NATIONAL WOMEN FARMERS’ DAY 2026 “Cultivating Change Empowering Women Farmers as Agri Entrepreneurs”

Dr. Ramya H.R., Scientist, ICAR-IIHR, delivered the welcome address and presented the institute’s activities for women’s empowerment. Innovative women farmers and farm entrepreneurs were felicitated in recognition of their contributions. Shri Ashok Kumar Dash, National Youth Award Winner and State Director, MY BHARAT, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, addressed the gathering as the Guest of Honour virtually. Smt. Gayithri M., Joint Director of Horticulture, Bengaluru Urban, attended as the Chief Guest, while Dr. Tusar Kanti Behera, Director, ICAR-IIHR, delivered the presidential address. Agricultural inputs were distributed to women farmers to encourage the adoption of improved horticultural technologies. Dr. Pushpa Chethan Kumar, Senior Scientist, ICAR-IIHR, proposed the vote of thanks.

As part of the programme, practical skill training sessions were conducted under two technical tracks to the 150 farmer participants. The first track, organized under the Farmers FIRST Project, focused on improved mushroom production technologies, including spawn maintenance, substrate bag preparation, spawn running, harvesting standards and the establishment of commercial cottage-scale mushroom enterprises. The second track, organized under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan (SC-SP) programme, focused on post-harvest technologies for women’s groups, covering grading, dehydration, hygienic packaging, and preservation of horticultural produce and the development of direct collective marketing linkages for self-help groups.

The celebration highlighted the importance of strengthening the technical knowledge, entrepreneurial skills and market linkages of women farmers. Through technology demonstrations, practical training, felicitation of innovative farm entrepreneurs and input distribution, ICAR-IIHR aimed to encourage women’s participation in horticultural enterprises and promote sustainable livelihood opportunities. The programme reaffirmed the institute’s commitment to facilitating women-led agricultural innovations and empowering women farmers as agri-entrepreneurs for improved livelihood security and rural development.