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Project March 25, 2021

Fighting Caste, Patriarchy, Climate and the Pandemic One Crop at a Time

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Farmers in India are perpetually stuck in a cycle of bad weather, fallow soil, crashing prices, crushing debts, eventually pushed into suicide. Women farmers face the additional burden of patriarchy, caste-system, and ensuring food security for their children. To escape these clutches, a movement in the mid-80s encouraged women to grow millets - which are not just nutritious but also hardy enough to withstand the vagaries of Telangana's climate. The movement, initiated by the Deccan Development Society, has spread across 75 villages. These women took control over all aspects of farming, including marketing and creating their own narrative through community radio. So even as the poorest across the world was facing a humanitarian crisis, these women stood tall.

RELATED INITIATIVES

two cows

Initiative

U.S. Local News Reporting

U.S. Local News Reporting

RELATED TOPICS

navy halftone illustration of a covid virus

Topic

COVID-19

COVID-19