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For these women, money does grow on (neem) trees
by P.A. Chaya
Article available at: http://ileia.leisa.info:80/index.php?url=getblob.php&o_id=232044&a_id=211&a_seq=0

Once, the women of Muddana Guddi, a village in Raichur district, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, suffered from drought and poverty. With no alternatives except cursing their own troubles, they used to migrate to neighbouring states for work. Now, they are earning their own livelihoods by running a business worth hundreds of thousands of rupees. The women collect readily available neem tree seeds, to produce and sell neem cake. They have been so successful that they received a UNDP national award.

Leisa Magazine, Volume 18 issue 4 - Women Managing change
Magazine available at: http://ileia.leisa.info:80/index.php?url=getblob.php&o_id=232044&a_id=211&a_seq=0

There seems to be general agreement on the fact that in many parts of the world, women are taking on an increasing responsibility for agricultural production, as men are becoming increasingly absent from farms and rural areas. The reasons behind this trend are many - including factors such as low prices for agricultural produce and the need to increase cash income, leading to male migration to urban centres in search of work; and the AIDS epidemic, which is increasing its toll on the most productive generation, leaving older women and children behind with the task of supporting themselves. So what are the responses to this trend? How does the formal agricultural system tackle the challenge of supporting women and children with appropriate technologies and supportive measures such as credit? Read more ...

 

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