Three key takeaways
- Empowering women Agri-Entrepreneurs (AEs) is a high-return, systemic investment. Investing in women like Sanju solves the smallholder trap; by improving farm yields and delivering a respected economic and intellectual resource, driving local stability and community change.
- The FPC model with diversification provides resilience and scalability. Structuring the Agri-Entrepreneur (AE) role within a legal Farmer Producer Company (FPC) and pairing it with diversification creates a crucial buffer against agricultural seasonality, ensuring the role is financially viable and sustainable.
- Strategic capacity building (like Women on Wings’ support) is essential for long-term viability. Non-financial, long-term expert support in business strategy, supply chain, and process improvement ensures the FPC can operate efficiently and scale, making the AE role a reliable, long-term job-creation model.
Despite women constituting 64.4% of the agricultural workforce in India, access to quality agri-inputs and technical knowledge remains a significant barrier. Sanju Maurya, a 33-year old mother of four, now actively helps solve this issue in her village of Devlakha, Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh.
On a busy main road in Devlakha, a village defined by the demands of wheat and maize fields, sits a small shop, the enterprise of Sanju. It is a vibrant hub of both daily necessities and essential agricultural wisdom.
The local challenge is acute: decades of intensive rice-wheat-sugarcane rotation have caused severe nutrient imbalances in the naturally rich soil. Many farmers lack technical knowledge, such as soil testing, leading to inefficient blanket fertilization. These degrade the soil and increase costs without increasing yield.
Sanju’s story is one of ambition, and a wish to lead and build within her own community. Her story shows the return on investment that comes from empowering women at the grassroots level.
A dream finds its structure
For Sanju, the dream was to be an entrepreneur. Yet, as is the case for many women in rural India, marriage at the age of 24 brought an immediate shift in focus.
“Before marriage, I used to feel more independent,” she shares.
Post-marriage, with a family of four children and no in-laws to share the load, her world centered on ongoing household chores and the manual-intensive demands of their own small farm. While she had worked with a Self Help Group before, sharing technical know-how, most of her energy was devoted to domestic responsibilities.
This is the reality for millions of Indian women: educated (Sanju holds a Bachelor of Arts degree) yet largely confined to the home, an untapped economic and intellectual resource. The challenge was finding a structure that allowed her to channel herentrepreneurial spirit and balance her heavy load.
An opportunity that knocked: the Udhyami Mahila model
The structure Sanju needed arrived through a key partner of Women on Wings, Udhyami Mahila Farmer Producer Company, a women-led, farmer-owned enterprise, an initiative supported by the NGO, Trust Community Livelihoods. The FPC functions as a ‘Business for Farmers, by Farmers,’ aggregating resources to solve the ‘Smallholder Trap.’ Udhyami Mahila FPC achieves this by:
- Bulk procurement: sourcing high-quality seeds and fertilizers at wholesale rates, cheaper than local middlemen
- Value addition: operating dal mills and creating branded products for higher profit margins
- Empowering women: building its structure by creating Producer Groups of women to a registered Producer Company, where every woman farmer is a shareholder with a voice
Sanju worked as a Community Resource Person with TCL. In 2021-22, she took the initiative to become an Agri-Entrepreneur with Udhyami Mahila FPC. This role is a perfect fit, blending Sanju’s existing farming knowledge with her lifelong dream of running a business. Her primary function is to serve as a vital link: providing technical guidance to fellow female farmers and supplying essential, high-quality agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, sourced by the FPC. It gave her an opportunity to earn, and to lead and be seen as a source of expertise.
Sanju Maurya at the counter in her shop that she actively invests her Agri-Entrepreneur income.
Confidence and capital
Sanju’s role as an Agri-Entrepreneur quickly blossomed. It shaped her personal confidence, her family dynamics, and contributes to the economics of her village.
The income from selling agri-inputs is seasonal. Recognizing this gap, Sanju used her sharp entrepreneurial instinct and runs a full-fledged grocery and FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) shop. She also keeps seasonal agri-inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
This diversification provides a regular source of income, a buffer against the seasonality of agriculture. Her income after diversification also doubled from the previous level. She actively invests her income in expanding the shop. Financial independence has been life-changing. Sanju now manages her own earnings, a skill she learned over time.
“I can spend the money on requirements of my own and my children without even consulting my husband.”
Her statement highlights the agency, autonomy and dignity an income brings. She is no longer a recipient of resources but a key decision-maker. Beyond financial security, her social standing also improves.
“Earlier not many people knew about me, but now not only people know about me but they also come to me for opinions on their agriculture-related problems. I really feel good about it.”
She has become an opinion-leader and a respected consultant. The support is clear, her community relies on her for vital information, problem-solving and inputs.
The change also permeates her home. Her husband now actively helps procure goods
for her shop. Her high school age children help manage the shop while she attends to farming duties or community meetings as part of her responsibility in Trust Community Livelihoods. Her work is a shared enterprise, teaching her children the value of work and responsibility.
Sanju’s vision? Happy and fulfilling lives
Sanju Maurya has a clear vision for her life. She has learned advanced agriculture techniques, soil testing, using improved seeds, and efficient machinery, knowledge that benefits her community and her own crops. She has become a ‘more outgoing person’ widening her outlook on life.
When asked about her dreams now, the answer is grounded, yet aspirational.
“I dream of having a happy and fulfilling life with my husband and kids. I want my kids who dream of becoming teachers and doctors to do well in life.”
Her success proves the impact of structured support and a viable FPCmodel, leading to financial independence and expertise.
Women on Wings: co-creating sustainable jobs for rural India
Our expert business support strengthens organizations like Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), enabling them to turn women in rural areas into successful Agri Entrepreneurs and other roles. This model creates financial independence and community change.
Women on Wings and Udhyami Mahila’s partnership
Women on Wings’ primary role in rural India is to co-create sustainable jobs for women like Sanju by providing non-financial, long-term pro bono business consultancy to social enterprises like Udhyami Mahila FPC. This ensures the business model is robust, scalable, and can reliably create long-term Agri Entrepreneur roles.
Women on Wings and Udhayami Mahila team has worked together since 2023 to co-create jobs such as Sanju’s. This is achieved through assignments focusing on crucial areas like business strategy, marketing, supply chain, and process improvement. This strong collaboration makes the FPC robust and sustainable, creating viable Agri-Entrepreneur roles for women. By strengthening organizations like Udhyami Mahila, we co-create a future where women’s entrepreneurship drives higher yields, stronger regional economies, and fulfilling lives.
We thank Sanju Maurya for taking the time to share with Women on Wings how a job is making a difference for her.
