Just a few years ago, Tasveer Gujjar was a college graduate focused on domestic life, managing her home and livestock. Today, she is a force for change, an FPO (farmer producer organization) board member, a bio-fertilizer and retail shop entrepreneur and a financially independent leader who paid off a significant business loan in 12 months, a feat that has positively changed her family dynamic.. Her journey, powered by regenerative agriculture, shows the potential unleashed when women are given the tools to economically thrive.
Despite earning a Bachelors in Arts, a significant accomplishment for a woman in rural Rajasthan, Tasveer initially devoted her time to managing her household, livestock and family.
“While I loved managing my home and caring for my now six-year-old son, I felt the pull of being independent, less reliant on my husband’s income,” says Tasveer. “I wanted to be doing something more.
Motivated by her husband, a Prem Samriddhi Foundation (PSF) staff member since 2016, Tasveer joined the Samridhhi Mahila Crop Producer Company (SMPC) three years ago. SMPC is a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) supported by PSF, a Women on Wings’ partner in job-creation.
As a regenerative agriculture promoter for SMPC, Tasveer has achieved significant personal growth, developed leadership skills, and secured her own income.
Tasveer on the farm in 2024
How she went from learning to leading in regenerative farming
Tasveer’s family previously practiced expensive, conventional farming on her in-laws two-hectare fields surrounded by the Aravali mountains. Through the Prem Samridhhi Foundation, they learned vital regenerative farming techniques, including pesticide-free multi-cropping, water management and seed conservation.
“By shifting to regenerative farming practices we dramatically reduced our input costs, saving us between one to 1.5 lakhs per year,” says Tasveer.
Today, Tasveer is a passionate advocate for chemical-free farming and regenerative agriculture. She is a respected community leader, now addressed as ‘Bhabhiji’, a Hindi term recognizing her mastery and knowledge. She regularly fields calls for advice, addresses village meetings and stresses the importance of cultivating healthy, nutrient-rich soil. Crucially, she is actively building a vital seed bank of indigenous varieties of paddy, wheat and vegetable seeds, connecting past preservation with future sustainability.
Tasveer packaging a variety of snacks
Income creation and a local circular economy
She learned from her FPO how to make bio-fertilizers and bio-pesticides, which she now produces and sells to local farmers. With support and training from the Prem Samriddhi Foundation, her family also installed a biogas plant that turns organic waste into clean cooking fuel and a nutrient-rich natural fertilizer, reducing her household fuel costs and providing clean, green energy.
Furthermore, she generates income by processing lentils and haldi (turmeric) chips for Bundi Naturals, a PSF-created brand that uses the FPO’s produce.
Tasveer at her shop
Confidence to sign an entrepreneurship loan
Her success in her various roles, FPO board leadership and creation of multiple income streams, unleashed her confidence and potential to expand her business ventures. The once-hesitant homemaker took a one-lakh rupee (approx. 950 euro) bank loan to open a shop catering to women’s needs., a decision validated by paying off the entire debt in just 12 months.
“Opened on the main road of my village, my shop provides cosmetics, hygiene products and clothing for women in her village and surrounding areas,” says Tasveer. “I am able to run this enterprise with the assistance of my mother-in-law.”
Women on Wings marketing expert Ellen Oord visits with Tasveer
Our partnership: strengthening the FPO’s business model
Women on Wings and Prem Samriddhi Foundation are partnered to support this kind of unleashed potential and create economic possibilities for women in rural areas. Our intervention focused on strengthening the FPO’s business strategy, advising on a B2B model for profitability, conducting a cost-pricing session and assessing the readiness to scale its Bundi Naturals brand.
This strategic partnership helped professionalize the organization, providing a stronger, sustainable platform to economically empower women farmers like Tasveer.
Tasveer’s experience reflects a wider trend in India: Domestic duties often keep women in rural areas, even graduates like Tasveer, out of the workforce. While the rural Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) nearly doubled from 2017-18 to 2023-24, a considerable portion, up to 52.4%, of working-age women in rural areas, remain unemployed (Oct. 2025 Drishtiias).
Tasveer with her son
Impact on Tasveer
She mastered productive, earth-friendly farming techniques advising fellow women in surrounding villages.
“Earning my own income has given me confidence to lead and manage my finances that I spend on myself and my son,” says Tasveer. “I dream of my six-year-old son promoting organic farming, ensuring his family’s health and continuing the movement toward chemical-free produce.”
