“We used to grow maize on our land but life was hard and it just never delivered the returns. I learnt about poly-house cultivation and took a chance – building a 4000 sq.mt. house complete with drip irrigation and solar pump. Everyone thought I was mad – me just a housewife and with no experience in farming. But I grow Rs. 8 lakhs worth of Kheera (cucumber) in this house now – my family treat me differently, my village look at me differently and other farmers look up to me. Apparently I’m the most progressive farmer in our village!” - Chetna Devi, Kurki Village, Rabriyawas, Rajasthan.
When Rural Women Reach Markets, Livelihoods created
June 05, 2026
The Nari Shakti Federation in Uttarakhand had built a successful enterprise selling cowdung cakes — an eco-friendly product based on traditional rural practices and the increasing demand for traditional, eco-friendly products. But there was one problem: the product was packaged in plastic.
