Authors
Sudha Narayanan, Milee Parmar, Ritesh Pandey
Publication date
2023/4/27
Book
Farming Futures
Pages
51-68
Publisher
Routledge India
Description
This chapter tracks the story of Jeevika Women Agri Producer Company Limited (JWAPCL), a 1,206 member women’s farmer Producer Company (FPC) in Khagaria, Bihar. Promoted by the Bihar Rural Livelihoods Promotion Society (BRLPS) or JEEViKA, an autonomous institution designated by the Government of Bihar, the FPC is part of a larger strategy of the government to nurture sustainable and profitable livelihoods for rural women. JWAPCL was founded in 2009 in one of the most backward districts in India. This chapter tracks its journey from 2009 until 2021, focusing on the evolution of the company from one that relied exclusively on seed production on a very small scale to one that pivoted to maize trading, further to one that is building a rich portfolio of activities including value-chain development in high-value crops and agricultural inputs trading. Over the course of its journey, it is apparent that JWAPCL …