Ongoing Research Projects

Gender, Agribusiness, and Policy Innovations

WOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS: ADRESSING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES REPORT

Women in Agribusiness: Opportunities and Challenges to be published in March 2025, is a study that explores a largely overlooked challenge, i.e. women’s representation in India’s agribusiness sector. Most studies so far have focused on women’s roles as smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs. What’s missing was looking at women as employees along the agriculture business value chain, where they are disproportionately represented, even though women make up 30-40% of agricultural education students in the classroom, there is a clear disconnect between the education and the industry. The study is supported by Godrej Agrovet to understand why this disconnect exists and what can be done about it. Beyond identifying the problem – we’re looking for practical solutions that can create meaningful change. We’re examining the journey from education to employment, talking with students at agricultural colleges, connecting with women already working in the field, and engaging with employers to understand the barriers from all angles.

The study involves three main components: a thorough literature review, direct research at agricultural colleges, and conversations with agribusiness companies. We’re asking questions like: What happens between graduation and employment? Are there structural issues in how companies recruit? What successful practices already exist that could be scaled? The findings will be published as a public resource in March 2025, designed to influence both policy and industry practices.

On January 22, 2024, a panel discussion and a stakeholder dialogue were organized to gather diverse perspectives on women’s participation in the agribusiness sector. The panel brought together industry leaders, women professionals, agricultural education representatives, and policy advocates to explore challenges and opportunities across the value chain. Similarly, the stakeholder dialogue facilitated in-depth conversations with key stakeholders from corporate, academic, and development sectors to identify actionable solutions. These engagements provided valuable qualitative insights that complemented our quantitative survey data, offering a more comprehensive understanding of barriers and enablers that influence women’s participation.

Localizing SDG 5: Insights and Action

This project focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) – Gender Equality, which aims to empower all women and girls by ensuring equal rights, opportunities, and treatment across various domains. Achieving ge nder parity in education, healthcare, employment, and political and economic decision-making is crucial for fostering sustainable development and enhancing overall societal well-being.

To provide a granular and data-driven understanding of gender equality, this study consolidates district-level gender indicators into district and state profiles for 792 districts across 36 states and union territories. These profiles are based on district names from the Integrated Government Online Directory, integrate key indicators from the National Indicator Framework (NIF) to offer insights beyond national and state-level assessments.

Scope of Analysis

By focusing on district-level data, this analysis captures local nuances in demographics, economic activities, infrastructure, and social indicators that might otherwise be masked at the state level due to aggregation. The magnitude of variation among districts within a single state can be significant, with some districts facing greater challenges or opportunities in terms of women’s empowerment.

This refined level of analysis allows policymakers to design and implement targeted interventions, addressing specific regional disparities and ensuring a more equitable allocation of resources

Data Sources

The analysis draws from multiple secondary data sources, covering key aspects of gender equality:

National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5): Data from two rounds (2015-16 and 2019-21).
Crime Data: National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reports from 2014 to 2022.
Political Participation Data: Election Commission of India records, focusing on State Legislative Assembly elections over the past 10 years (wherever available).
Economic Participation Data: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) datasets from 2017-2022.
Time Use Data: Time Use Survey (TUS) conducted by MoSPI (2019) capturing gender-based time allocation patterns.

By leveraging district-level insights, this project provides actionable intelligence for evidence-based policymaking, helping stakeholders develop localized strategies to bridge gender gaps and promote women’s empowerment across India.

This refined level of analysis allows policymakers to design and implement targeted interventions, addressing specific regional disparities and ensuring a more equitable allocation of resources

Women-led Development framework

This study explores the concept of women-led development, highlighting the crucial role of women’s leadership, employment, and entrepreneurship in social and economic development. The study highlights the importance of women’s participation in the labor force, informal sector labor, and engagement in leadership activities at grassroots levels and its impact on the overall social and economic development. We created an input-output framework to understand the paths to women leadership, engagement in the labor force, and its impact on the overall social and economic development outcomes at multiple stages. The Project highlights the important intervention areas that can improve women’s economic participation by examining policies and finding gaps. The report highlights that women’s active participation is crucial for the country’s development and transformation, aligning with India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.

Contextualizing Global Gender Gap Index

This project focuses on enhancing the relevance of the gender gap index’s measurements by considering diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts. It examines the shortcomings of the current Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) and suggests ways to make it better, drawing on information from expert discussions. The study intends to give a more thorough assessment of the gender discrepancies across domains by identifying new domains and indicators that can be added to capture a more nuanced knowledge of gender disparities through expert consultations.

Project Title: Enhancing Women’s Empowerment in Agri-food Systems

Identification of indicators of women’s roles and resilience in agriculture and food systems for climate risk mitigation.
Climate change affects communities differently based on their adaptive capacities, with gender playing a significant role in shaping vulnerabilities. Rural women in climate-affected regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, face disproportionate risks due to household responsibilities and agricultural labor intensification. Despite awareness of climate mitigation strategies, behavioral and structural barriers hinder their adoption. This study, conducted in Odisha, aims to identify resilience indicators for women in agriculture and food systems and assess the trade-offs of climate-smart technologies to support gender-responsive climate risk mitigation strategies.

Developing a Dashboard and Resource Hub for Gender and Food Systems
Creating a comprehensive dashboard and resource hub focused on gender and food systems is essential for consolidating findings, policy recommendations, and best practices to support policymakers, academicians, and practitioners.