Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research

“Early dawn, I wake up a farmer and dirty my hands and feet in my muddy farm. During dusk, I sleep a farmer with a vision that these muddy hands and a day long perseverance will reap utmost benefits. There are many women like me who sacrifice their soul in the farms but their contribution goes unrecognized,” stated Laxmi Bohora, a lentil farmer from Lumbini province.

“We would never have learnt more about ourselves [women] if we were not invited to this multistakeholders platform, today. Most of the time we just do what comes without honoring ourselves and our capabilities,” opined Indira Acharya, a miller of lentils amongst other producers.

These testimonies came during an interview as part of a multistakeholder platform (MSP) workshop held in Lumbini province between 19th and 21st July, 2023. This platform is an initiation of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research led by Michigan State University to connect the value chain actors in lentil production and marketing. Laxmi’s audacious statement gives me hope, as someone who works to address the issues of gender equity and social inclusion (GESI), that women’s unrecognized roles in the increased feminization trend of agriculture, can be recognized through right support and platform.

As these women were reflecting their life along with few other women, myriad of thoughts crossed my mind, thinking, social change involving women and their progress is still a dream for my country. I went into flashbacks, 15 days before the MSP happened, when I was dialing lentil farmers of Lumbini Province, trying to get the GESI balances on participation through my invitation. Reaching out to these farmers through the list we created beforehand was an ordeal expedition. First, as I called, about a dozen of women received their calls with children crying on their arms, or background, giving a hint that it would be close to impossible for them to travel for the MSP workshop. Few women handed over the calls to their husbands, who showed no interest in sending their women to the workshop providing multifarious reasons as “these platforms come and go but no one will help farmers,” “who will do household work if women are gone,” “it is time for us to plant paddy now,” “this is the wrong time for farmers to attend as it is planting season,” et cetera.

In retrospect, of the many calls made, very few women decided to trust me and my team and made it to the workshop. For this, I had to reach out to them every day for about six days so I wouldn't lose the loop. These women represented Brahmin, Chhetri and Janjati (Tharu) castes, though my intention was to make it more inclusive, I remained content. The most important and a turning point for me was hearing from them that they had never ever been invited to a platform like this. And if they had a chance, they would have reached their highest potentials as farmers. As the only miller, Acharya, who represented the platform, evidently, there are more men in the marketing of lentils or any other crop in our country, Acharya’s one voice as a miller gives thousand pictures about the situation of women who work beyond farms.

Additionally, their stories of becoming lentil farmers or millers, their struggles in juggling between home and farms, their rise by becoming a part of cooperative, learning and unlearning through each other and trainings was not only great for the ears but also gave insights to make the platform more inclusive through better leadership and support within the MSP committees.

As main objective of the MSP has been to create a momentum between various stakeholders engaged in musuro (a type of lentil) farming as producers, seed suppliers, technical supporters, institutional supporters, holistically, those engaged in the lentil value chain, the importance of GESI seemed evident. This is because we were successful in creating a connection between multifarious stakeholders from various age, caste, background and status. Additionally, without inclusive approach, we will only under shadow our human capital who are women from various ethnic groups and culture. It is also evident from my experience that women, in particular can voice their concerns if they have a platform as opposed to society deciding that women cannot speak or bargain from their side. All these require platform that allows them to freely express their concerns away from their muddy farms.

I came home with a big relief learning from these mighty women whose stories are powerful than it ever can be, whose contributions are extraordinary in the agriculture sector and who need a pinch of support to improve their livelihoods through lentil farming.