Right to Land and Food Sovereignty

Rural women, especially in Dalit and indigenous communities, are landless and have no source of livelihood opportunities. They are breadwinners of their families but earn very low wages. They are primary food producers but they face poverty, hunger and malnutrition, unemployment/underemployment, displacement and forced migration. They are denied their space in democratic forums, including political spaces. They suffer multiple forms of discrimination -- as rural women, being poor and landless, and as members of their caste. The prevailing caste system continues to decimate Dalits and indigenous women. They are regarded at the lowest rung of the caste hierarchy based on ritual purity and occupation. 

 

Because of this, they are the most deprived and worst affected groups in their communities and in society. One of SRED’s key programs works on the empowerment of Dalit and indigenous women by creating a deep understanding on their issues of landlessness, including the poisoning of their lands by highly hazardous pesticides; and promoting agroecology. 

 

Land and political rights for Dalit and indigenous women are the main focus. By providing skills and trainings, Dalit women are able to take on campaigns and advocacy to assert their rights to local and national governments and relevant institutions towards policy change in support of the transformation of agricultural policies and food systems. These promote and encourage movement-building among women for the upholding of access to land for the landless.