Everyday Locavores

What does the everyday labour of a woman farmer look like? Through these profiles of farmers from across India, we document the many ways in which women’s labour sustains our food systems.

“The heat is just too much! But pineapple and roselle juice sell well”

—Ibadapmon Barim, 32, Khweng village, Meghalaya

“Our elders say, if you never put an axe to a mahua tree, it won’t let a person go hungry”

—Kalabai Merawi, 45, Kannai village, Madhya Pradesh

“We have always lived on these islands and gone to sea. How can the state say it does not belong to us?”

—S. Pandiammal, 44, Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu

“They’ve started dumping cement there. It results in smaller, less meaty oysters that take longer to form”

—Ratna and Alka, Koli fisherwomen, Mumbai

“There is no first aid, or protective gear to stave off such injuries. There are no toilets, no shade”

—Jamuna Khatuwa, a coastal fishworker in Bakkhali, West Bengal

“You should’ve come when we get bombil. It is beautiful, every surface of Mandav is covered with it”

—Leela Solanki, who dries fish at Versova village, Mumbai

“The root crops are at risk of disappearing, […] compelling Reshma and Nagveni to strive to protect them”

—Reshma and Nagveni, a duo rooting for tubers in Joida, Karnataka

This curation is part of the Woman Farmer Project, a multimedia storytelling initiative led by The Locavore in partnership with the Doc Society Climate Story Kitchen. It aims to build a roadmap for successful collaborations between institutions and innovative grassroots networks who are committed to amplifying climate stories.

The Doc Society supports climate action across the globe by championing independent filmmakers, audio producers, journalists, and artists working alongside impact producers and movement builders to bring more communities into climate conversations to advance climate just and biodiverse futures.