Building a Resilience Shield: Rural Women lead Economic Recovery

12 hours ago
2 min read

Solapur, India

Need

Rural communities in India face increasing economic uncertainty due to climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and other recurring crises. Women farmers and women-led enterprises have been particularly affected, with many seeing their incomes disrupted or eliminated entirely. In addition to economic pressures, changing weather patterns continue to impact agricultural productivity, placing further strain on household livelihoods.

Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) works with women in low-income, climate-vulnerable communities to build resilience and self-reliance. By equipping women with the skills, knowledge and confidence to become successful farmers and entrepreneurs, SSP helps strengthen both individual livelihoods and the long-term resilience of rural communities.

Intervention

SJNEFFL partnered with SSP to support women entrepreneurs in Solapur and Akkalkot through a comprehensive enterprise development programme. The three-year initiative aims to create and support more than 2,250 women entrepreneurs and encourage the formation of cluster enterprises involving over 450 women.

During the reporting period, 750 women participated in intensive enterprise development training covering personal development, business planning, sales, marketing and financial management. Existing entrepreneurs also received refresher training to strengthen business operations and support future growth.

Additional support included networking and mentoring sessions, digital and financial literacy training, domain-specific training in millet product production, and assistance with bookkeeping, business registration, market linkages and access to suppliers. A revolving fund also provided interest-free loans to help women start or expand their businesses.

Impact

The project has generated significant economic outcomes for women entrepreneurs across the region.

750 women completed enterprise development training, achieving 100% of the programme target.
551 women (73%) started new businesses, significantly exceeding the target of 50%.
298 women achieved monthly earnings of more than INR 5,000.
487 women invested more than INR 20,000 into their enterprises.
Refresher training reached 800 women, representing 99% of the intended participants.
80% of refresher training participants started or restarted business activities.
73% achieved annual business turnover exceeding INR 100,000.
More than 80% of women adopted business record-keeping practices.
Around 30% registered their businesses formally.
Approximately 80% adopted digital marketing tools and 30% began using digital payment systems.

The revolving fund also exceeded expectations, supporting 73 women entrepreneurs against a target of 50. More than one-third of recipients have already begun repaying their loans, demonstrating both business viability and financial discipline.

Beyond the measurable outcomes, the programme has strengthened confidence, leadership and peer support among women entrepreneurs, creating a growing network of women who are better equipped to build sustainable livelihoods and withstand future economic and climate-related challenges.