National Seminar on “Empowering Women Farmers Through Sustainable Agricultural Practices” Concludes Successfully
Pune, 8th April 2025: The Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR)-sponsored National Seminar on “Empowering Women Farmers Through Sustainable Agricultural Practices” was successfully held by S. P. Mandali’s Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research (PGDM), Mumbai, in collaboration with Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management (VAMNICOM), Pune. A gathering of experts, policymakers, and academicians explored strategies for sustainable agricultural development and the empowerment of women farmers in India.
Dr. Hema Yadav, Director of VAMNICOM, in her welcome address, underscored the transformative role of cooperatives in rural economies and the empowerment of women farmers. Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe, Group Director of WeSchool, Mumbai, in his inaugural speech highlighted the importance of capacity building, research, and innovation in strengthening cooperatives, outlining WeSchool’s mission to develop professional leadership, nurture entrepreneurship, and promote best practices through education, training, and policy advocacy. He called for a collaborative approach among institutions, policymakers, and industry leaders to ensure sustainable cooperative development and improve the cooperative ecosystem through research, consultancy, and knowledge-sharing.
The seminar’s keynote session featured Dr. Sangeeta Shete, Gender & Social Development Specialist at the SMART Project, Government of Maharashtra, and Dr. K. Satya Lakshmi, Director of the National Institute of Naturopathy, Pune. Their addresses provided valuable insights into gender inclusion, rural development, and sustainable agricultural practices, emphasizing the crucial role of empowering women farmers for India’s overall progress.
Aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision for a sustainable and inclusive India, the seminar’s discussions focused on the need for robust policies, technological innovation, and multi-stakeholder collaborations to uplift rural livelihoods and drive agricultural growth. The research conducted by WeSchool and VAMNICOM, with support from ICSSR, significantly contributes to these objectives.
This seminar proved to be a vital platform for fostering innovative solutions, policy recommendations, and collaborative initiatives aimed at empowering women farmers and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in India.
A highlight of the seminar was an engaging panel discussion on Resilient Livelihoods for Sustainable agribusiness enterprises, featuring experts from agricultural cooperatives, financial institutions, policy think tanks, and rural development organizations. The discussion centred on policy recommendations for gender equity in agriculture, enhancing financial accessibility for women-led agribusiness ventures and strengthening the integration of technology in women’s farming initiatives.
Aligned with the Government of India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, the seminar emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration, research-driven policymaking, and gender-focused initiatives to drive agricultural development. In her closing remarks, Dr. Vaishali Patil, Sr. Associate Dean, Research, WeSchool emphasized the need for continuous dialogue and action-oriented research to mainstream gender-inclusive policies in agriculture.
The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Ministry of Education, Government of India, has awarded a prestigious collaborative research project titled “Empowering Women Farmers through Sustainable Agricultural Practices: A Study on Farmer Producer Organisations in Maharashtra”. The research project has been granted to Dr. Vaishali Patil, Dr. Hema Yadav, Dr. Pravin Ghunnar, Dr. Mahesh Kadam, and Dr. Rachana Patil in recognition of their significant contributions to gender-inclusive agricultural research.
The National Seminar and the study project will provide policy recommendations and strategic frameworks to enhance women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector, aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 for inclusive and sustainable rural development.
