate crops to satisfy the nutritional needs of the family. The cash crops not only
required the high level of water supply which was not available in these areas
but also a large amount of fertilizers which destroyed the soil fertility. Cash
crops also did not provide any food securities to the family due to low input.
One Acre Model increased the yield by 25%, 40% percent
savings on input costs, women farmers were earning INR 10,000 to 15,000 per
month which led to a 30% increase in income. By just improving the
nutritional levels in the community they were also able to conserve soil
fertility by using bio-pesticides, bio-fertilizers, mixed cropping and diversification
of food crops. SSP also conducts various workshops and training on water
conservation, sustainable irrigation methods and rainwater harvesting. Due to
this, 45% women practice water conservation and 40% women use the application of
micro-irrigation. The establishment of Community Resilience Fund was also an
important factor. They provide funding to women in disaster prone areas to
practice micro-irrigation, growth of climate resilient crops and apply latest
and efficient farming methodologies. The establishment of 2 Farmer Producer
Companies (FPC): Vijayalaxmi Sakhi FPC and Manjiri Sakhi FPC lead to many women
taking up managerial roles in the company. Due to the FPC they were able to
reduce the input costs for farmers at an individual level and provide support
in marketing. They were able to secure a contract with a producer company in
Kerala for 4 tonnes of various climate resilient crops and production of quinoa
for an exporter. The 2 FPCs were able to obtain organic certification under the
National Programmer for Organic Production.
SSP is also keen on combining the usage of technology in smartphones with farming to increase the production and efficiency of farmers through weather based applications so that the women can take adequate decisions. Due the success of SSP, its outstanding contribution for the growth of the community and the promotion of sustainable agriculture it has been awarded the Equator Prize in 2017 within the United Nations Development Programme.
Sahyadri Farms
This is a farmer producer company started in 2011 by
Vilas Shinde to address numerous challenges faced by small and marginal farmers
and to overcome limitations faced in agro-entrepreneurship space. Today
Sahyadri Farms gas becomes India's leading exporter of horticulture produce
with 20% of its total strength being women, which is a very high number
compared to shareholding in any established company. Sahyadri Farms believes
that creating gender diversity can drive organizational effectiveness,
especially through favourable working conditions for women that may encourage
better performance and high retention. The packaging facility of Sahyadri Farms
employees over 50 percent of 300 full-time working women currently employed by
Sahyadri Farms. This includes laborers, landless families from the local
communities responsible for sorting, grading and packaging of fruits and
vegetables. Women are also a part of the training and development activities
that have caused a positive impact on the attendance and their long haul with
the company. Gender policies such as equal wages for equal work, a culture free
of harassment and on time payments, encourages the seasonal women workers to
return to Sahyadri Farms each year. Moreover, women from the tribal community
are encouraged to work with Sahyadri Farms as it provides them financial
assurance and daily income. As a result, over 50 percent women from the tribal
areas return to Sahyadri Farms for the peak grape season every year. Women's
contribution is not only relevant for the Sahyadri Farms’ financial performance
but is also crucial for its future expansion. Sahyadri Farms has plans to
invest in developing a complete village ecosystem that can facilitate more
women to take up employment and contribute to the growing rural economy. One of
the major goals of Sahyadri Farms includes Investing in women. Sahyadri Farms
is prioritizing increasing the number of women farmers as shareholders in the
company as well as those employed in the company. Currently, 20 percent women
are farmer shareholders while 300 women work full-time with Sahyadri Farms. The
aim is to increase the number of women employed by three times in three years.
Goatry Project
This project was launched in partnership between Nalanda Foundation and Yuva Mitra with 125 women in 5 villages in 2015. It's aim was to enhance income opportunities for women through Goatry, an allied activity of agriculture as a livelihood option in the region. Looking at the needs and scope of the goatry initiative for sustainable development of women folk, NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) provided a grant for the promotion of a women-led Goat Producer company. In 2017, this goatry initiative extended to 20 additional villages with enrolment of over 1,200 women, the number has now increased to 1,946 women. The Goatry Project's central focus is on improving the quality of life of the goat-rearing women in the project area. This improvement in quality of life is seen as an impact resulting from an increase in income and a reduction in financial vulnerabilities of the women. But this project has to face a lot of challenges too. Mobilization of women was difficult at first. Making women move from traditional practices of goat rearing to advanced and business-oriented approaches was tough. Earlier, even the families of such women were against this decision of joining the program as they didn't feel that goat rearing was economically viable. One of the major goals of this project is to increase the income of more than 10,000 women in the region.
Happy Roots
Source:happyroots.in
It is a socially conscious
food company that promotes healthy and natural snack food, using local,
farm-fresh ingredients sourced directly from small and tribal farmers in
Maharashtra and handmade by trained rural women's groups. Powering Happy Roots
is a women's cooperative called Nirmiti Women's Industrial Cooperative Society,
where rural women trained by the company are handcrafting the healthy snacks,
and in the process gaining meaningful employment and marketing skills. Happy
Roots procures raw materials like barley, wheat and pulses from Narnala Farmers
Producer Company, an FPC promoted by Chetna Organic comprising around 800
farmers from Akola district. About 300 of these farmers practice organic
farming. Of the 800 farmers, about 150 are women. Women's empowerment is a key
goal and a priority for Happy Roots. For the crucial process of manufacturing
the delicious snacks, Happy Roots partnered with Nirmiti, a women's cooperative
based in Sangamner, district Ahmednagar. All this has resulted in a major
social impact. Through training and capacity building, Happy Roots has
empowered over 1,000 women to start their own enterprises. Through the
manufacturing unit of Nirmiti in Sangamner, women are manufacturing additional
bakery products like cream rolls, cakes, bread, etc. for local consumers, in
addition to making snacks and cookies for Happy Roots. As a result, women are
generating 100 percent more income annually.
These are only a few of the many initiatives taken for and by the rural women in our country with the aim of their progress and empowerment. These women continue to set an example for all with their tenacity and unwavering attitude in the face of many hardships, and inspire us all.
By- Mrigakshi
Apoorva DV
Members, WIB Club
