From Ultra-Poor to Sustainable Agripreneurs: A Holistic Approach to Integrated Agricultural Diversification for Tribal Women in Odisha
From Ultra-Poor to Sustainable Agripreneurs: A Holistic Approach to Integrated Agricultural Diversification for Tribal Women in Odisha
Author : Shifa Shaheen and Rudra Prakash Pradhan
Though feminization of agriculture is a global problem, it is more acute in India, despite the
country’s agriculture sector employing 80 percent of the women’s workforce (MoSPI, 2017).
Even though women in tribal communities have always played significant roles in agriculture,
their involvement may not change significantly with the broader trend of feminization. They
are more likely to face unique challenges owing to land rights issues, displacement, climate
change, lack of ownership of production assets, limited control over income, and often the
financial burden of limited access to services and resources.
This case study will discuss 34-year-old Gita Nimala’s journey on the integrated-diversified farming model (IDFM). Besides being a success story, it exemplifies how marginalized women can transform their lives and livelihoods by leveraging their skills, community support, and resources from various organizations. In particular, as tribals in India have limited land and capital, IDFM has the potential to be an adaptation and mitigation strategy for climate change and sustainable income.
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