Over the past two decades, women in South Asia have made remarkable strides in education, seen a decline in maternal mortality, and gained greater access to mobile technology. But in one critical area, progress for women remains lackluster: access to quality jobs and economic opportunities.
Despite being comparatively better educated, a woman living in South Asia today is no more likely to hold a job than she was in the early 2000s.
In fact, only about 32 percent of women participate in the labor force, compared to 77 percent of men—one of the widest gaps in the world. This is a significant lost opportunity. Closing this gap could boost the region’s economy by up to 51 percent, unlocking enormous potential for growth and prosperity.
The World Bank Group supports programs and initiatives in the region that create more and better jobs and give women access to employment, business opportunities, and productive assets.
Across Nepal, women are experiencing a quiet shift from subsistence farming to earning income, fueled by the collective strength of agricultural cooperatives, grants to purchase new equipment and technologies, and better connections to markets. The result is empowered women farmers taking charge of their lives and livelihoods, and creating jobs for their communities.
Anjali Devi Yadav, who lives in Madhesh province has transitioned from a life plagued with debt after her husband emigrated to Dubai, to becoming a successful farmer-entrepreneur.
A grant from the World Bank’s Rural Enterprise and Economic Development (REED) project provided Anjali with seeds, sprayers, farm tools, and other resources, along with training in modern farming techniques.
REED supports Nepal’s rural agribusinesses in connecting to markets and developing a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Today, Anjali delivers fresh produce to the local market and has even arranged for her husband’s return to help her in the fields, where he earns more than he did in Dubai.
With the support of her cooperative, Anjali and other farmers are connected with wholesale buyers who ensure fair prices and steady demand for their produce. The 2024 season was a breakthrough- Anjali sold 9.8 tons of vegetables, including cowpeas, beans, cucumbers, chilies, and tomatoes, earning a record Rs 392,000 (approx. US $2,950) – up from her earlier seasonal earnings of Rs120,000 (approx. US $900) from around 4 tons of vegetables.
“Now, I don’t just grow vegetables. I grow confidence, security, and a future for my children.” saiys, Anjali Yadav
Over the past four years, REED has mobilized more than US $12.5 million in capital for farmers and has generated over 12,000 jobs, benefiting more than 8,700 farmers across 171 municipalities and six provinces in rural Nepal.
Of the approximately 300 productive partnerships fostered by REED, 108 are women-led and of REED’s 8,738 beneficiaries, approximately 48 percent are women.
Buffalo farmers in Madichour Rolpa like Anisha Pun and Tirpani Baijali are also earning more, thanks to improved market access.
“Previously, the milk we produced didn’t find a market. Now we take the milk to the dairy,” explained Anisha. “The money generated from milk production and sales is making it easier to run the household,” adds Tirpani.
REED also provides other support to boost milk production, including grants that enabled the farmers to buy Murrah buffaloes that produce five to six liters of milk a day, and guidance on rearing buffalo so that they are more productive.
These stories are encouraging news in Nepal. Women constitute the majority of Nepal’s agricultural workforce, yet only around 32 percent own farmland. However, the government of Nepal aims to increase this number to 50% by 2035. With the right market tools, knowledge, and incentives, women farmers across Nepal can leverage collective effort to meet market demands and become successful producers and entrepreneurs.
Strengthening rural agro-enterprises in high-potential value chains and creating market links between women farmers and buyers unlock opportunities for women to drive economic growth and benefit buyers too – they gain a reliable supply of products, ensuring business continuity.
The report has also highlighted the same kind of stories of women from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.
(Extracted from World Bank report with credit)
