Uttarakhand food scientist helps tribal women become entrepreneurs | Fusion - WeRIndia

Nowadays, opportunities pave the way for skilled people.  However, rural and tribal people, especially women, are far behind due to lack of enough opportunities.

Here is a food scientist who helps several tribal women become food entrepreneurs.

Kirti Kumari is a food scientist at Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Uttarakhand.

28-year-old Kirti wants to empower tribal women. Knowing their experience in farming and cooking different varieties of food items, she provided a platform for them to showcase their skills.

Moreover, these healthy recipes are good for children and pregnant women. For instance, their iron laddoos are made of ragi and barnyard millets. These laddoos are distributed to rural health workers. Similarly, Urja, ready-to-use energy powder is made for malnourished children. Their Ragi Barfi is also very popular.

Kirti came to this region as part of her job. At that time, she observed that most women engage in farming. Yet, they are not getting any benefits. Moreover, they do not have any idea about value-added-products due to lack of knowledge.

Kirti educated these women and encouraged them to use homegrown crops, fruits, vegetables etc. to make jams, flour and other edible items to sell in the market. It helped them earn more.

She created self-help groups (SHG) and thereby made them entrepreneurs. She also helped with technical know-how. In association with several organizations, she helped women sell their products in global markets.

Besides, she taught them to use the opportunities wisely. Each year, Chardham Yatra takes place. Hence, she trained them to make highly nutritious Prasad with amaranth grain. This sweet Prasad grabbed the attention of many pilgrims. Many consume this Prasad during their yatra. One self-help group earned around ₹7-8 lakh by selling this sweet in just one festive season.

Kirti established a food processing industry in Tehri with the support of the government. She aims to make more women self-sustain and reach many people with improved production and quality.

Image Credit: Healthyindia

Image Reference: https://healthyindiacampaign.com/stories/