When a goat falls sick in Dohari, a village in Bihar, India, people call Sumanti. They call her Doctor Didi. Her patients are goats, and there are many of them. Today, 349 women across Dohari and 5 other villages trust Sumanti to vaccinate their goats, treat illnesses, and keep them healthy. A vital role, goats being one of the main sources of food and income for families in the region. Dohari is home to many families belonging to Scheduled Castes - communities that have experienced … [Read more...] about In Rural India, One Woman’s Work Is Changing Lives
Women in Agriculture
Nancy’s hands: from rock to fertile soil
This article was originally published in Spanish. Read it here. Nancy is an Indigenous farmer from the community of Tunshi Grande, Ecuador. Over the last few years, she has participated in a group process supported by our local partner, EkoRural, in which several families redesigned their farms to strengthen production and restore agroecological practices. The work began with drawing a map of the land. From there, each family organized their plot, located water sources, identified the … [Read more...] about Nancy’s hands: from rock to fertile soil
How Savings & Credit Groups Help Rural Women in Nepal Build Financial Independence
In Bailbas Chiran Tole, a village in rural Nepal, 26 women meet once a month under the thatched roof of the group leader's home. One by one, they put NPR 100 (about US$0.65) into a shared fund. They record loan repayments on a sheet of paper and consider new requests. If several women need money, they discuss who needs it most. They prioritize those with an emergency. In just 2 years, this credit and savings group has helped them move away from precarious daily wage jobs and even build their … [Read more...] about How Savings & Credit Groups Help Rural Women in Nepal Build Financial Independence
What a Woman Farmer Sees Behind the Camera: Sumitra’s First Steps with Community Storytelling
Sumitra recently released her first film, shedding light on the long, often overlooked days of women farmers in Nepal - a daily reality she knows intimately. At 4 a.m. on a humid monsoon day, Sumitra was already awake. To catch the 7 a.m. bus to her filmmaking sessions, she first had to finish her household chores and farm work. When she returned in the evening, more work waited for her at home. For the 33-year-old farmer and mother, learning to make films had to fit around … [Read more...] about What a Woman Farmer Sees Behind the Camera: Sumitra’s First Steps with Community Storytelling
The Farmer Who Doubled Her Harvest Without Chemicals in Two Years – Agroecology in Ghana
In northern Ghana, Fuseina spent years watching fertilizer costs rise while her yields fell. Her life took a turn when she joined an Agroecology Committee in 2025, discovering and helping to spread practices that transformed her land. Written by Salma Abdul-Rashid, Urbanet Torope, Central Gonja District, Ghana — Fuseina Dokurugu is a 40-year-old smallholder farmer and mother of seven from Torope. She has farmed since childhood, relying on her three-acre plots as her primary source of … [Read more...] about The Farmer Who Doubled Her Harvest Without Chemicals in Two Years – Agroecology in Ghana
As Fertilizer Prices Rise, Agroecology Offers a More Resilient Path for Farmers
Authors: Sarah Sahlaney and Chandi Guntupalli At Groundswell International, we often talk about how our network builds farmer self-reliance. In an increasingly interconnected world, why does this matter for farmers, their families, and communities? Recent news, and Usha's story, show why self-reliance is such a valuable goal. Throughout April and May, ships carrying hundreds of tons of chemical fertilizers sat in the Gulf of Hormuz, unable to reach their final … [Read more...] about As Fertilizer Prices Rise, Agroecology Offers a More Resilient Path for Farmers