Women’s empowerment in agriculture is no longer confined to participation as farm labourers; it increasingly encompasses leadership, entrepreneurship, and decision-making roles. The experience of ICAR–Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Thrissur clearly demonstrates how targeted, knowledge-driven interventions can transform rural women into successful agripreneurs, contributing significantly to gender equality and inclusive economic growth.
Recognizing the untapped entrepreneurial potential of rural women, KVK Thrissur initiated structured capacity-building programmes with a focus on fruit and vegetable value addition, food processing, and agri-based entrepreneurship. Women participants received hands-on training, advanced vocational skill development, and exposure to modern processing technologies. These interventions not only enhanced technical proficiency but also strengthened confidence, leadership qualities, and business acumen among the participants.
Unlike conventional training initiatives, KVK Thrissur ensured continuous mentoring and institutional handholding, guiding women beyond the training phase toward enterprise establishment. Strong convergence with government schemes, financial institutions, and development agencies enabled the women to access institutional funding, modern equipment, and infrastructure support. Inputs on financial literacy and enterprise management further strengthened their capacity to operate sustainable and professionally managed businesses.
The culmination of these sustained efforts is Jaithri Foods, a women-led collective from Pananchery Grama Panchayat, Thrissur, which stands as a shining example of KVK-enabled agripreneurship. With consistent support from KVK Thrissur, the group successfully transitioned from trainees to entrepreneurs and established a food processing enterprise managed on professional lines.
The initiative gained further momentum with the establishment of the Peechi Agri-Industrial Park under the Mega Agri-Eco-Tourism Project, which provided state-of-the-art processing, packaging, and food safety-certified facilities. This robust agri-industrial ecosystem enabled Jaithri Foods to scale up operations, maintain quality standards, and strengthen market access.
Today, Jaithri Foods has achieved an annual turnover of ₹75 lakh, generating direct employment for 19 women and creating indirect livelihood opportunities for more than 500 farmers through organized, cluster-based sourcing. Beyond income generation, the enterprise has significantly enhanced women’s decision-making power at household and community levels, reinforcing their roles as leaders, employers, and mentors for other aspiring women entrepreneurs.
The Jaithri Foods experience clearly illustrates how KVKs can function as nodal hubs for women-centric agripreneurship by integrating skilling, mentoring, financial facilitation, incubation, and market linkages. This holistic approach not only addresses gender gaps in agriculture but also creates sustainable, scalable, and replicable enterprise models aligned with national priorities such as Atmanirbhar Bharat, Skill India, NRLM, and gender-inclusive rural development.
The success of Jaithri Foods reaffirms that KVK-led, mission-mode interventions can convert women’s potential into productive enterprises that generate income, employment, and inclusive growth. Institutionalizing and scaling such models across districts will significantly advance gender equality, strengthen rural livelihoods, and position women as key drivers of India’s agricultural transformation.
(Source: ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendar, Thrissur, Kerala)
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