Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles for Enhancing Women’s Resilience and Empowerment: A Case Study of Utthan’s Interventions in Bhavnagar District, Gujarat

Abstract

Utthan is a non-profit organization working in the coastal and tribal districts of Bhavnagar, Amreli, Bharuch, Dahod, Panchmahal, and Mahisagar in Gujarat state, focused on empowering small and marginal women farmers. Their unique approach combines sustainable agriculture, gender sensitization, and ensuring women’s land rights through interventions that represent Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles (STIBs). The objective of this study is to unpack and understand the combination of technological, technical and other social and behavioral innovations by Utthan that aim to make women farmers resilient and empowered. The primary research questions center around examining the processes of designing and implementing STIBs, studying the effectiveness of these strategies in mitigating structural gender disparities, and assessing their influence on women's resilience and empowerment. Utthan views women as knowledge holders, agents of change, emphasizing on community engagement, adaptive learning, and peer support. Its lead farmer-to-farmer approach enhances knowledge transfer, fostering sustainability. Utthan's holistic model which promotes resilience and gender equity among women farmers facing socio-cultural and economic barriers, was found to be most suitable for this research.