Context

Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development is implementing Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) to empower women in agriculture by making systematic investments to enhance their participation and productivity, as also to create and sustain their agriculture-based livelihoods.

About

• Rural women form the most productive work force in the economy of majority of the developing nations including India. More than 80% of rural women are engaged in agriculture activities for their livelihoods.
• About 20 per cent of farm livelihoods are female headed due to widowhood, desertion, or male emigration. Agriculture support system in India strengthens the exclusion of women from their entitlements as agriculture workers and cultivators.
• The “Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana” (MKSP), a sub component of the Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-NRLM (DAY-NRLM) seeks to improve the present status of women in Agriculture, and to enhance the opportunities available to empower her.
• MKSP recognizes the identity of “Mahila” as “Kisan” and strives to build the capacity of women in the domain of agro-ecologically sustainable practices. It has a clear vision to reach out to the poorest of poor households and expand the portfolio of activities currently handled by the Mahila Kisan.
• The focus of MKSP is on capacitating smallholders to adopt sustainable climate resilient agro-ecology and eventually create a pool of skilled community professionals.

Objective of the mission

• Its objective is to strengthen smallholder agriculture through promotion of sustainable agriculture practices such as Community Managed Sustainable Agriculture (CMSA), Non Pesticide Management (NPM), Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF), Pashu-Sakhi model for doorstep animal care services, Sustainable regeneration and harvesting of Non-Timber Forest Produce.

Major interventions promoted under DAY-NRLM which contribute to climate change resilience & risk mitigation among the poor are

• Community managed sustainable agriculture (agro-ecology approaches)
• Usage of locally available natural inputs – for pest management and soil fertility management
• System of root intensification – SRI, SCI
• Promotion of millets and cereal crops
• Promotion of multiple crops
• Tree based farming practices
• Regeneration of forest species
• Usage of locally available natural inputs
• Integrated farming practice with small ruminants
• Convergence with MGNREGA to create agriculture assets for the community
• Non Pesticide Management
• Natural soil fertility Management
• Integrating livestock with agriculture
• Integration of livestock – promotion of Pashu sakhi model
• Ensuring the scalability of climate change resilient agriculture practices through Community Best Practitioners (CBPs)
• In-situ rain water harvesting

Implementation strategy

• The program is being implemented by DAY-NRLM in partnership with State Rural Livelihood Missions/ Community Based Organizations (CBOs)/NGOs, as implementing partners (PIAs) across the country.
• Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) would provide funding support of up to 75% (90% for North East and hill states) to the project submitted by the State Governments/PIAs under MKSP.
• Balance is to be contributed by the respective state governments or any other donor agencies, national and international.
• These agencies are expected to support and nurture scalable livelihood models in the MKSP intervention areas.
• In the process, it is expected that a cadre of barefoot community professionals will be created from among the best practioners. The State Rural Livelihood Missions will further replicate the models with the help of the community.

Objectives of MKSP

• To enhance the productive participation of women in agriculture;
• To create sustainable agricultural livelihood opportunities for women in agriculture;
• To improve the skills and capabilities of women in agriculture to support farm and non-farm-based activities;
• To ensure food and nutrition security at the household and the community level;
• To enable women to have better access to inputs and services of the government and other agencies;
• To enhance the managerial capacities of women in agriculture for better management of bio-diversity;
• To improve the capacities of women in agriculture to access the resources of other institutions and schemes within a convergence framework.