Empowering Odisha’s women farmers: Dvara e-registry & IRRI launch innovative agriculture initiative

New Delhi: Dvara E-Registry and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have come together embarking on a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of women farmers in Odisha.

This partnership, as part of the Climate Smart Rice-based Systems for Prosperity and Resilience (Climate PRO) project supported by DA&FE, GOI and OIIPCRA project, will facilitate the establishment of a Women-led Farmer Producer Company (FPC) in Ganjam district, focusing on increasing agricultural productivity and resilience.

The primary goal of this collaboration is to empower smallholder farmers, particularly women, by introducing them to climate-resilient and high-yielding varieties of rice, pulses, oilseeds, and other profitable crops. Alongside this, the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices aims to improve farmers’ resilience to climate change, thereby ensuring sustainable farming systems throughout Odisha.

A key feature of the initiative is its emphasis on leveraging digital solutions to achieve its objectives. The Doordrishti platform, developed by Dvara E-Registry, plays a pivotal role in this context by improving access to agricultural services for all stakeholders within the agricultural value chain. This mobile and web-based platform enables the digitization of farmer and FPO lands and business activities, offering farm and crop-specific products and services through a digital mode of information sharing.

Tarun Katoch, Co-Founder of Dvara E-Registry and Head of Value-Chain, articulated the vision behind this innovative approach, “Our collaboration with IRRI as part of the ClimatePRO project is about bringing transformative digital and agricultural solutions to the doorsteps of Odisha’s women farmers. Doordrishti is a testament to our commitment to this vision, providing a direct link between climate-smart practices and the farmers who stand to benefit from them. Through this initiative, we’re not just aiming to enhance productivity but also to nurture a generation of women entrepreneurs in agriculture.”

Reflecting on the partnership’s potential impact, Ranjitha Puskur, Principal Scientist at IRRI and leader of the ClimatePRO Project, highlighted the significance of empowering women in agriculture, “This would be the third Women-led FPC we are incubating in Odisha. These market-oriented collectives play a critical role in enabling women to become resilient and be at the forefront of driving sustainable transformations of agriculture and food systems. A particularly exciting feature of this FPC is the central focus on digital innovations and this offers us an opportunity to understand how we can be intentional about bridging the gender digital divide and equip women with the skills needed to maximise the entrepreneurial opportunities. This effort goes beyond improving crop yields; it’s about building a resilient community with women leading the way.”

This partnership heralds a pivotal advancement for Odisha’s agricultural sector, particularly in empowering women farmers. It brings together enhanced crop productivity, access to technical knowledge, and improved market avenues with an emphasis on cultivating digital and entrepreneurial skills among women. This concerted effort by Dvara E-Registry and IRRI drives towards a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agricultural future in Odisha, setting a benchmark for gender equality in agriculture and pioneering a progressive era for the region’s farming communities.