| Sumario: | CGIAR is a global research partnership dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in the face of climate crisis. Its mission is to reduce poverty, enhance food and nutrition security, and promote sustainable management of natural resources. Over the years, CGIAR’s gender research has significantly contributed to understanding women’s roles, agency, and status within agri-food systems. CGIAR’s Accelerator (CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion) is working to place equality and inclusion at the heart of food systems research and development. It drives the agenda of the world’s largest international agricultural research-for-development body (CGIAR) and Food, Land and Water Systems research ecosystem toward achieving real impact for women, youth, and socially excluded groups — including Indigenous peoples and local communities (IP&LC), disadvantaged castes, ethnic local communities, and people with disabilities — by placing them and their priorities at the heart of research in CGIAR.
Aligned with this vision, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), co-leading the Accelerator’s Area of Work (AoW) 1.2 – EMPOWER, aims to strengthen climate resilience and livelihoods through Socio-Technical Innovation Bundles (STIBs) in Learning Labs (LLs) established in Makaltala village of North and Balarampur village of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. This initiative aims to enhance climate resilience and strengthen livelihood opportunities for women farmers. Through a multi-stakeholder partnership, IRRI is working with women poultry farmers in Balarampur village and women goat rearers in Makaltala village to improve access to technologies and innovations that enhance both economic and climate resilience, while creating stronger livelihood opportunities for women farmers.
In Balarampur, women farmers have shown sustained interest in small-scale turkey rearing. While the enterprise shows potential as a viable livelihood, it is constrained by seasonal market demand and the absence of a structured value chain. To address these challenges, IRRI commissioned a gendered turkey value chain study covering five blocks in South 24 Parganas.
The study generated key insights into turkey rearing as an enterprise with a high potential to diversify rural livelihoods and strengthen local economies. However, critical aspects of the value chain—including market access, input supply systems, and processing infrastructure—remain underdeveloped. Based on this evidence, a policy dialogue was convened with the West Bengal Livestock Development Corporation (WBLDCL) and other relevant stakeholders to explore opportunities for institutional support, enhance market linkages, and identify strategies to scale women-led turkey enterprises.
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