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Women farmers benefiting from a Walmart Foundation market access programme have shown better participation, awareness, decision-making and are financially independent as office-bearers of farmer producer organisations (FPOs)
An impact study, conducted by an India-based impact measurement firm Sambodhi, found fewer women in programme FPOs borrowed from their household to pay FPO membership fees (22 per cent vs 40 per cent comparison not under the access programme), indicating greater independence.
An analysis of key farm metrics showed that women farmers had significantly higher cropping intensity (210 per cent vs 149 per cent) as well as diversity, and they cultivated more high-value crops, a statement from Walmart Foundation said.
Foundation’s one million commitment
The Walmart Foundation, through its Market Access Programme, supports agrarian communities in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, and Maharashtra.
The statement said In March 2023, expanding on its commitment to improving farmer livelihoods in India, Walmart Foundation announced a new five-year strategy that aims to reach one million smallholder farmers by 2028 with at least 50 per cent women.
Since 2018, the programme has invested over $39 million designed to reach 500 Farmer Producer Organisations and Farmer Producer Groups targeting 8,00,000 farmers, of which more than half are women, the statement said.
Julie Gehrki, Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, Walmart Foundation, said, “We are witnessing the emergence of women leaders within FPOs breaking barriers, and spearheading change. With organisations like ACCESS, Mercy Corps, PRADAN and Srijan by our side, we are forging a path toward greater gender equality, economic empowerment, and sustainable rural development. Together, we are nurturing a brighter future for rural women farmers and their communities.”
Non-governmental organisation PRADAN, under the project PROWFIT, works with 60 FPOs and 120,000 women farmers in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh.
ACCESS Development Services, under its project UDAAN, is engaged with 20 FPOs (6 women-led models), and 12,000 farmers - out of which 6,600 would be women farmers, based in West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
Srijan works with 12 FPOs, and 25,000 farmers including 15,000 women farmers in Madhya Pradesh to increase incomes in a sustainable manner. The success story of 1,300 rural women of the Amarkantak Horticulture Producer Company, Madhya Pradesh shows the impact of the project.
Mercy Corps aims to build digital financial inclusion for one lakh women smallholder farmers, bundled with services to increase productivity, income, and resilience by at least 25 per cent over a two-year period in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana.
The statement said by enhancing market access for rural women, the programme is driving gender equality, alleviating poverty, and nurturing sustainable development. The voices and contributions of these remarkable women are being recognised and celebrated.
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