Shubhangi Kulkarni is a powerhouse of a woman, leading other grassroots women farmers in her community and facilitating dialogues with the local government for positive change!
Shubhangi Kulkarni, from Bavi village in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra is a veteran leader, having been associated with SSP for over seven years. Currently working as a block leader, she carries out training and mentorship to other women on entrepreneurship and agriculture. Through her work with SSP, she has herself adopted the ‘one-acre model’ of agriculture and turned her farm into a model farm and learning center, along with diversifying her livelihood into five different businesses that include dairy, pulse processing, flour grinding, vermicomposting, and tailoring.
As a block leader, Shubhangi tai also facilitated Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) in 10 villages in Washi block and helped community members identify the major challenges that they face, along with discussions of a plan of action on how to address these issues. Through the Village Action Groups (VAGs) in these villages, women from the village used the evidence from the PRA exercise to lobby with the Gram Panchayat and local government officials on access to basic services. In four of these villages (names?), the VAG was able to successfully negotiate with the Gram Panchayat, Gram Sevak and Block Officials to address issues such as access to clean drinking water, electricity, safe transportation for women, waste management and drainage. Many of these issues were also formally included in the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) in these four villages.
Shubhangi tai says that in the beginning it was difficult to get women to speak up in village meetings and in front of government officials. It took time for the women to gain confidence to speak up in meetings which were typically male dominated. Today though, she sees a major shift in the community, with government officials directly reaching out to these women leaders about the implementation of schemes, with many women now fearlessly participating in village-level meetings and sitting on various village committees as members and even duty bearers.
Swayam Shikshan Prayog
October 3, 2022