NEW DELHI, Dec 19 : Calling for a gender-inclusive approach across agricultural value chains, Reliance Industries Ltd board member Isha Ambani Piramal has said that women’s political empowerment in India provides a conducive environment for adopting women-led agritech solutions.
In a new report published on Thursday, the daughter of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani further said that gender inclusivity in agritech has conventionally been viewed through a social lens.
“Thankfully, in recent years, the private sector has recognised that prioritising women farmers is both economically and strategically advantageous,” she wrote in its foreword.
She said gender-inclusive solutions can unlock significant benefits across agricultural value chains, enhancing productivity and food security.
The next-generation business leader of the Ambani family also referred to a legislation mandating one-third of all elected representatives in local self-government bodies to be women, enabling many women to become community leaders.
She is expected to participate in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Swiss ski resort town Davos next month, along with several other Indian and global leaders from business, government, academia and other segments of the society.
Women’s self-help groups have also driven women-led microenterprises. This phenomenon, which can also be seen in other developing countries, has created fertile soil for women farmers to engage in agritech and become AI-assisted farmers and entrepreneurs, Piramal noted.
By prioritising gender inclusivity in their offerings, organisations can tap into more business opportunities and distinguish themselves in competitive markets, she said.
“This enhances their brand reputation and contributes to the broader goals of social equity and sustainable development,” Piramal said.
The WEF insight report, titled ‘Agritech for Women Farmers: A business case for inclusive growth’, has emphasised how adopting a ‘5Ps’ approach — Product, Price, Promotion, Place and People — can drive the success of gender-inclusive agritech initiatives.
It called for designing a user-friendly agritech tailored to women’s needs, making agritech affordable and accessible to women farmers, using key channels to reach rural and underserved areas, target marketing to raise awareness among women, and investing in training and support for women to adopt agritech.
Women make up 43 per cent of the global agricultural workforce and produce 60-80 per cent of food in developing countries, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO).
However, women encounter many challenges limiting their full participation and potential in agriculture.
Women farmers often bear the dual burdens of household responsibilities and farm work, which limits their time and productivity.
Additionally, social norms restrict their access to and control over resources, constraining their capacity to fully contribute to and benefit from agricultural advancements, including recent innovations in digital agricultural technologies. (PTI)
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