Strengthening Socio-Ecological Resilience of Tribal Farm Women through Capacity Building in Agri-Food Innovations

Abstract

Capacity building in agri-food innovations is increasingly recognized as a critical pathway to address the dual challenges of ecological sustainability and livelihood enhancement. This study was undertaken using a structured framework to strengthen socio-ecological growth through targeted objectives. The key objectives included developing the technical and entrepreneurial competencies of tribal farm women for adopting climate-smart, nutrient-smart, and water-smart practices; institutionalizing community-based platforms such as farmer producer organizations to foster participatory learning and collective action; integrating digital tools and ICT-based solutions into extension processes; and promoting resilience and awareness of socio-ecological linkages by incorporating modules on climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and nutrition-sensitive farming. The study was conducted in selected villages of Nalgonda district, Telangana, India with a sample size of 110 tribal farm women. Interventions introduced were Good Agricultural Practices, reduced seed rate, line sowing of paddy, water management through Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), weed management through judicious use of herbicides, adoption of climate-resilient and high-zinc rice varieties, and provision of sprayers to tribal farm women for custom hiring enterprises. Results showed that adoption of GAPs improved paddy yield while herbicide application reduced labor costs. The establishment of custom hiring services further enhanced income opportunities for women farmers. The integrated capacity-building approach not only improved productivity and reduced input costs but also strengthened livelihood security and ecological resilience among tribal farm women. These findings highlight the potential of targeted agri-food innovations to accelerate sustainable agricultural transformations and promote inclusive socio-ecological development. Moreover, the demonstrated success underscores the need for scalable models supported by an enabling policy framework, which can facilitate wider replication and sustained impact across similar agro-ecological and socio-economic contexts.