43% of the labour force globally in agriculture are women, and in India, 79% of rural women are engaged in agriculture as compared to only 63% of rural men. Yet, what picture comes to your mind when you think of agriculture and a farmer in India? Invariably of a man. The underappreciated role of women in agriculture over the decades has resulted in women not having access to resources – knowledge, land, and finances. They hardly take any decisions regarding agriculture – what to grow, how to grow and when and where to sell.

But, can there be a sustainable farming model which improves produc­tivity, increases income, enhances health and nutrition of the family, and on the top of that transforms margin­alized women from agro labourers to changemakers in agriculture? Well, this report is just about that. In this report, Re-emerging World has encapsulated the efforts by Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) in building a Women led Climate Resilient Farming Model in the drought prone regions of Marathwada in Maharashtra, India.

At the time of writing this report, SSP had empowered more than 40,000 women from smallholder farming families as decision makers in agriculture. In the process, the farming families became more food-secure, their farmlands became more productive, and they were able to increase their net earnings – all by using chemical less farm inputs.

The purpose of this report is to raise curiosity and interest in the model, and inspire organizations from different sectors to partner, invest and collaborate.

You can download the report here.