Rural Women Entrepreneurs: The Key to Inclusive Growth in India
In today’s booming startup landscape, entrepreneurs are taking on age-old challenges and revolutionising the way we work — let’s make these new working models more inclusive to women.
Workforce participation of rural women has dropped from 42.7% in 2004–05 to 25% in 2021 and the numbers continue to decrease despite the collective efforts of government schemes, philanthropic initiatives and NGOs on ground.
As the world moves faster and technology advances at a breakneck pace, innovations are changing how we perform daily tasks and altering conventional value chains. In today’s booming startup landscape, entrepreneurs are taking on age-old challenges and revolutionising the way we work, enabling us to be more efficient. This gives us scope to define these value chains such that they are more inclusive to women and create an equitable future, bridging the widening gender gaps.
Imagine a 100% women value chain in rural India. Maybe this looks far-fetched in today’s scenario, I don’t think it’s far from reality if a startup decides to put their mind into it.
Let’s take the example of Neetu, a rural woman with a dream to make a difference in her community. She bought a smartphone for her child’s education during covid and with the lockdown revoked, she spent time browsing content on Facebook and YouTube. One day, she stumbled upon a solar food processing machine on YouTube and was immediately drawn to its potential. With the help of the enterprise’s gender-sensitive sales team, she gained the confidence to purchase the machine and received training to become proficient in its use. The product design was perfect for her use as it was designed keeping in mind the physical strengths of women.
Using the machine, Neetu was able to produce processed pickles and sauces in a fraction of the time it normally took, and with less dependence on electricity and cooking gas. Her products sold well in the local market, and she used the income to fuel her business and save for her son’s college education.
As Neetu’s success grew, she began to share her knowledge with her neighbors, demonstrating the machine and its benefits. She became a part of the enterprise’s hyperlocal sales model and conducted structured demonstrations at local centres for her peers (gaining incentives on each sale). Seeing the vast interest in her products and receiving the required support, she set up her business on e-commerce platforms to reach a wider audience.
She is now a hero in her area, an entrepreneur and an inspiration, earning significant income to set her and her children’s life to success. Consistent efforts, recognition of on ground challenges, and collaborative efforts of several orgs helped her reach this goal — and has today taken her to the G20 Summit!
Neetu Tandon at the G20 Summit giving a demo of the solar food processor (innovation designed by Dharambir Food Pvt. Ltd) to Ms. Smriti Irani, Minister, Women & Child Development.
Neetu’s story is an inspiration to all rural women who dream of making a difference in their communities. With determination and access to the right technology and resources, anything is possible.
