Croplife India, an association of 15 R&D driven member companies, celebrated the Women’s Day by an event – “अदि शक्ति सम्मान महोत्सव”. The objective of the celebrations was to recognise the invaluable contribution of women farmers (Farm Queens) in agriculture and economic development. Training on safe and responsible usage of pesticides and identification of counterfeits were imparted; which are imminent for safe crop protection.
The program was organized with the help of Kaushalya Foundation, implementing NGO partner of CropLife India at Kalawati Marriage Lawn, Dabha Semar, near Avadh University, Sultanpur Road, Ayodhya District, Uttar Pradesh. Around 400 women farmers participated from the nearby villages of Ayodhya. Shri Lallu Singh, Member of Parliament presided the function. Mr. Dharmendra Pratap Singh, MD, District Cooperative Bank, Mr. B. K. Singh, District Agriculture Officer; Mr. Ravi Tripathi, District Horticulture Inspector; Mr. Kamlesh Yadav, District Development Manager along with Dr. Archana, Dr. P.K. Singh and Dr. Pankaj, Scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra were present during the occasion.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Asitava Sen, Chief Executive Officer, CropLife India said,
“As the theme of today is ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’; we salute the spirit of womanhood as women are the real architects of society. Women have been contributing in multitude of activities of farming, which necessitates the knowledge transfer of crop protection technology. Moreover, as iterated in an African proverb – if you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman you educate a nation”.
Mr. Sen added, “CropLife India is calling on fellow food and agriculture stakeholders across India to #BreakTheBias and work towards women empowerment to achieve sustainable and equitable food systems and rural development”.
International Women’s day special program “अदि शक्ति सम्मान महोत्सव” provided a platform to these women farmers where they were felicitated for their hard work & achievements in agriculture. From seed sowing to harvesting, women are part of almost all activities, yet sadly their access to resources is less than male farmers. The event focused on inspiring these women to produce safe & healthy crops by using genuine crop protection products, detecting Counterfeit, Spurious, Substandard and Unregistered/Unlicensed Pesticides. Women shared their achievements, experiences & challenges faced on the field as farmers.
The program conducted with various activities like mushroom processing, kitchen garden activities, food processing, waste management, integrated pest management & cultural performances by women to motivate, educate and make them aware about their own potential and abilities.
About CropLife India:
CropLife India is committed to advancing sustainable agriculture and it is an association of 15 R&D driven member companies in crop protection. We jointly represent ~ 70% of the market and are responsible for 95% of the molecules introduced in the country. Our member companies have annual global R & D spend of 6 billion USD and are firmly committed to engaging with the farming community to enable Safe, Secure Food Supply.
