MAKAAM Annual Fundraiser for 2024

Formed in 2014, Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM) is a nationwide informal alliance of various individuals and organisations of farming women, of women farmers' collectives, civil society organisations, researchers and activists, drawn from 24 states of India, to secure due recognition and rights of women farmers in India. 

MAKAAM is an informal alliance, and yet, in a few short years, it has evolved as a major platform for rallying the combined strength of all of our member organisations and individual activists and researchers. 

Here is a snapshot of our activities in the past year:

1. Parallel Sessions on Women Farmers: MAKAAM's parallel sessions on Women Farmers at the 2022 Kisan Swaraj Sammelan covered issues of access to entitlements, natural resources, and decision-making. Discussions revealed challenges such as limited land ownership and the impact of climate change on women farmers. The sessions also addressed state-specific concerns and highlighted the need for broader changes in the agricultural paradigm.
2. Structural Violence on Rural Women Workers: FPC and MAKAAM collaborated to host a webinar on "Structural Violence on Rural Women Workers," on June 16, 2023. The webinar presented the findings of the research study. The webinar was very well received with the panellists offering insights into the challenges faced by women farmers, rural migrant workers, ASHA, and Anganwadi workers.
3. Agridigitalisation: Nachiket Udupa from MKSS and ASHA held an orientation session with the National Facilitation Team on the impact of agidigitalisation on women farmers.
4. Workshop on Women and Forest Rights: A virtual workshop on Women and Forest Rights was organized by Jan Chetna Sansthan, Rajasthan and MAKAAM on June 22, 2023. The two-hour event focused on strengthening efforts to ensure women's rights and voices in forest governance, facilitating collaborative dialogue with state and other stakeholders.
5. NCNF engagement - As part of our engagement with the National Coalition for Natural Farming (NCNF), we are working to engender their processes, thereby becoming more intentional about gender transformation, and not just inclusion.
6. NCNF-MAKAAM webinar: On the occasion of National Women Farmers' Day, the National Coalition for Natural Farming (NCNF) and MAKAAM hosted a webinar where participants had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with experienced women farmers practising natural farming. The event took place on Sunday, October 15th. Attendees learned about the unique journeys of these women farmers from various states.
7. Sharing Sessions: MAKAAM has been hosting a learning/sharing session once every two months since August 2023. The sessions are typically held on the first Wednesday of every alternate month in the afternoon at 4 pm, focusing on topics aligned with MAKAAM's work. The objective is to strengthen the alliance, increase interaction, and foster sharing among participants to effectively facilitate campaigns or events.

7.a. PM KISAN: In August 2023, a session was hosted on the coverage and access of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme for women farmers. Discussions revolved around a research study that MAKAAM is planning to initiate in several states concerning PM KISAN and women farmers. The meeting covered the proposed methodology, sampling, and questionnaire. Interested organizations and individuals were welcomed to participate in the process on voluntary basis with no resources.

7.b. Gender, Women's Leadership, Forest Rights and Governance: In the recently concluded sharing session of MAKAAM, the forest rights thematic group presented the issues faced by women farmers engaged in the collection of forest produce. The presentation included a series of case studies from different states, shedding light on the challenges and concerns experienced by women in this aspect.

8. NAWO-MAKAAM joint session in Odisha: On November 9th, 2023, as part of the 2-day International Convention on Millets at Janta Maidan, Bhubaneswar, organized by the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment in Odisha, a pivotal session on Gender integration in Government programs and their challenges, specifically addressing millets, was jointly anchored by the National Alliance of Women (NAWO) and MAKAAM (Mahila Kisan Adhikar Manch). This session, held in celebration of the International Year of Millets, brought together delegates and officials from across India and abroad.

9. IRMA conference, November 2023: Members of MAKAAM’s National Facilitation Team were part of a panel discussion of a conference organised by IRMA on "Managing Sustainable Transitions in Agriculture: Newer Directions for Research and Civic Action".

Upcoming events:

The next thematic sharing session will be held in December 2023. 

Requesting your support:

We would like to request your support and donation for our activities as well as supporting the salary of our coordinator. The funds we raise are spent on supporting the salary of our coordinator, website expenses, and a Zoom subscription to facilitate our communication.

Pledge your support, donate now!

Thanking you in anticipation,

National Facilitation Team,

Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).