Report

Women seed entrepreneurship: Key highlights

author(s) Kapur, Aman - Nayak, Prakash Kumar - Khan, Afreen - Puskur, Ranjitha
from CGIAR - Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers
permalink open
regions
  • Southern Asia
  • Asia
  • World
citation

Kapur, A., Nayak, P. K., Khan, A., & Puskur, R. (2024). Women seed entrepreneurship: Key highlights. International Rice Research Institute, CGIAR Seed Equal Initiative, WP6. 32 p.

Publications and datasets provided via GARDIAN

Abstract

WP6 of Seed Equal aims to enhance gender inclusivity and entrepreneurship within seed systems by addressing gender-specific barriers and promoting equitable seed access. IRRI leads efforts in conducting situational analyses, developing gender-transformative strategies, and capacity-building. Partner organizations (POs) include the: Access Livelihoods Foundation (ALF), Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), and Pragati.
These POs are actively involved in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana working on seed production, marketing development, and community engagement.

The three POs work towards promoting women’s engagement in seed production through Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs). The Women Seed-Entrepreneurship Study aims to analyze the diverse strategies adopted by FPCs to foster sustainable and profitable seed businesses that are led by women and their social and economic impact on women seed producers.

The three POs together support around sixteen FPCs across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Odisha. The study focused on six of these FPCs, with two FPCs selected from each PO. it was initially envisaged to sample one mixed-gender and one all-women FPC from each PO, i.e. two FPCs from each PO. Based on operational feasibility, four all-women FPCs and two mixed-gender FPCs were selected.

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