Agriculture: Growing Food—and Solutions

Abstract

In Ahmedabad, India, some women farmers and food processors are changing the way Indians eat. These women belong to the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), a trade union that brings together more than 1 million poor women workers, 54 percent of whom are small and marginal farmers. In India, 93 percent of women working outside the home do not belong to a union, making them nearly invisible—they do not have access to credit, land, or financial services, including bank accounts. But when SEWA involves women in food production and processing, it is helping them improve their livelihoods by becoming more self-sufficient.¹