Development of Participatory Training Module on Value-addition of Mango: Empowering Rural Women towards Sustainable Livelihoods

Abstract

Women in rural areas play a vital role in agricultural activities. They are involved in various aspects of agricultural production, including main crop production, livestock production, horticulture, post-harvesting operations and agro /social forestry. However, the potential for economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods remains largely untapped.  This research paper focuses on developing a participatory training module on the value-addition of mango for rural women. The present study was conducted in Banswara district of Rajasthan, India in 2022-23 and the data were collected in May-June 2022.  Training was conducted with a sample of 30 randomly selected rural women from Talwara and Deoliya villages of Banswara Panchayat Samiti. The paper explores the development and effectiveness of the training module in terms of knowledge and skill gain among the respondents. The developed training module was evaluated by a panel of experts and scored high for all the evaluation criteria emphasising the module's robustness and efficacy in equipping the respondents with essential competencies. Result of the paired t-test show that gain in knowledge and skill scores of the respondents before and after exposure to the participatory training module, was highly significant at 1 per cent level of significance. The research contributes to the broader discourse on gender equality, agricultural development, and poverty alleviation, highlighting the transformative potential of empowering rural women through knowledge and skill development in the value-addition of mango.