Corteva Agriscience aims to empower two million women farmers across the value chain in agriculture by 2030. The initiative seeks to provide support and resources to these women through farmer producer organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives. Currently, challenges like access to resources, lack of mentorship support, gender disparity, climate change and decreasing workforce plague the agriculture landscape.

Subroto Geed, President of Corteva Agriscience, South Asia, said, “Agriculture is important for food security, sustaining it is important and dealing with challenges is important. Women farmers have the power to increase the agriculture productivity by 20-30 per cent and thus bridging the gender disparity gap is important for the sector.”

Subroto Geed, President of Corteva Agriscience, South Asia, talks about the value women farmers add to agri-value chain.

The Government of India’s ambitious target to establish 10,000 FPOs by 2027–28 underscores their central role in driving rural prosperity. Corteva Agriscience has aligned its efforts with this vision, supporting smallholder farmers with the right knowledge, resources, markets, and training. 

Corteva currently is engaged with 65 FPOs in five states of Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh with a reach of about 33,000 women farmers. 

Aaradhana Dhakar, Pahadgarh Fed Women Farmer Producer Company, talks about her experience.

By supporting women-led FPOs, Corteva aims to strengthen farmers’ collective bargaining power through FPO-backed market linkages, guide these groups towards self-sustenance and build stronger networks, expand their reach and income potential by improving access to markets and essential services, and optimise farming costs by facilitating collective input sourcing, introducing new technologies and promoting best practices.

The global leader in agricultural science and innovation recently celebrated successes of women-led FPOs at a conclave in Bhopal. Bringing together women farmers, FPO members, government stakeholders, and experts from Corteva Agriscience, the event served as a platform to discuss the role of women in agriculture, the significance of sustainability, and the potential of FPOs in fostering inclusive growth. The women farmers joined the “Human Library” session, where women farmers and FPO directors, discussed their stories of empowerment, challenges they have overcome and the bigger dreams of owning companies through small steps and handholding.

-The text, photograph and videos by Naina Gautam.

— The writer was in Bhopal at the invitation of Corteva Agriscience.