Project Mesha has led to para-veterinary services for goats becoming a key pathway for women’s economic and social empowerment
Poor, marginalised women in India lack the many tools needed for economic empowerment, especially in states such as Bihar. So, it comes as a story of hope and resilience to learn that a project in Bihar has provided crucial livelihood support for women in form of asset management of livestock, in this case goats, in the process raising a substantial cohort of para-veterinarians. Small livestock is an important economic asset for small and marginal farming households, with women playing a key role in the care and upkeep of small livestock: The project demonstrates how small livestock can transform the lives of women through innovative planning and skill development
Project Mesha, implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and supported by the Gates Foundation, has made goat rearing a key pathway for women’s economic and social empowerment. Studies show that when given control of finances, women not only improve their status within homes, but also have a greater say in decisions and increased power to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families.
The project supports the develop- ment and training of women pashu sakhis (friends of animals): Fee- based health service workers for small ruminants providing vaccina- tions, de-worming, castration, and other services. Technical training apart, the women receive gender sensitisation and capacity building focused on enhancing agency, access, and control over productive resources and resulting income, as well as mobility and decisionmaking at the household and community levels. Today, 87% of women in the project solely decide how to spend their earnings. In 2021, Project Mesha, in partnership with the state rural livelihoods mission (JEEVIKA), scaled up across 20 districts (out of Bihar’s 38), benefiting over 700,000 women.
Using the SHG forum established by JEEVIKA, the programme trains women on how to vaccinate, deworm, and provide other prevent- ive care to goats. It has created a cadre of women para-veterinarians dedicated to preventive animal health services, improving the productivity of goat flocks.
The success of such projects, not just in Bihar but across rural India, lies in enabling women with deep ties with the community to steer the change. Project Mesha also involved building male champions for pashu sakhis by explaining to them that women need to be freed from some household responsibilities if they are to make more money. Responsibility distri- bution was gamified in the project: Men and women place an equal-sized stone for every task done throughout the day on a weighing scale. This demonstrates how much work a woman does. This facilitates discus- sions on the unequal work burden of women and how men can support change. AKF CEO Tinni Sawhney says, “This exercise brings to light the invisible, without even having to speak about gender norms.” There are 6,085 pashu sakhis reaching over 700,000 households across 20 dis- tricts of the state.
In Muzaffarpur, where the project was initiated in 2016, almost 60% of pashu sakhis have gone from zero income to ₹3,000-12,000 per month. In 2023, the women-led and women- managed Mesha Mahila Bakri Palak Producer Company was set up to ensure the sustainability of interven- tions and support collective input procurement and goat sale.
AKF and JEEVIKA plan to support the establishment of a cadre of 10,000 pashu sakhis across Bihar. There are plans to adopt a climate-adaptation lens: Pashu sakhis will help com- munities build resilience against the climate crisis. Focusing on disease prevention, Mesha minimises the use of antibiotics in goat flocks. Pilots for fodder also focus on hydroponics and fodder silage strengthening climate resilience. Ragini Devi, a pashu sakhi from the first cohort trained, proudly states, “We have made our homes stronger and we know that our work will also make our communities stronger”.
Article Credit: pressreader