WOmen empowerment

1. Riders of the Dawn
Mission Sunehra Kal

2. Empowering women farmers.
© ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited

3. Strengthening the
status of women farmers
as agripreneurs.
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4. Creating equity for women
farmers financially and socially.
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5. This is ITC's Mission
Sunehra Kal — a flagship
social investments programme
that runs in regions where
poor farmers live.
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6. Unsustainable agricultural
practices, decreasing water
availability and rising input
costs have trapped the farmers
for decades in a cycle of debt
and under-productivity.
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7. The struggles are harder for
women farmers. They bear the
maximum drudgery of farm
labour but get no recognition.
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8. Mission Sunehra Kal has
organised and trained over
2,500 women in advanced
agricultural package of
practises in 112 districts
across 21 states of India.
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9. It has enabled them to
run 131 self-sustainable
Agri-Business Centres that hire
out agri-equipment, undertake
seed production, make and sell
organic fertilisers and
pesticides, and establish
nurseries.
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10. © ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited
The women-run
Agri-Business Centres
ensure that poor farmers in
their villages have access to
mechanised farming and
quality inputs at affordable
prices hitherto unavailable
to them.

11. The programme
also runs 234 Farmer
Field Schools that implement
Seed Smart, Climate Smart and
Water Smart concepts and
modern agricultural practises such
as like Dry Direct Seeded Rice
Farming, Mechanised Paddy
Transplantation and Zero
Tillage Sowing in their
community.
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12. Farmers say, access to
affordable mechanised
farming, quality inputs and
water-smart practises have
increased production
manifold and reduced
overall expenses.
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13. © ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited
The women, who
lived in the shadows,
worked the farms with their
hands, had little income and
zero say in farming decisions
today train farmers, earn and
save, access quality healthcare
and send their children to good
schools. They are
decision-makers in their
families.

14. Some of them have
emerged as community
leaders. They diligently
interact with local government
offices to bring the benefits of
all welfare and agricultural
schemes and subsidies to
their people.
© ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited

15. Many of them
have invested their
savings or drawn loans
from Agri-Business Centres at
nominal rates to start small
businesses such as goateries,
apiaries, polutries, and
grocery shops. This has
increased livelihood
options.
© ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited

16. © ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited
“These days, women
have more money in their
accounts than the husbands.
Whatever they grow and sell,
they save it to secure the
education of their children,
healthcare, housing and
dreams.”

17. © ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited
“The initiative has given us a
new life. It grows with us as we
grow with it. Whether we lose
or gain, we will work here till
our body supports us.”

18. “Every woman should be
self-reliant. I have seen the
harsh side of life and I
understand how critical it is to
be independent. ITC’s Mission
Sunehra Kal has shown me
the way.”
© ITC Limited and Pipilika Enviro Private Limited