Tribal women farmers of Tirupati seek gender equality at work as they venture into herbal products market

These women gather forest produce and process them into saleable medicinal products such as soaps, liquid scent, decorative items and herbal face packs

Despite working for long hours, women agricultural farmers seldom get their due recognition. They have not limited themselves to competing with men in growing cereals and horticultural crops, but have also donned various ‘ Avatars’ as cattle rearers, gatherers in forests and beekeepers. Yet, their strenuous work is hardly acknowledged

October 15 has been marked as the ‘International Rural Women’s Day’ and in India, it is observed as the ‘National Women Farmers Day’.

But the women living in the forest fringe villages of Chinnagottigallu and Rompicherla mandals in the Tirupati district observed the day by giving a clarion call for the gender equality among the farmers.

These women have been creating wealth with the help of a little training from Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam’s Women Biotech Incubation Facility on entrepreneurial perspective.

“ Gangulamma, a tribal woman from Erlapalyam, strived to get a water tank and roads for her village. Others are voicing their demands for bio-fertilisers, multiple cropping and protection of natural resources”R. MeeraSecretary, Women’s Initiative (WINS)

They gather forest produce and process them into saleable medicinal products such as soaps, liquid scent, decorative items and herbal face packs.