To mark this year’s International Women’s Day, we went out to the field and interviewed some of our remarkable women farmers who have been making a difference on their farms and in their communities. First in the series is Kaumudiben Satishbhai Tadavi, a woman farmer from Narmada, Gujarat, India, who is also a ‘Change Ambassador’ in our Women's Climate Change programme. She passionately advocates for sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. Read on to learn about her inspiring journey and the impact her work has had on her and the lives of other women in her village.

Kamudiben, tell us about yourself.

I am Kamudiben Satishbhai Tadvi, a graduate and cotton farmer from Vyadhar Village, Gujarat. Alongside cotton, I cultivate pigeon peas and practice animal husbandry. I am also a climate ambassador with CottonConnect’s programme.

Can you tell us about that programme and what motivated you to be a part of it?

I became involved in the Women Climate Change Ambassador programme in 2022, after a visit from representatives of CottonConnect and Vasundra Foundation to our village. The programme's objectives and the potential benefits for our farming practices motivated me to join. Through it, I've gained valuable knowledge about climate change and its impact on agriculture, and I've learned practical strategies to mitigate these challenges and improve our farming methods. I am one of the first 45 women who were trained as ambassadors and have passed on my learnings to 30 more women in my village. Part of my role is to pass on what I’ve learned so that the programme is self-sustaining.

You are a farmer, a homemaker, and a climate ambassador. How do you balance your work between various responsibilities?

My family supports me. We divide responsibilities among ourselves, with my mother-in-law handling breakfast while my husband assists with farm work and gathering cattle feed. When I'm away for training or farm work, my mother-in-law takes care of things at home. It would have been very difficult otherwise. My husband and I work together, adjusting our schedule to accommodate weather conditions, such as waiting for the morning fog to clear before picking cotton.

Is it useful to be on the programme? How has it influenced your perspective on climate change?

Before joining the programme, we relied on traditional farming methods and bought chemical fertilisers and pesticides. I was aware of climate change but didn't fully grasp its significance or its connection to farming. The programme has also given me the opportunity to meet inspiring women, which has boosted my confidence and led me to become a trainer myself.

How has climate change / extreme changing weather affected your farm?

We are witnessing unseasonal rainfall, strong winds, and heavy fog that pose significant challenges to our cotton crops. During the last cotton season, heavy rainfall led to waterlogged fields. It also damaged some crops and deteriorated the overall quality of seed cotton. This decreased production and lowered prices for our yield. The same happened this season, -our crops were once again affected by unseasonal rainfall, causing wilting in the cotton plants.

How do you cope with climate challenges now? Have you implemented some practices you learnt through the programme?

As we learned on the programme, we managed to mitigate the damage by using homemade bio-pesticides. We have started constructing drainage channels around our fields to prevent waterlogging during heavy rainfall. Additionally, we have installed yellow sticky traps, pheromone traps, and bird perches to control pests. As a result, there has been less damage to our cotton crops.

For the longer term, I practice agroforestry and have planted fruit crops like sapota, moringa, mango, and Jamun along borders.

With other women farmers in my community, we have together also set up an input center; we make bio-inputs such as neem arc, dashparni arc, vermicompost, etc. We are planning to start selling the surplus inputs this season.

What changes have you seen on your farm since you started all these practices?

Sightings of birds like Indian Mynas and sparrows have increased due to bird perches we introduced and reduced chemical use. My farm also has pheromone traps and yellow sticky traps, which control the pest population; all controlled as nature intends.

This year, we harvested three crops: maize as a border crop, pigeon peas as an intercrop, and cotton. We sold surplus maize and pigeon peas. Previously, we would plant pigeon peas between cotton, but I never knew the benefits. Pigeon peas helped in enhancing soil fertility; maize kept the bollworms away.

Have you noticed any change in the community since women benefited from the new information you are able to provide?

Before, women were mainly involved in tasks like sowing, harvesting, weeding, or gathering fodder, with little or no awareness of climate change or how to address it. They often followed the instructions given by men without question, and it was always the men farmers who decided on matters such as seed selection and fertiliser application. But now, we women participate in all aspects of farming, working alongside men and contributing to decisions.

I have seen a shift in the awareness levels and participation of the 30 women I train. In the last two years I have seen all of them being more engaged in farm activities and decision making.

This has led to some interesting dynamics, with men sometimes questioning or even resisting the changes brought about by our increased involvement. However, overall, there is a growing recognition of the importance of women's contributions and our capacity to lead in adopting new agricultural practices.

As a woman farmer, what challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them?

Initially, I encountered stereotypes and biases from both men and women in the community. People would dismiss women’s involvement in training programmes, asking if we didn’t have other work to do – i.e. in the home! – and implying that farming was not suitable for women. However, as we began to implement new practices and share our knowledge with others, attitudes started to change. Now, we are invited into homes to teach new farming techniques and make bio-pesticides. Women in the community are eager to learn and are actively seeking out opportunities to improve their farming skills. Men were sceptical and hesitant to change their traditional methods, they have become more receptive and willing to embrace these changes.

What advice would you give to other women who aspire to become farmers in India, based on your journey and experiences?

I would encourage women to step outside their comfort zones and actively engage in farming activities. Embrace the opportunity to learn new techniques, such as making and using homemade bio-pesticides. And I urge women to explore the world beyond their homes. By venturing outside and interacting with others, we can broaden our horizons and gain valuable knowledge and skills. Do not let stereotypes or societal expectations hold you back - instead, strive to prove yourselves and make meaningful contributions to farming and society.

You can read about the Women Climate Change Ambassador Programme in our latest research report on Women In Cotton: Addressing the Impact of Climate Change through Climate-friendly Practices.

You can read more about our work with women farmers and its impact in our latest Impact Report 2023

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