In recent years, the fact that we owe most of the food we eat to the women farmers of India is increasingly being acknowledged across every circle. During a special online capacity-building programmed held jointly by the Indian Institute of Management Nagpur (IIMN) and ICAR-Central Institute for Women in Agriculture (CIWA), this very crucial fact was highlighted by the panellists. Dr Bhimarya Metri, Director of IIMN, noted that the contributions of women in the farming sector have been ignored for too long, and now it’s time that we give their work the credit it deserves.
“Agriculture is the future of the planet and we as experts in the field of management, research need to take initiative to equip and train women with the advancements in farming and help them come out as role models,” Dr Metri said while addressing experts during an online interactive session on ‘Éntrepreneurship development in agriculture and allied sectors’. He added that there is now an urgent need to tap the opportunities coming up in the agricultural sector, and that turning farm products into businesses will benefit the farmers by turning them into entrepreneurs.
Anil Kumar, Director ICAR-CIWA, noted that workshops like the one IIMN held can help women farmers transition into entrepreneurship by interacting with scientists, technicians and other experts in the field, especially by learning farm management. “Now, we at ICAR-CIWA are more equipped to help women farmers carry out enhanced agricultural practices,” he added. Another expert, Dr Shivaji Dhawad, COO of InFED, IIMN, agreed that such grassroots level workshops can indeed help women farmers enter the market as micro entrepreneurs.