
Agriculture is the lifeline for millions of women farmers in India, yet their contributions often go unrecognized. Women make up a significant portion of the agricultural labor force, with 73% of rural women working in agriculture. Moreover, around 80% of all economically active women in India work in agriculture. However, a glaring gender disparity persists: only 14% of landowners in India are women (Read more here). This inequity reflects the systemic failure to acknowledge women as farmers, despite their significant participation and contribution to agricultural activities. The Kheda Women Farmers Cooperative was founded in the 1990s in Kheda district, Gujarat, about 40 km from Ahmedabad. The objective – to bridge the gap by empowering women farmers to own and manage agricultural businesses directly from their villages. This gave them voice, visibility and business ownership.
Challenges Faced During the Initial Phase
In its initial phase, the cooperative faced multiple challenges. They were – lack of strong leadership, insufficient business acumen, limited handholding support, and a lack of awareness about the transformative power of cooperatives. These hurdles led to a hiatus and eventual closure.
As Late Elaben Bhatt, our beloved founder said – “When poor come together on the basis of their work and build organizations that decentralize production and distribution and promote asset formation and ownership, build people’s capacities, provide social security, and allow for active participation and a voice, they are dynamic and healthy and need our full support to grow.”

Keeping this approach in mind, SEWA Cooperative Federation saw potential in re-enabling this agriculture cooperative in Kheda to make the women farmers reach self-reliance and gain full employment through the means of their own social business (a Cooperative).
In 2011, through various measures and steps the rebirth of Kheda Women Farmers’ Cooperative began.
For the Kheda Women Farmers Cooperative, the journey to revival is about more than just business expansion. It’s about education, leadership, and a collective spirit that ensures sustainability. Currently in its revival stage, the cooperative is balancing business growth (as we saw in the case of its entering output side of the business with mustards – you can read it here) with strengthening its membership. Here’s how they’re doing it.
Strengthening the cooperative i.e. increasing and sustaining its membership is our main priority.
Strengthening Membership and Building Grassroot Leadership
One of the ways to strengthen the cooperative roots is through member education of the Kheda Mandali (mandali = cooperative, in Gujarati). This also helps the cooperative in expanding its base. With the support of SEWA Cooperative Federation’s Capacity Building and Enterprise Development teams, the cooperative organized a two-day residential training program for its 20 new members, in Neembadi, Sanand 50 kms away from their homes.
Anitaben from Himmatpura said – “This was the first time I left my village and attended a training.” For all participants like Anitaben, it was their first time leaving their villages in Kheda district — showing a willingness to collectively explore uncharted ways.
SEWA Cooperative Federation has adopted a phased approach for the revival of Kheda Women Farmers Cooperative:

Step 1: Mapping Business Expansion Areas
The first step involved identifying opportunities in adjoining villages for expanding the cooperative’s business. Currently, Kheda Cooperative provides services and products in five villages. But in a recent business expansion meeting, they saw opportunities and expanded their scope to include 7 more adjoining villages.
Step 2: Induction for New Members
From these adjoining villages, new members were introduced to SEWA’s values, cooperative principles, and the benefits of collective effort. This session laid the foundation for their journey within the movement. It also established a strong starting point for women farmers to connect with each other and collectively increase their agriculture business.

Step 3: Identifying Young Leaders
During the training, several young women emerged as potential leaders or aagewans. “These were those members who showed initiative, took up the responsibility of helping others voluntarily and showed willingness to continue,” says Alpaben – senior trainer at SEWA Cooperative Federation. These grassroots leaders were encouraged to take ownership of the cooperative’s growth, fostering a bottom-up approach to leadership development.
Step 4: Continuous Learning
To keep the momentum alive, regular refresher sessions are planned. These sessions allow the members to connect to an ongoing movement in and around their villages. It also helps them connect to new ideas – outside of their usual chores and build an identity for themselves.
Family Support and Cooperative Growth
Hansaben, from the Enterprise Development Team, reflects, “Over the past two years, we focused on business expansion. Now, strengthening the cooperative i.e. increasing and sustaining its membership is our main priority.”
Currently operating in five villages, the cooperative is preparing to expand into seven more, including Jeswapura, Parshatanj, Rampura, Laxmipura, Virol, Chapra, and Khumarvad.

Anitaben, a young participant, shared her story of overcoming societal barriers. Like many women, she faced challenges rooted in family responsibilities, childcare, home care duties, and subtle gender discrimination. However, her family, particularly her mother-in-law, became her pillar of support. Small but impactful gestures—like accompanying her to sessions—helped Anitaben gain her family’s trust and confidence, making her participation possible and opening new doors for her growth.
To strengthen trust, the cooperative also shares photos and stories from the workshops with members’ families. This transparency helps create an environment of acceptance and pride, allowing women to step out of their orthodox roles and into leadership.
Conclusion: Building a Movement Through Education and Leadership
“Prioritizing membership alongside core business is crucial for the movement’s success. Cooperatives must take the Statement of Cooperative Identity (SCI) seriously, as it highlights the fundamental role of membership,” Co-op Dialogue November Issue.
Other important ways of member strengthening are creating spaces that strengthen the voices and decision making agencies of informal women workers. One such example is that of Annual General Meetings where all members participate and have equal right in voicing out their concerns. You can read more about the AGM in Kheda here.

The Kheda Women Farmers Cooperative is not just expanding its business—they are contributing to the 50 year old SEWA movement. Through strategic training, family support, and leadership development, it is empowering women to take charge of their collective growth.
As part of a larger cooperative movement – the Kheda Women Farmers Cooperative is ensuring that the co-op values and principles through various training and membership are immersed in the members along with their aspirations for business expansion. For these women, the journey begins with overcoming personal and societal barriers, but with education, trust, right market linkages and collective strength, they are transforming their cooperative into a powerful agent of change.
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For context building:
“The members of SEWA’s cooperatives are women from low-income households, with moderate or low levels of formal education and limited exposure to the business world. SEWA provides a range of inputs to these cooperatives to make them competitive and self-sustaining enterprises. Inputs are provided to members, to directors of the cooperatives, and to the staff who help run these enterprises” – ILO report on 30 years of experience of SEWA Cooperative Federation with Women Collective Enterprises.