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SEWA Stories: Making a Difference
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In rural areas, where land ownership is
difficult—if not impossible—for women to acquire, formerly
unproductive land was made viable for agriculture through collective
ownership of water. Bhatt cites examples—including an agricultural
cooperative and a vegetable-growers cooperative— where SEWA's
services have enabled self-employed women to increase the productivity
and profitability of their businesses. SEWA helps women gain more
affordable access to necessary capital and raw materials, to better
compete in the mainstream market, and to ensure that they receive
a greater portion of the profits generated by their work.
For example, Bhatt describes the work of SEWA's vegetable-growers
cooperative in achieving greater financial equity for self-employed vegetable growers. In
2001, the cooperative's annual turnover was around $400,000, serving the needs of 700
women farmers from 200 villages and offering training in marketing, accounts keeping,
computer use, and business plan development.
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