Gender sensitization training toolkit for farming communities in India

IDH and BCI have developed a training toolkit for creating gender sensitization among the farming communities in India.

Together, IDH and BCI, with support from Sattva, piloted a project to strengthen the inclusion and role of women within the cotton value chain, with a focus on driving both social and business outcomes for farmers. The pilot was rolled out with 2,000 women co-farmers in Maharashtra, India. The gender sensitization toolkit has been developed as a part of this project to support the sensitization of the farming community on the role of women cotton cultivators and the benefits of strengthening their involvement.

The training modules in the toolkit can be used by organizations and/or trainers working closely with farming communities or those implementing agricultural programs. The manual is aimed to support trainers in their capacity-building efforts to equip farmers and the wider farming community with the awareness and knowledge required to make cotton production inclusive for women farmers and co-farmers.

The manual is designed to be flexible and adaptable for use in different situations, depending on factors such as the trainers’ own skills and experience, time available, the participants, as well as resources available.