Posts Tagged ‘South Asia’
Teaching Girls to Farm in West Bengal
In West Bengal, India, 1 in 5 girls is married by age 15. However, a nonprofit based in Seattle, Landesa, is focused on securing land rights for impoverished families all over the world and has found a key to ensuring girls are able to help bring their families out of poverty and learn valuable skills through gardening.…
Read MoreSowing Seeds, Supporting Women Farmers in India
By: Katie Douglas, WEA Intern “Seeds have no caste, creed, religion, or gender. They are universal and secular. We nurture this sentiment strongly in our work with various communities,” says Manorama Joshi, a farmer in the Malnad region of Karnataka, India. A mother and wife, Manorama has also gone on to become the spirit of…
Read MoreBuilding Solidarity Around Resource Management for Women
By: Katie Douglas, WEA Intern For Nanu Ghatani of the Lalitpur District in Nepal, staying silent in the face of injustice and oppression was never an option. Nanu’s strength, courage and determination was first tested when she moved villages to be married at the age of 14. She soon learned that she was not permitted…
Read MoreWhen Weather Turns Unfavorable, Farmers Lose Hope
According to a report by Al Jazeera, “agricultural investment in India is a big gamble. Farmers usually take out bank loans against land to buy seeds and fertiliser, pay salaries, and acquire irrigation equipment.” However, unforeseen and unwelcome weather patterns can strike at any time, and with less than 20% of Indian farmers insured, this…
Read MoreWomen vow to save forests
In the small northern community of Lahaul Valley in the Himalaya, 139 ‘mahila mandals‘, women groups, in all but one of the 28 panchayat, or village councils, have vowed to save the forests. This gorgeous forest valley lies between 13,000 and 20,000 feet above sea level, and to ensure their continued survival, the community members have…
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