More than 30 widows, divorced and unmarried women from Odisha’s Rayagada district joined hands to create a unique collective—one that not only helps them battle societal pressures and patriarchy but also gives them new avenues for livelihood and independence. In 2019, a handful of women created the Ekal Naari Sangathan (single women’s collective), which, over time, included more and more tribal women farmers from Dengasargi village—mostly from the Kondha tribe. Now, the collective has empowered itself enough to register themselves as entrepreneurs who make a mark in the local and state markets.
“We were abused, called names for stepping out of our homes to farm,” Morepingidhi, one of the farmers, told PTI. “But when the money started coming in, our status not just in society but also in our own family changed.”
The collective started with just three acres of land where the tribal women farmers grow marigold and vegetables like brinjal, cabbage and bitter gourd. Now, the land these women farm on has grown to 40 acres. With the help of the government and NGOs, the collective has registered under the name Annapoorna to sell their produce, with a current membership of 98 women farmers who are all single.
Each of the women’s families owns between 0.5 to 2 acres of land, where flowers and vegetables are grown. The collective sells it in the market, after which the earnings from the sales go directly in each woman’s bank account. Last year, the collective earned ₹76 lakhs, of which, each woman farmer got a profit of ₹80,000-1.5 lakh depending on the size of their holding. Now, the collective is hoping to extend its operations in southern states.
*Image used for representative purpose.