Despite their relentless hard work, many farmers still face hunger. This paradox has long troubled rural communities, where those who feed the world often struggle to feed themselves. To confront this injustice, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) launched Kheti Jhumbesh (Agriculture Campaign) in 1989, a movement rooted in solidarity, resilience, and the voices of women farmers.
“It’s not just about small and marginal farmers, but also women small and marginal farmers,” explains a SEWA leader. “Who worries about them? No one even considers them. That is why we saw the need to organize.”
For decades, women farmers have been overlooked in agricultural policy and practice. Their labor is often invisible, their voices unheard. SEWA’s campaign emerged from this silence, a collective struggle to claim visibility, dignity, and agency. By organizing, women farmers found strength in each other, transforming isolation into empowerment.
Because SEWA’s associations are composed of farmers themselves, they deeply understand the challenges of rural life. Their solutions are practical, rooted in lived experience. Women farmers have been trained in:
- Natural farming — preparing and using organic inputs and pesticides.
- Soil and water management — ensuring long-term fertility and resilience.
- Farm diversification — reducing risks by cultivating a variety of crops.
- Millet revival — reintroducing nutrient-dense traditional grains into local diets.
Aside from improving yields, these practices preserve biodiversity, protect the environment, and strengthen farming systems against climate uncertainties. As one farmer put it: “If the farmer is strong and the environment is preserved, then the farmer can be resilient against uncertainties and hunger.”
To ensure adoption, SEWA established agri-input centers, making organic resources accessible even to farmers without livestock. This innovation guarantees that every woman farmer has the tools she needs to sustain her land.
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