Does Group Farming Empower Rural Women? The Indian experience

Abstract

This paper, based on the author’s detailed primary surveys in the two states, examines whether group farming can enable women farmers to overcome resource constraints and gain economically. Can it also empower them socially and politically? Since the approach to group farming differs notably in the two states, the paper examines which approach is more effective, and why. To date there has been no systematic study of group farming, based on carefully collected quantitative and qualitative data, in either state. The lessons learned from these experiences can help not only in strengthening group farming further, but also in assessing how these models could be replicated in other regions.