At just 28, food scientist Kirti Kumar’s passion for food, is empowering over 1,000 tribal women in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, to earn money using local resources. With the help of self-help groups (SHGs), she trains rural women to become food entrepreneurs.
Kumar belongs to Bharatpur in India’s Rajasthan state. She works as a food scientist and teaches at the Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry in Tehri Garhwal.
An Indian news report quoted Kumar: "It took me over three years to study and understand the socio-economic issues of Uttarakhand hills, especially Tehri. I decided to do something with my knowledge and experience. In Uttarakhand, over 80 per cent of farming is done by women, but they don’t get the benefits.”
After a lot of effort, she managed to persuade rural women to use indigenously available fruits, crops, vegetables, flowers and other farm products to make jams, flour and various other edible items to be sold in markets across the country. She said: “It took a lot of effort, but soon they responded by following the instructions.”
Apparently, the block-level processing units that Kumar helped set up have now led to a turnover of over Rs1 crore (Dh 497,269).
At present over 1,000 women through 10 SHGs manufacture various items such as jams, jellies, pickles, multi-grain flour, food designed for malnourished babies, adolescent girls, and pregnant women.
After coming across a report that more than 42 per cent of girls studying in government schools were anaemic, she decided to request women to make 'iron laddoos' (iron-rich snack balls) with locally produced ingredients. Some of their similar products, such as 'Ragi Barfi' (a sweet dish made of finger millet flour) is so famous that the state government has recommended a GI (Geographical Indications) tag for it.
The products are reaching various cities, bringing money to these women, and improving their standard of living. After the success of the units, last month, Kumar was awarded by the state, for her contribution to changing the lives of tribal women living in remote areas.
