Women farmers transforming livelihoods in the drought-prone Marathwada region of India

In the last four years, 70,000 women from small and marginalised farmer households have shifted from water-guzzling cash crops such as soya, sugarcane and cotton, to cultivating and consuming local food crops through the year. Instead of monocultures, they grow 7 to 8 crops and plant fruit trees. The initiative has reduced input costs by 25%; the savings makes farming economically viable. The conversion of 60,000 acres of dry land into bio-farms through water and soil conservation practices is leading to improved biodiversity.

Change expected from this initiative is women’s leadership, enhanced with technical knowledge and skills, in new social identities as climate champions and decision makers in farms, families and communities. At the heart of this approach is women’s complete autonomy around what to grow, what to consume and how much to sell. From the identity as farm workers, women have gained new economic and social statute as entrepreneurs, grassroots advocates and climate leaders.