THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU

BHUBANESWAR, FEBRUARY 13, 2026

 “Odisha is the only state that has developed a Standard Operating Procedure to manufacture women-friendly farm machinery,” said Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo while underscoring the State’s commitment to inclusive and evidence-led agricultural reform at the inception workshop on institutionalising the Gender Responsive Cell (GRC) in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

The workshop, organised by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute with support from the Gates Foundation, marked a significant step towards embedding gender equity within agricultural governance. Singh Deo said the launch of the Cell last year had signalled Odisha’s intent to move beyond policy rhetoric and translate research insights into tangible improvements in schemes, services and institutional processes that benefit women farmers.

The Gender Responsive Cell, jointly inaugurated on 29 November 2025 by Deputy Chief Ministers Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Pravati Parida at Krushi Bhavan, has been envisioned as a structural mechanism to analyse gender gaps and ensure that gender considerations become a core operational principle of the department rather than an add-on. The initiative seeks to strengthen data systems, programme design and implementation frameworks so that women’s participation and leadership in agriculture are systematically enhanced.

Dr. Mrinalini Darswal, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department, highlighted the importance of convergence across departments, noting that women’s empowerment in agriculture requires coordinated action spanning agriculture, nutrition, social protection and data governance. She said the Cell provides an institutional space where such convergence can translate into measurable outcomes.

Sachin Ramchandra Jadhav, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Department, described the GRC as a governance reform aimed at making agricultural policy more accountable and evidence-driven. He said the inception workshop would help convert the vision of the Cell into a practical roadmap with clear institutional responsibilities and monitoring mechanisms.

Emphasising the role of research institutions, Prof. Pravat Kumar Roul, Vice-Chancellor of the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology, said gender-responsive agricultural transformation must be anchored in rigorous evidence and continuous learning, with the GRC acting as a bridge between research, policy and field practice. Dr. Shahidur Rashid, Director for South Asia at the International Food Policy Research Institute, said the collaboration would support the State through measurement frameworks, capacity building and data-driven insights that could inform similar initiatives across India and the wider South Asian region.

The workshop also recognised grassroots leadership, with two farm women felicitated for their contributions. Dr. Raimati Ghiuria, widely known as the “Millet Rani” for her work in preserving traditional millet landraces and empowering women farmers, and Smt. Rina Behera, noted for her expertise in operating, maintaining and training others in farm machinery, were honoured for their role in advancing women-led agricultural innovation.

Technical sessions during the programme focused on gender-responsive agricultural transformation, climate resilience, women-centric mechanisation, custom hiring models and leadership pathways for women in Farmer Producer Organisations and Self Help Groups. Evidence from IFPRI-led initiatives such as the Gender, Climate Change and Nutrition Integration programme was presented to inform policy design, alongside discussions on robust monitoring and evaluation systems.

The event was attended by Dr. Arabinda Kumar Padhee, Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management, T. Nanda Kumar, former Secretary to the Government of India, senior officials, scientists, research scholars, representatives of civil society organisations and students.