The Gender Responsive Cell (GRC), supported by the SWARNA project, aims to institutionalize gender-responsive governance within the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment (DA&FE), Government of Odisha, ensuring that gender equity becomes an integral part of agricultural planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The project recognizes that although women contribute significantly to agricultural production and rural livelihoods, they continue to face barriers in accessing productive resources, credit, markets, technologies, extension services, and decision-making opportunities. Addressing these constraints is essential for achieving inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation.
A key objective of the project is to strengthen the integration of gender considerations across agricultural policies, programmes, and budgets. The GRC will support the review of existing schemes to identify gender gaps and recommend measures that improve women’s access, participation, and benefit capture. It will also promote gender-responsive budgeting and planning approaches to ensure that public investments effectively address the needs and priorities of women farmers.
The project seeks to establish a robust gender monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework by developing standardized indicators, strengthening the collection and use of gender-disaggregated data, and integrating gender-responsive indicators into the Inclusive Agriculture Transformation (IAT) Dashboard. This will enable evidence-based decision-making and improve accountability for gender outcomes within the agriculture sector.
Another important objective is to strengthen capacity partnership with government officials and other stakeholders to design, implement, and monitor gender-responsive interventions through training, technical support, and stakeholder engagement.
The GRC also serves as a sector-specific demonstration of how gender inclusion can be institutionalized at the state level and aligns with Odisha’s ambition to create a Center for Women-Led Development (CWLD). By developing tools, frameworks, and governance processes within agriculture, the GRC can inform CWLD design and scale across departments while offering a replicable model for other states.
Ultimately, the project aims to create a sustainable institutional mechanism that enhances women’s access to resources, productivity, leadership, resilience, and decision-making power, while positioning Odisha as a leading model for gender-responsive agricultural governance and women-led agricultural transformation.
