Across India’s agricultural landscape, women play indispensable roles—from cultivation to post-harvest operations—yet their contributions often remain undervalued, unpaid, or invisible. Gender gaps in decision-making, leadership, livelihood access, and market participation continue to affect not just individual women, but the long-term resilience of farmer communities and supply chains.

Recognizing that gender equality is not just a moral imperative but a driver of productivity, climate resilience, and sustainable development, a Gender Strategy Implementation Workshop was organised by Fairtrade NAPP for 17 participants from multiple Farmers’ Organisations across the fruits, cotton, cashew, and grape value chains—including Sahyadri Fruits Producer Co. Ltd., Freshyard Farmer Producer Co. Ltd., ND Small Farmers Producer Co., GRAPOME, Creative Fabrics (SHAD), and others,  in Nashik, India.

A Strategic Push Towards Gender-Equitable Producer Organisations

The workshop was co-funded by the European Union under the European Commission Financial Framework Partnership agreement programme and designed to strengthen gender justice across Fairtrade supply chains, with the key objectives to:-

• Build awareness of the Fairtrade NAPP Gender Strategy in India
• Mainstream gender equality across all operational levels of POs
• Identify and address current gender challenges
• Conduct a SWOT analysis of gender practices
• Prioritize key areas for gender-focused interventions
• Explore livelihood alternatives for women
• Promote the empowerment and leadership of women within the Fairtrade ecosystem

Inside the Workshop: Sessions That Sparked Reflection, Dialogue & Action

1. Deep-Dive into the Fairtrade Gender Strategy

Participants unpacked the principles of gender equality, moving from awareness to analysis. Concepts such as gender, sex, equality, equity, and justice were demystified, ensuring clarity for both men and women leaders.

2. Mainstreaming Gender in PO Operations

Discussions highlighted practical ways to embed gender inclusion into governance, compliance, program implementation and decision-making processes. Participants reflected on real barriers—limited participation, cultural norms, mobility constraints—and co-created solutions.

3. The Gender Power Walk: An Eye-Opening Experience

One of the most impactful exercises, the Gender Power Walk, helped participants recognize the privileges and disadvantages experienced by different genders in rural agricultural contexts. This activity stimulated empathy, honest conversations, and mindset shifts among participants—especially men.

4. SWOT Analysis of Gender Practices

POs evaluated their existing practices:

• Strengths: willingness to include women, emerging leadership
• Weaknesses: limited representation
• Opportunities: livelihood diversification, youth engagement
• Threats: cultural barriers, lack of gender-sensitive budgeting

5. Gender-Sensitive Governance & Policy Development

Participants learned how to build Gender-sensitive policies, Compliance frameworks, Inclusive organizational cultures

6. Livelihood Alternatives for Women

Discussions ranged from small-scale enterprises, value addition opportunities, to skill-development pathways and entrepreneurship options

Practical examples from the farmers’ organisations helped participants visualize feasible interventions.

7. Vision Board Activity: Designing Gender-Equitable POs of the Future

Groups collaboratively created vision boards that illustrated their aspirations for gender-equitable Producer Organisations. These included equal representation in leadership, diversified livelihood options, safe and supportive workplaces, transparent decision-making processes, and shared responsibilities across genders. Together, these elements formed a unified and inspiring roadmap, shaping a collective ambition for transformation over the next five years.

8. SMART Action Planning

Each PO developed actionable, time-bound gender mainstreaming plans—marking a strong shift from theoretical learning to measurable commitment.

Immediate Impact: A Shift from Compliance to Transformation

The workshop catalyzed structural and behavioral change across participating organisations.

1. Gender as a driver of institutional transformation
Participants acknowledged that gender inclusion is not a Fairtrade requirement—it is essential for community resilience and organizational performance.

2. Breaking stereotypes and shifting mindsets
Men recognized unconscious biases; women gained confidence, voice, and leadership aspirations.

3. Accountability through action plans
POs produced SMART gender action plans, signaling readiness for long-term integration.

4. Linking gender equality to climate resilience & income security
Participants understood that empowering women strengthens both household economies and agricultural ecosystems.

5. A participatory learning environment
Experiential tools like the Gender Power Walk helped translate concepts into lived experience.

6. Leadership and Allyship
Male and female leaders jointly committed to advancing gender justice within their organizations.

7. Institutional Integration
POs began embedding gender inclusion into policies, budgets, decision-making and monitoring systems

This marks a critical step toward resilient, inclusive supply chains.

Suchita Satdive, Sahyadri Fruits Producer Company Ltd.

“We learned so many things regarding gender equality and the challenges of mainstreaming women. The workshop opened our eyes to business opportunities like small-scale enterprises and skill development for women.”

Tushar Gite, Freshyard Farmer Producer Company Limited

“After two days of study, we finally understood why gender equality is essential—not only for our work but for our society. This was a transformative learning experience.”

The Road Ahead

Each participating Producer Organisation has drafted an action roadmap to introduce gender mainstreaming within their systems. Fairtrade NAPP team will continue supporting implementation through regular virtual follow-ups and field visits to ensure continuity, accountability, and sustained progress.