The document summarizes PRAGATI's work empowering women farmers in South Odisha, India through improved access to quality seeds. It notes the challenges women farmers face from poverty, lack of irrigation, and climate change. PRAGATI trains women in sustainable agriculture techniques and seed production/conservation. This revives indigenous varieties and promotes stress-tolerant hybrids. Women's collectives produce and market seeds, reaching more farmers and providing an income source. The approach emphasizes community involvement, research partnerships, and engaging stakeholders to develop the local seed sector for long-term food security.

1. Reaching Women Farmers with quality
seeds and engaging women in seed
production
PRAGATI, KORAPUT EXPERIENCES
12June-2019

2. PRAGATI, KORAPUT
Established in 1994
Working in South Odisha, India
Vision:
To establish a society free
from hunger and
exploitation where every
have rights to dignified
means of livelihood ensuring
ecological balance.

3. THE LIVELIHOOD CONTEXT
• 83.61 % population below poverty line
• Average land holding 1.68 ha
• 91% of lands are rain fed with undulating
terrains
• Erratic rainfall, lack of irrigation
• 46% house holds lack access to safe drinking
water
• Climate Change with recurrent natural
disasters
• Unemployment leading to distress migration

4. PRAGATI INTERVENTIONS
 Empowerment of Community
Institutions
 Demonstration of soil and water
conservation models
 Creation of Eco-friendly Irrigation
infrastructures
 Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture
 Value addition & marketing
 Linkage with Government Flagship
programmes

5. Partners

6. CONTEXT & ISSUES IN SEED SECTOR
 Lack of availability of quality seeds
 Extinction of varieties suitable to the local geo-climate
 Seeds are becoming the ‘property’ of the private sector
and big business.
 Lack of scientific knowledge on quality seed production
and conservation.
 No scope for enhancing women farmers’ practices,
choices and concerns in the realms of biodiversity and
seed production.
 Policies are not conducive to promote the development
of diverse sources of seed supply
 Research institutions are yet to reach out to the farmers
 Intellectual property rights & regimes such as breeders’
rights and patents make it illegal for farmers to reuse

7. Changing seed systems- Impact on
women
 Degradation of their knowledge systems and
innovation capacity
 Promotion of hybrid and high yielding seed
varieties have driven women out of the seed
system.
 Undermining women’s status and intra-
household bargaining power as their role in
seed and grain management is eroded by
market forces
 Seed regulations hamper farmer-to-farmer seed
exchanges that have been shown to reinforce

8.  Farm Saved seeds
 Peer farmers
 Local dealers
 Whole sale dealers
 Government
 NGOs
 LAMP
 Research institutions

9. Women in seed production and conservation-
The Rationale
 Women play a key role in agriculture i.e. more than 70% of
work done by women .
 Seeds are critical in the food chain and women’s role as seed
savers and breeders have been largely responsible for self-
reliance in seed, crop diversity and nutrition
 A systematic seed production plan, involving farmwomen
will help in the conservation of the rich germ plasm.
 It holds the key to food and livelihood security especially
in the wake of climatic changes.
 Can develop women entrepreneurship.

10. Strategy & Interventions
• Skill development of women farmers on improved
technologies with seed to seed approach
• Use Women Friendly disseminaton methods
• Formation of Women Farmers’ Collectives and FPC
• Production and Conservation of seeds at Individual
Farmers Level.
• Introduced improved and stress tolerant varieties of
seeds through cluster demonstrations and H2H trials
• Establishment of Seed Villages
• Creation of seed banks and improved storage systems
• Seed festivals for seed exchange among farmers
• Creating opportunities for cross learning

16. Outcomes
• Increased access and awareness of women on
quality seeds.
• Women farmers acquiring skills in production and
conservation of seeds.
• Revival of indigenous seed varieties.
• Adaptation of stress tolerant varieties by women.
• Improved storage systems
• Women Collectives and FPC organized for agriculture
value chain
• FPC markets seeds- Average 500nt of seeds in a year
• Reaching to more farmers through seed exchange.

17. Learning and Way Forward
• Raise awareness on the benefits of quality seed
• Developing Effective Communication and extension
strategies
• Community-based seed enterprises through women
collectives to be based on marketing and profitability to
ensure sustainability
• Research Institutions and Public sector can play important
role in the development of the seed sector
• Engagement with different stakeholders including
Government .
• Help farmers develop seed certification schemes based on
local criteria to guarantee seed quality and to favor the
circulation of farmers’ seeds at the regional level
• Develop Monitoring and evaluation systems

18. Thanks
Contact
PRAGATI,KORAPT ,Pujariput, Koraput- 764020
Web : www.pragatikoraput.org
Mail : pragatikoraput@gmail.com